5 Indoor Air Quality Tips for a Healthier, Less Dusty Home

If you have a nagging cough, constant allergies or your home is always dusty, poor indoor air quality may be the culprit. Modern homes are made to be airtight to save energy on heating and cooling, but this allows dust particles and other pollutants to build up in your home. Here are five ways to help keep your air clean and healthy.

Keep Your Air Conditioner or Heat Pump Clean. Your A/C or heat pump can create damp conditions around the indoor coil and condensate pan, which creates a potential breeding ground for mold and bacteria. In addition, dirt can build up on the indoor coils over time. Keep these areas clean so your home’s entire air supply isn’t passing over these pollutants.

Vent Your Appliances Outside. Stoves, dryers, toilets, washing machines and other household appliances release humidity and chemicals into the air. Install vents in your bathroom, kitchen and laundry room to exhaust dirty air to the outside instead.

Control Your Home’s Humidity. Dust mites thrive in humid environments. To slow their reproduction, keep humidity between 30 to 50 percent. It also will help make your home feel more comfortable.

Keep Your Home Ventilated. One of the downsides to modern construction is that fresh air doesn’t naturally circulate into your home. In order to keep your indoor air quality high, you’ll need to encourage air exchange between inside and outside. Opening windows helps, but unless you have them open for hours each day, you need to consider a dedicated ventilation system.

Use an Effective Air Filter or Cleaner. The best way to keep your air clean is to use the HVAC system you already have. Use a high-efficiency air filter to clean your air as it circulates in your forced-air system. If you have long periods of mild temperatures where you don’t use your HVAC system, a stand-alone air cleaner can be used to circulate your air and keep it fresh.

To get help improving your indoor air quality in the Orlando area, please contact us at Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions. We’ve been improving Central Floridians’ indoor air quality since 1969.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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