How clean is your indoor air? Particulates in your home's air can aggravate seasonal allergies or even make them worse year-round. Here are five ways you can improve your indoor air quality (IAQ) and stop allergens in their tracks.
1. Change the air filter in your HVAC system: Your home's central forced-air heating and cooling equipment (furnace, A/C or heat pump) requires regular maintenance. This includes a fresh air filter every one to three months, depending on your system and its workload, along with other factors. Changing the filters will help the HVAC equipment run more efficiently and keep your air cleaner. Get in the habit of inspecting the filter monthly and changing it when it looks dirty.
2. Understand where allergens in your home are coming from: Dust from regular household use, pollen from the trees, flowers or grass outside, and even mold can all contribute to allergies. By understanding where the majority of allergens are coming from, you can take steps to prevent them and stop allergies.
3. Prevent (or at least reduce) allergens from being tracked inside: Stay indoors on windy days, keep windows closed, wash your clothes and bedding often, dust your home regularly, leave your shoes at the door and consider installing special HEPA filters in your HVAC systems to filter out additional allergens.
4. Install an effective air cleaner: Dedicated air cleaners or purifiers can go a long way toward cleaning the air in your home. A variety of models are available depending on the scope of your allergen problem, the types of allergens you're targeting, your overall needs and budget.
5. Consult an allergist: If you've tried all the simple steps above and your allergies are still bad, consider contacting an allergist for a more in-depth breakdown of how you can improve your air quality.
For more expert advice, contact us at Hartman Brothers Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., and we will help you determine the best solution to stop allergies from bugging you in your Fort Wayne home. We can conduct an air quality test that can reveal how dirty your IAQ really is.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about allergies and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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