Guide: COVID 19, Air Purifiers and Air Conditioning in Havertown, PA [Update 2023]

Now that we are mostly through the pandemic, we wanted to update you on how you can continue to keep your home clean and healthy in 2023 and beyond. 

We have some advice and tips on the best products and practices to keep your home healthy and comfortable. This also applies to your office or place of work. 

Luckily, the worst of the COVID19 outbreak is behind us, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take with us some of the healthy habits it may have instilled in us. For example, washing your hands after you come home is just a great way to keep yourself clean and prevents minor illnesses.  

Breathing the healthiest air possible is no different. Just because we aren’t in the middle of a pandemic doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to keep the air you breathe at home clean and healthy. 

Your HVAC system plays an important role in your indoor air quality, and we can help you with that! 

There are ways to use your system to help prevent virus transmission and keep you healthy in general. 

As you settle down and have time to think about the best ways to keep the air in your home clean and healthy, here are some best practices we use ourselves, and recommend to our customers.  

Some of these points include the products we recommend and the services we offer. Others are easy, practical things you can do yourself. 

We’ll go over: 

• Getting Fresh Air
• Air Purifiers
• Tune-Up for Your Air Conditioner
• Staying Hydrated
• HVAC Air Filters
• Cleaning Your Home
• Steps We’re Taking

Getting Fresh Air

Getting fresh air helps you stay healthy. At home, when you open the windows, all sorts of contaminants that got into your home can circulate back out instead of building up. It’s estimated that the air outside is 5X cleaner than the air inside your home. 

In the winter and summer, people track allergens, germs, bacteria, and viruses that build up when they keep their windows closed. 

That’s partially why colds and allergy symptoms are common during those times. There isn’t as much clean air circulating, and the air inside your home can start to build with bacteria and airborne irritants. 

Fro starters, when it’s warm, open your windows and run the fans. You’ll feel better inside, and the circulation helps get rid of airborne pollutants. You may also want to consider installing a ventilation system that can help you refresh the air in your home, without losing any comfort that you may have by opening a window in the winter or summer. 

Air Purifiers and COVID-19

Research shows that air purifiers including the Air Scrubber by Aerus can get rid of nearly all flu, ebola, coronaviruses, and other RNA viruses. 

At Cipollone, we recommend the  Air Scrubber by Aerus. We’ve also written about it here. 

This purifier transforms oxygen and water molecules into power oxidizers that actively attack viruses, bacteria, allergens, and other airborne irritants. It kills them in the air and on surfaces. 

It cleans up to 99 percent of the air in your home. And, research has shown it’s effective against RNA viruses, which is how COVD-19 is classified. 

To install this, we attach the device directly to your existing ductwork. It works on its own and doesn’t require any cleaning. 

Air Conditioner Tune-Up

Fresh air is great, but eventually, people want to turn on their air conditioners and heating systems, depending on the time of year. If we’re still staying indoors once the weather gets even warmer, your AC will be essential — not only for comfort but also for staying healthy. 

Before you turn it on, make sure it’s in great shape. 

There’s a misconception out there that air conditioning makes you sick. We add an important qualifier: a DIRTY air conditioner can make you sick! 

Bacteria, mold, and other contaminants can take hold and grow over time if you don’t clean an AC correctly. But, it’s important to remember that an AC doesn’t necessarily harbor these pollutants. They’re only there when the system doesn’t get cleaned enough. 

Therefore, it’s always a good idea to get your AC tuned up before the summer. This also includes ductless mini splits, which should be cleaned every year or two to get rid of mold and bacteria. 

With a tune-up, a tech cleans, fixes, and optimizes your cooling system, so it’s in great shape for the summer. 

Meanwhile, your AC improves your indoor air quality in a few ways. 

First, it dehumidifies, which is a critical part of the cooling process. Dehumidification also helps stop the spread of viruses and particles that can hang in the air when it’s too humid. 

You can also put the system on “Fan Only” so it’s always circulating air even if the AC system isn’t operating. 

You can use this along with your air filters, which we’ll discuss in a moment. 

Staying Hydrated

The health benefits of drinking plenty of water include your air conditioner, too. We mentioned before that your AC dehumidifies the air. And, forced-air furnaces produce warm, albeit dry, air. 

In the winter, that’s why some people suffer from dry, cracked skin and bloody noses: There’s not enough moisture to keep their skin healthy. 

Now, people are poised to spend more time than usual indoors with the air conditioner dehumidifying the house. And, constantly washing your hands for twenty seconds or more and using a lot of hand sanitizer also dries out your skin.   

These factors make it more likely to develop dry, cracked mucous membranes in your nose — which can lead to easy infection points. 

Fortunately, drinking plenty of water helps keep your skin moisturized. So, if you need another incentive to stay hydrated, there it is. 

Change Your Air Filters

You should change a standard one-inch-wide air filter in your HVAC system every month under normal conditions. You don’t have to do it any more often now. But, you can consider a stronger filter if you’d like. 

The average filter does an excellent job of preventing most dust and dirt from passing through your HVAC system. 

So, you want to change it every month, so it doesn’t get clogged. And, you can upgrade it to do an even better job. 

Look for a MERV rating of 13. That’s about the highest you should go for residential systems. Any stronger, and you’ll restrict airflow, damaging your system. 

MERV stands for “Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value,” and the higher the number, the more particles it blocks. 

For reference, your average one-inch filter is around MERV 4 or 5.

A MERV 13 filter blocks particles as small as .3 microns. That includes most bacteria and some viruses. 

It’s not a silver bullet against COVID-19 or any other common illness, but if you’re concerned, it’s another step you can take. 

Cleaning Regularly

Anyone with seasonal allergies will tell you what a difference regular, deep cleanings make when it comes to indoor air quality. Now, that’s solid advice for all of us. 

We know that bacteria and pathogens can remain on various surfaces for days at a time. And, when we use our heating and cooling system, whatever particles are hanging around will circulate to other rooms. 

And, even with a strong filter, some particles will still pass through. 

So, give your home a good cleaning and disinfecting. That includes window sills, tops of door frames, and other nooks and crannies. 

It’s good practice for spring cleaning anyway, and this year it can make an even more significant difference. 

Indoor Air Quality In Havertown, PA

John Cipollone Inc. is an expert when it comes to indoor air quality in Havertown, PA. We have run IAQ assessments on homes and businesses and can give the proper recommendation on how to best clean your home and what steps you can take to make sure the air is healthy. 

If you are looking to improve the healthy and cleanliness of the air in your home or business, call us at (610) 446-7877! 

So, we’re doing everything possible to keep you healthy, safe, and comfortable. 

Even though things are a little crazy right now, they’ll be back to normal eventually. Until then, call or email us with any questions about air purifiers or your heating and cooling system.