Four Tools to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality In Havertown, PA This Summer

Indoor air quality has been a growing concern for homeowners, especially in the summer. That’s when you get a combination of problems, including pollen and humidity.

Today, Americans spend around 90 percent of their time indoors. And, this year, it’s probably even more as we stay home even more than usual due to our present circumstances.

So, as the warm weather approaches, it’s important to take stock of our indoor air quality. The air you breathe plays an essential role in your health, so you should make sure it’s as clean as possible.

In this article, we’ll look at four tools that will improve your indoor air quality at home.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions or need help determining what’s right for your Havertown, PA home, call or email us here at John Cipollone.

Improve Your Indoor Air Quality in Four Steps

Here are four great ways to make the air you breathe at home much cleaner. Depending on your health and your needs, you can consider:

1. Fresh Air
2. Better Air Filters
3. Air Purifiers
4. Dehumidifiers

Let’s see how these work.

Fresh Air

We know once the summer really settles in, you’ll keep your windows closed and let your AC keep you cool and comfortable. And that’s fine, especially if you’ve also invested in some other tools that we’ll get to later. But, don’t discount what a big difference some fresh air can make, too.

Just like you do, your home needs to “breathe,” too. And, according to the American Lung Association, regularly getting fresh air from outside in your home makes the air you breathe much cleaner.

Fresh air flushed out everything from dust and pollen to radon, carbon monoxide, and smells from cooking or pets. It’s simple and free and makes a big difference.

Of course, there’s more to improving your indoor air quality than just opening the windows. The more time you spend indoors, the more you need to treat it.

And, as we said, we know you’ll want to use your air conditioning to keep you much cooler.

So, while we do recommend opening those windows from time to time, here are some ways to help keep your home’s air fresh while running the AC.

Change or Upgrade Your Air Filters

Right now, you should change your HVAC system’s air filter every month. And, yes, we’ve seen those recommendations for putting in a new one each season, or every three months.

But, that applies more for the four-inch-thick air filters. Most people use the average one-inch filter. It’s the standard size and style you find at hardware stores.

So, start by moving that schedule up to once a month — especially if you have allergies, asthma, or there are pets in the house.

Next, spring for an upgrade.

Look for filters with MERV ratings. A higher number means the filter catches smaller and smaller particles. Your basic filter is maybe a MERV 6 that traps dust, lint, and pollen.

Go up to MERV 8, and you’ll also block dust mites and mold. Form there, go all the way up to MERV 16 for a filter that screens out pet dander, smoke, viruses, and bacteria.

But, don’t go any further than that — and check the rating against your system. If you choose a filter that’s too strong, your furnace or AC won’t have enough pressure to push air through. That can cause all sorts of problems.

Whole-Home Air Purifiers

Air purifiers are your next step up in improving your indoor air quality. Filters passively catch dirt and other particles that pass through it. Air purifiers, in particular the Air Scrubber by Aureus, actively go on the search for those contaminants.

The scrubbers work by turning water and oxygen molecules in the air into oxidizers. That means, at the molecular level, they can accept electrons from other tiny particles, thereby neutralizing them.

There’s some more science behind the process, but that’s the general idea. Anyway, from there, those molecules circulate throughout the house and neutralize the others they come in contact with.

That means eliminating volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, mold spores, smoke and, yes — viruses. It works so well because these tiny particles get into every little nook and cranny in your home.

People with respiratory issues have told us that virtually everything that triggers their symptoms have disappeared. Others with pets or who cook a lot no longer notice any odors.

Now, part of the reason these work so well is because they connect to your central HVAC system. So, you can’t just buy one off the shelf. You’ll need a certified technician to install it.

But, the good news is that once it’s there, it’s continually working, You don’t need to turn it on and off. And, it barely requires any maintenance.

Dehumidifiers

One more component to consider is the humidity level in your home. The amount of moisture in the air has a big effect, especially on people living with asthma and people with seasonal allergies.

The problem here is that contaminants — particularly dust or pollen — attach to the water molecules in the air. When that happens, they don’t fall to the floor or other surface. Instead, they’ll hang in the air where you’re more likely to breathe them in.

There’s a small upside to high humidity: It hinders viruses. Those particles can’t travel nearly as far in the air when there’s more moisture in it.

How that plays out for our current situation is yet to be seen. In the meantime, however, there are still those other respiratory problems to consider.

If you have central air or a mini split, you’re already managing your humidity to some degree. That’s because dehumidification is a crucial part of the air conditioning process.

But, we’ve also seen plenty of situations where the AC isn’t enough. Perhaps you need extra treatment, or your system doesn’t do the job well enough.

And, if you’re opening those windows regularly, it pays to get rid of that excess moisture.

Like air purifiers, you can opt for smaller, less expensive models that treat only one room. Usually, that works out ok if you only need to treat, say, a basement that gets musty easily.

If you really want to make a big impact, then it pays to go the same route as an air scrubber: Get a whole-home system that works directly through your central HVAC system.

Once again, you’ll treat the entire house at once. And, you don’t need to worry about turning it on and off.

Improve Your Indoor Air Quality in Havertown, PA

You can start improving the air quality in your home today with a quick call to John Cipollone, Inc. Based in Havertown, PA, we’ve served Delaware and Montgomery counties for decades. And, we’re updating with the times, now offering teleconferencing and other options.

Call or email us today to be sure you’ll breathe easy all summer long.