The quality of the air in your home is something you might not think about a lot. But it’s very important. Poor indoor air quality can foster allergies, asthma, and any number of other diseases and health problems. Here are five steps you can take to improve the quality of the air in your home:
- Keep your humidity in check. If the humidity level in your home is above 50 percent, it can lead to mold, mildew and dust in the air and make you sick. It’s all too easy to let this happen, especially in the humid Minnesota summers. Running your A/C in the summer and furnace in the winter can help keep the air in your home drier, as ca
n a dehumidifier. - Maintain good ventilation. This is important throughout the house, as good airflow helps to improve indoor air quality. But it’s especially important in the bathrooms, where there’s an excess of moisture, and the kitchen, where gas stoves give off nitrogen dioxide, a common air pollutant. Installing exhaust fans in these areas can help alleviate these problems. Also, make sure that vents carry air outdoors, rather than to other parts of the house.
- Beware of radon and carbon monoxide. Both of these are deadly poisons that can enter your home. And both of them are completely invisible and odorless. Install carbon monoxide detectors around your home to warn you of unsafe CO levels, and get a radon testing kit, or have a professional test your home for the presence of radon.
- Perform regular HVAC maintenance. Replace air filters every one to three months, and fix any leaks or drips immediately, to prevent them from putting excess moisture in the air.
- Get an air quality check. Our HVAC professionals will perform a free indoor air assessment of your home, to determine the quality of your air and help you figure out what you can do to improve it.
For more home comfort advice or to schedule your free indoor air assessment, contact our experts at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ve proudly provided the Twin Cities metro area with exceptional HVAC service since 1974.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about keeping the air in your home clean and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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