DIY Tips to improve indoor air quality
In the first three parts of this series, we presented a lot of information about the importance of Indoor Air Quality and the various types of indoor air pollution. In the previous article, we explained the various products and services we at Fairfield-Hamilton Heating & Cooling offer to help homeowners improve their indoor air quality.
Now, in this article, we explore some additional measures homeowners can take themselves to improve their home’s air quality.
Using Ventilation A Must
Whether you’re cooking in your kitchen, or taking a shower in your bathroom, it is always wise to utilize as much ventilation as possible if you are doing anything that creates steam or smoke of any kind.
Our bathrooms rank at the top of the list as the biggest source of moisture in our homes. Our kitchen is another area to watch because it’s the source of fumes from cooking, smoke, grease, carcinogens, and not to forget fumes from cleaning supplies.
Any time you notice smoke in the home, or aerosol spray, or any other fumes or particles, it’s important to use whatever form of ventilation you have available, whatever that may be.
If nothing else, this might mean cracking a window open and using a fan to clear out the air.
When it comes to indoor air quality, ventilation is indispensable.
Smart Dusting
The particles of mold, dust, dirt, pollen, and other contaminants will wreak havoc on the quality of air in a home. To get control over these, and remove as many as possible, we suggest something known as “smart dusting.” What is “smart dusting?”
As you go about cleaning your home and dusting things that need to be dusted, you should endeavor to remove all of it and avoid merely moving it around. In order to do this effectively, begin by dusting the things at the highest places in your residence. Dusting off those areas first ensures you’ll remove everything, because once the higher items are clean, you will work your way downward to the lower items. During the whole process, the dust will naturally fall downward. As it does so, it won’t land on things you have already cleaned. In any case, “smart dusting” helps you clean out the dust more efficiently.
But that’s not all…
In order to make your dusting even “smarter,” we suggest using a dampened cloth rather than a feather duster or dry rag. A damp cloth will do a better job of trapping the dust rather than just pushing it from one spot to another. Also, remember to periodically rinse out the cloth!
And remember, starting with your damp cloth, you should target ceiling fans, blinds and curtains first.
Use Pillow Covers And Keep Pillows Clean
There’s nothing like getting home after a long day of work and at the end of the evening climbing in bed to your favorite pillow.
However, you aren’t the only one that loves that pillow. As gross as it sounds. dust mites love pillows, too, and they can flourish inside of them. This nasty realization is brought to light in recent studies showing how pillows and mattresses actually gain a little weight over time from the accumulation of droppings and other waste left by these tiny critters. Once you fully understand this, you are less likely to look at your pillow the same way as before.
This is why washable pillowcase covers are recommended to improve air quality. Using a pillowcase allows you to still enjoy your favorite pillow. Just remember you can also keep it clean by washing it about once every month. Furthermore, depending on the kind of pillow, you can always wash it as well around the time of the changing of each season.
Remember to Cover Mattresses and Beds
If you liked the concept of using a cover for your pillow, you should take it another step further and put some covers on your mattresses as well. This is another important item to use if you suffer from allergies. Like pillows, mattresses can become havens for dust mites. Finally, we suggest remembering to clean your headboards and bed frames frequently, especially if they are covered with fabric.
Prevent Particles From Being Brought Inside
As much as you can, if you’re struggling with air quality issues that are causing allergies, remember to close your windows at all times to stop pollen and other particles from coming inside. Additionally, another good strategy is to enforce a “no shoes in the house” policy and make sure everyone takes their shoes off before coming inside. It helps to set up an area at the entryway for shoes, perhaps keeping a mat there for visitors to clean off their feet. Otherwise, people coming in and out will continue dragging pollutants indoors with them.
Keeping Your Home Cool to Curb Humidity
Do you know anyone who’s had their home treated for mold? If you do, you might understand how dangerous it can be to have mold in any dwelling. You might also know how expensive it was to treat for it, and how insidious this stuff can be. Often, homeowners might not even be aware they have mold in their home.
Because mold and mildew can devastated your respiratory system, the health implications go above and beyond minor symptoms of allergies. In addition to a dehumidifier, another strategy to keep mold out is to sustain cool temperatures in your home, which curbs humidity levels. Mold and dust mites love humid and damp conditions. If humidity is too bad, as we mentioned before, a dehumidifier might be a necessity. It’s not worth risking your health otherwise.
Use HEPA Filter on Vacuum
When it comes to fighting indoor air pollution, research shows that not all vacuum cleaners were created equal: Some vacuum cleaners do a better job at stopping the spread of indoor air pollution than others. As such, we recommend using a bagless vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter. Also, whenever you decide to change your flooring, remember the following: Wood flooring and other types of hard flooring can be dusted and mopped so they are much better options than carpeting for anyone who suffers from any allergy problems.
Don’t Take Risks: Get a Professional Air Quality Test
A professional Indoor Air Quality test will look for essential things like carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and formaldehyde. Although there are tests that look for allergens, mold, and other particles, it’s important to consider if you need to check for radon or other gases that may be silently poisoning the air in your home.
The most accurate tests are only available from professionals like us who are certified and qualified to conduct them. If you are considering a Do-It-Yourself test kit from a store, you should be advised that it is most likely very limited in scope and you will run the risk of it not being accurate. If you have your testing done by a professional as recommended and he or she discovers an indoor air quality problem, he or she can tell you how to resolve it the same day.
REMEMBER YOUR SEASONAL MAINTENANCE
Last but not least, if you are looking to gain control over your indoor air quality, remember that routine seasonal maintenance will help you in a variety of different ways.
During a maintenance call, we will not only keep your system operating optimally, which will improve the quality of your indoor air, but we will also identify any minor problems that might be quietly festering, waiting to escalate and give you problems in the future, possibly even causing a breakdown.
We perform a list of cleaning procedures; we fine-tune your HVAC system with numerous checks and inspections; we inspect your air ducts and air filters and look at every other area.
When it comes to your home’s valuable HVAC system, it’s like we say: It always pays off, in the end, in dividends, to be proactive with your expensive system than to be reactive ‒ especially for those who struggle with health issues from air quality problems.
These are fine-tuned machines valued at thousands of dollars. We understand that. And we guarantee customer satisfaction every time.
WE CAN HELP IMPROVE YOUR INDOOR AIR QUALITY
We at Fairfield-Hamilton Heating & Cooling are committed to keeping your home comfort levels optimal. Heating and Cooling is our mission. However, we also strongly believe you should make your indoor air quality a priority to promote the health of you and your loved ones. Because indoor air quality has such a major impact on your health and well being, we hope you find this information helpful. If you are interested in any of the products and services we offer, or if you’d like to know more, give us a call 513-540-1716 or Click Here to schedule an appointment now.
Indoor Air Quality 101 – Part 1
