3 Ways To Protect Your Air Quality This Fall Season

Now that fall is here, a lot of us are spending more time indoors. This ultimately means air quality within your living spaces is even more important, especially as you get ready to start using your heating system on a regular basis. Fortunately, there are some ways you can reduce your exposure to pollutants, allergens, and other irritants that could make your time indoors less pleasant. We go over three of them below.

1. Neutralize Pollutants in Your Home at the Source

There are plenty of things right in your own home that could affect your air quality in the fall and winter. Start your hunt for common indoor sources that could negatively impact air quality by going over what you normally use for your regular routines. With cleaning, for instance, avoid using products with ammonia or bleach when your windows are closed. Instead, consider more natural cleaning solutions, like ones with baking soda or vinegar. With potential home air pollutants, also be mindful of:

• Where you store paint, solvents, or other products with strong odors
• How well-vented your kitchen is, especially when you cook things with stronger odors
• The cleaning and care of litter boxes or similar waste sources for household pets

2. Minimize Issues with Outdoor Air Quality

In some instances, pollutants outside could affect the quality of the air in your home during the cooler months of the year. If you regularly open your windows in the fall when it’s a bit warmer, for example, you could be bringing allergens and other pollutants into your home. Minimize this risk by:

• Maintaining your HVAC ventilation system – e.g., registers, ductwork
• Not leaving windows open for long periods, especially if you have allergy issues
• Making sure areas around windows and doors are properly caulked and weather-stripped

3. Consider Upgrading Your Filters

A lack of sufficient filtration can also affect your air quality this fall and winter. Talk to an HVAC professional to find out what the current minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) rating is for your furnace filter. For residential use, filters in the 5-8 range on the MERV scale catch a good chunk of the smaller particles in your home, including dust mites and mold spores. MERV 9-12 filters will give you even better filtration capabilities. This is worth considering if household members have respiratory concerns or airborne allergen sensitivities.
Another possibility with filters is a top-quality high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which can be included on your home vacuum as well for added indoor air quality control. You may also wish to consider an air filtration system for your home.

Call Us Today

One other way air quality can be affected in your home this fall is by mechanical or performance issues with any other heating system you may be using. Err on the side of caution and reach out to an HVAC professional from Thornton Heating Services, Inc. to schedule a routine inspection. If there are any issues with filtration or system parts that need addressed, we’ll discuss your options. Call an HVAC professional from our team today.