If you’re sneezing and sniffling more than usual this spring, it may not be from tree, grass, and weed pollen. The culprit may be inside your home. Dust could be circulating around your living spaces through your HVAC system. And if you’re at home more this spring because of the COVID-19 outbreak, there’s not much escape from the dust and other irritants being circulated.
What to do? We have put together some solutions that can help you breathe easier. (Unfortunately, we can’t do anything about the pollen outside, sorry!)
The best thing you can do to get rid of dust in your HVAC system is one of the easiest: Change the filters. Generally, you should go no more than three months before replacing your filters. But you may have to do it as often as once a month if you have pets, or people living in your home have respiratory conditions like allergies, asthma, emphysema, or COPD. Not only does this help your indoor air quality, replacing the filters also helps your HVAC system run more efficiently and reduces wear on your HVAC equipment.
In addition to dust, there may be dirt, pollen and even mold inside your HVAC ductwork. All of that can be being blown into your home every time your HVAC system kicks on. You should have your ductwork professionally cleaned every three to five years.
Some spring cleaning will also help. Start with a thorough vacuuming all around your home, hard surfaces as well as carpeting and area rugs. Use the vacuum to suck away cobwebs, clear out the crevices and between cushions of upholstered furniture, and get dust out of draperies if you’re not taking them to be cleaned. Next up, registers and vents. Vacuum them, then clean them with a damp cloth and thoroughly dry. Dust and wash walls, windows, trim, and blinds.
Finally, tackle that decluttering you’ve been promising yourself you’d take care of. All that paper piled up and all your other clutter are collecting dust that’s being re-circulated every time your HVAC starts up.
Keep your home comfortable year-round. Contact us to find out more about our heating and cooling equipment services, and what we can do to keep your home running at peak efficiency this summer and beyond.