Warm weather will soon give way in the Dayton area to the cooler temperatures of fall. As fall and then winter advance, we’ll be spending more time indoors with the windows shut. Unfortunately, for many of us being closed up indoors means we’ll also be subjected to poor indoor air quality.
It’s a fact that air in the typical American household is much more polluted than that found outside. And so when we close the windows to keep out the cold, the air in our homes gets stale.
But fall doesn’t have to be the harbinger of bad air in your home. There are several of things you can do to ensure your IAQ is fresh and healthful.
Capturing Airborne Pollutants
Among the many indoor air pollutants we’re likely breathing at any one time are these:
- Pollen
- Pet dander
- Mold
- Mildew spores
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Dust mites and other insect parts
You might think by turning on your HVAC system you’re freshening your air, but that’s not what it’s designed for. The HVAC does lower humidity, but its main function is to cool and heat.
That said, you can improve your indoor air quality by changing your air filter regularly, and by using a good quality filter. A dense, pleated air filter does a much better job of capturing airborne pollutants than the cheap, fiberglass types that should be thrown away every month.
Improving IAQ
Among the additional things you can do to improve IAQ are these:
- Crack the windows open a bit now and then to let fresh air in and stale air out.
- Install exhaust ventilation fans in the bathrooms and kitchen. Make sure the fans are exhausted to the outdoors.
- Look into a balanced ventilation system that brings in fresh air while exhausting an equal measure of stale air.
- Look into an air purifier. You can use a portable or console model, but a whole-house unit that is installed in your HVAC system will do a better job.
To learn more about indoor air quality, or to schedule maintenance, repairs or installations, contact Ace Hardware Home Services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
