The air filters you use in your HVAC system help keep your indoor air quality at a healthy level. If you change them regularly, they can be your first line of defense to keep you from getting sick.
What Kinds of Indoor Air Pollutants May Be Swirling Around Your Home?
You might be wondering what sorts of pollutants could be circulating through your home. While you and your family eat, sleep, and play together, tiny particles may be circulating in the air. Depending on the air filter you choose, you may be able to minimize their presence and stay healthy.
Viruses and Bacteria
There are hundreds of different viruses and colds, and those small particles can keep moving through your home. Bacteria is also problematic as it can irritate people with asthma and irritate their allergies.
Mold Spores
Mold not only causes property damage but can lead to serious and long-term health issues. You may get infected with chronic sinusitis due to mold spores in your air.
Cleaning Chemicals
Chemicals from common household cleaning agents can linger in the air for hours. They can make you very sick if you keep inhaling them, especially if you’ve used anything with ammonia or chlorine.
Smoke
Smoking cigars or cigarettes in your home can make everyone inside more prone to the effects of secondhand smoke. This could lead to cancer, heart disease, stroke, and different diseases, even for the non-smokers under your roof. In the short term, it can trigger issues for asthma and allergy sufferers.
Pet Dander
Air filters help trap pet hair and dander from dogs and cats. However, if anyone has allergies to pets or suffers from asthma, it has the potential to make them feel sick.
Tips for Improving Your Indoor Air Quality
If you want to help clear the air in your home, you can do a few things to freshen it up. When the weather is nice, you can open up the windows. However, this is only advised in places with low pollution levels.
Adding plants is another great way to help purify the air in your home, plus it adds a nice touch to your décor. Spider plants are often a great choice because they are non-toxic to humans and your four-legged friends.
Perhaps the best way to improve your indoor air quality and prevent illnesses is by changing your air filters. Dirty air filters can make you sick because they trap allergens, contaminants, and pollutants. If you forget to change them, layers accumulate on the filter.
Even worse, since the filter is covered with gunk, it reduces the airflow of your system, making it work harder while it fails to stop the particles from flowing through your home.
Air filters that have a MERV 11 or 13 rating can capture many viruses and bacteria before they have a chance to spread through your home. However, these filters may be too dense for your system. Learn about how air filters work to see which one may be best for your home.
