Are dust and allergies making it hard to enjoy yourself inside your home? A few changes to your habits can lead to much better indoor-air quality.
Buy a Better Furnace Filter
A furnace filter with a MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) of 13 or more will filter out over 90 percent of all pollutants from your air in a single pass. This is your best defense against airborne dust, though at this elevated MERV rating (the rating tops out at 16 for residential filters), your HVAC system likely will need to be modified to accommodate the more efficient and larger filter. Air filters with a lower value will remove some particles, but not as efficiently. Still, for most homes’ air-quality requirements, a mid-range MERV filter is recommended, to avoid restricting airflow. As the air passes through the filter repeatedly, most of the dust will be removed.
Turn the Furnace Fan on When Vacuuming
Vacuuming your floor kicks dust up into the air. Turning your HVAC system on in “fan on” mode will pull this dirty air into the air returns and through the furnace filter instead of allowing it to linger in the air for hours.
Don’t Dry Dust
When you’re dusting, use a dusting spray. These sprays electrostatically charge or moisten the dust to make is easier to pick up. This will prevent dust from being pushed around and getting back in the air.
Get a Good Vacuum
Buy a vacuum with a HEPA filter that has both hard floor and carpet modes. The filter will prevent dust from being expelled from the machine while it’s in use, and being able to turn the carpet agitator off will stop dust from being pushed away from the machine when it’s on a hard surface.
Take Your Rugs Outside to Clean
Rugs collect copious amounts of dust and dirt. Taking them outside and beating them with a stick will remove dust particles from the house where vacuuming could agitate them.
Clean Your Pillow Cases and Sheets
Your pillow covers and sheets are full of dead skin cells and other dust. Every time you turn over, these particles are launched into the air. Wash them once a week. If they are dry-clean-only, take them out with the rugs and shake them off.
For more indoor-air quality improvements to your Dayton area home, please contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio 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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