During winter months we tend to stay indoors most of the time. The chilly weather can be harsh on the human body by encouraging colds and breathing problems, and in regions where snow is prominent, well, as beautiful as it is, it’s not exactly the kind of weather you go to sit on a bench outside.
Staying indoors then becomes the preferred way to spend winter – by a fireplace, sipping hot chocolate, with a working heating system to keep you warm.
But staying basically locked indoors brings its own set of problems.
Most notably, your air quality can degrade over time if you don’t take a certain level of care about your ventilation system. Here’s what you should do to increase your indoor air quality!
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results. – Willie Nelson
Maintain a clean environment
A straight forward but always effective way to maintain good air quality is to keep your home clean – specifically of dust, mold, and mites.
These particles can perpetually circulate in your ventilation system and accumulate over time, leading to bad odor and even respiratory complications. The best way to keep things clean is to vacuum regularly with a HEPA filter if possible.
And if you ever need to use harsh chemicals in a room, make sure that room is ventilated so the fumes don’t linger, since in high concentration, they can be quite harmful to humans and pets.
Inspect the ducts
Having clean ducts is of crucial importance to make sure your air quality stays top notch. It’s recommended to have a full duct inspection regularly (every two months is a decent goal) to look for problems like leaky ducts, dirt, and overall efficiency.
Always replace your filters
Your HEPA filters are the main lines of defense against most airborne pollutants, so it’s very important that they are always at top condition.
The frequency in which you’ll replace the filters will depend on your overall system performance and the manufacturer’s recommendation, so keep those in mind and do your best to respect the deadlines. A dirty or clogged filter will not only compromise your air quality, but also reduce system efficiency, making it harder for air to circulate and waste energy.
Want a super natural way to improve your indoor air quality? Try these indoor plants!
Make sure you have good ventilation
Noticing condensation on the windows, mold growth, and strange smell in certain rooms? These might be signs of bad ventilation, which can be caused by a number of factors – most notably ducts and clogged filters.
Inspect those bits and in any case, ask a professional to help you!
When to use an air purifier
Air purifiers are not necessary for every home, but they can be of great assistance if you already have someone in your family who suffers with respiratory problems, especially when staying indoors for extended periods of time.
At the very least, it can be installed in a room to make sure air conditions are better there.
When to use a humidifier
One of the most common problems of indoor air quality during winter is that it tends to become dry. Having good ventilation and respecting the previous tips already help in making it less prevalent, but it will likely still happen at some point, which is when air purifiers can help.
Some HVAC system may come equipped with such a feature, but if not, you can always rely on smaller humidifiers that work on a room-by-room basis. While not ideal for a whole-house solution, they get the job done on a smaller scale, but enough that will make a big difference.
Need to know more about indoor air quality? Call a heating professional from your area and get free quotes today!
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