reathe Easy
It’s about this time of year that we all yearn for the beautiful summer afternoons on the patio, sun shining, grass growing, and a gentle breeze rolling through. Unfortunately, with the snow falling at a rapid rate and the temperatures staying stagnant below zero, it’s unlikely we’ll be enjoying the fresh air anytime soon! If you’re starting to feel cooped up, it’s probably time to evaluate the quality of your indoor air. Ensuring that your indoor air is clean and fresh can improve your health, productivity, and even your mood!
Lucky for you, Blue Ox Heating & Air cares a lot about home air quality. These four easy tips will help your lungs stay clean and your mind stay sharp:
Monitor the Humidity
Adding a dehumidifier to your home can have a huge impact on allergens or contaminants that may by floating around. Drier air is less supportive of mold, mildew, bacteria, and dust mites, all of which can cause health and allergy issues. Remember, a dehumidifier is most effective if you have a whole-home system. Just drying out one room will not affect the overall quality of the indoor air, because the air pollutants will still be able to grow in other areas of your home.
No Smoking
This is a tip that has been preached for decades, but smoking has an obvious adverse effect on air quality. However, if you have a smoker in your home, protect the rest of your family with a home air purifier. High-quality air purifiers can remove up to 99% of the dangerous pollutants in your home—including second-hand smoke.
Circulate Air
Most homes circulate the same air within your home day after day, month after month, only getting relief if you happen to open a door or window. During Minnesota winters, very few of us spend any time allowing new or fresh air into our homes. To combat this, an air exchanger increases the air flow between the indoors and outdoors, replacing stagnant and polluted air with fresh air. This process can eliminate allergens, chronic illnesses, and fatigue.
Refresh your Filters
When was the last time you cleaned your filters? Many people are shocked and even disgusted by the amount of dust, dirt, and other matter that accumulates on an air filter over time. This accumulation affects the efficiency of your air system, as well as contributes to poor air quality. Replacing your old filters with high-efficiency particulate absorption (HEPA) filters can also help maximize the number of pollutants eliminated from your indoor air.
If you have questions about your home’s air quality, call Blue Ox Heating & Air today – 952-563-3012!
Blue Ox Heating & Air is a full-service residential heating and air conditioning company that also specializes in air quality products and services. Blue Ox is fully licensed, bonded, and insured to provide our Minneapolis customers with services relating to furnaces, heating, and air conditioning. Our cumulative years of experience approach over 200 years of work in the HVAC industry.
