With many people spending more time at home, it makes sense that indoor air quality is a concern right now. On top of respiratory and airborne illness being top of mind, a quarter of Americans also deal with either asthma or allergies. So, how can we all breathe easier?
To supplement the efforts of an indoor air quality system, there are some other ways to ensure breathing easy in your home starting with the basics …
Clean, Clean, Clean!
It IS the season for spring cleaning, after all! You probably already know that getting rid of dust mites in your home can improve air quality. But did you know that a HEPA vacuum cleaner can take clean to the next level?
If you’re not familiar with the acronym, HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air. All that really means is, filtering small particles of air through a very narrow mesh, and trapping them.
You might be thinking, my vacuum filter already does that. And you’d be right, but the difference is that HEPA vacuums capture up to 99.97% of allergens and dust particles.
Plus, did you know that using the wrong vacuum or an old vacuum can actually make your allergies worse? Because the same way horses kick up dirt and form a giant “cloud,” an inefficient vacuum will kick dust back up as it sucks it up.
But a certified HEPA vacuum sucks up the dirt without pushing it around the room. And, that’s why they are recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
That’s one method of getting to indoor air pollution at the source, that doesn’t suck!
Should You Use a Mechanical Ventilator?
The way HVAC systems work is by filtering and recycling indoor air. Usually, your filter and your existing indoor air quality solutions can keep that air clean, even though the air is recycled through your system. This is a tried-and-true method of air filtration since most people aren’t constantly suffering from allergies inside their home.
But if you’re one of those people who notice their asthma or allergies getting worse when they’re inside, another potential solution is whole-house mechanical ventilation. It brings in fresh air from outside with every cycle.
However, this doesn’t solve the problem of outdoor air pollution getting inside your home. It’s not just dust and pollen, either. It’s also exhaust from factories and vehicles, as well as smoke and dangerous smog compounds. So, what’s the next step?
Breathe Easy with an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) System
At the end of the day, if you really want to effectively clean your Raleigh area home’s indoor air, investing in an air purification system is still the best suggestion. For example, our PureAir™ system and our Healthy Climate® system use hospital-grade filtration to get rid of particles of every size.
Think about what a powerful air purification system could do combined with a powerful HEPA vacuum cleaner that we mentioned above!