Homeowners are crazy about smart locks, water filters, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and high-tech HVAC systems.
But nobody seems to care about…
Indoor air quality.
The air inside your home can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When you combine that with the fact that the average American spends nearly 90% of their life indoors…
You can start to see how indoor air quality is becoming the next big thing in home wellness.
The good news is that indoor air quality is completely manageable for homeowners. One of the easiest ways to create a healthier home is by cleaning your air ducts.
Let’s take a closer look at how indoor air quality impacts your home’s wellness below:
- Why Indoor Air Quality Should Be a Top Priority
- Common Pollutants Lurking in Your Air Ducts
- Signs Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning
- Ways That Clean Air Ducts Benefit Your Home’s Wellness
- Strategies For Improving Indoor Air Quality
Why Indoor Air Quality Should Be a Top Priority
Let me ask you a question:
How clean is the air inside your home?
It’s probably cleaner than you think.
Most people don’t realize just how contaminated the air inside their home can be.
The American Lung Association states that indoor air pollution can be up to 100 times worse than outdoor pollution. We’re talking about toxins, allergens, bacteria, mold, and other harmful pollutants traveling through your air ducts every day.
Children, elderly relatives with weakened immune systems, and people with asthma are especially sensitive to these pollutants. However, even the healthiest person can experience nausea, congestion, headaches, and fatigue due to poor indoor air quality.
Your house is your home. It should be a place where you can rest and feel comfortable.
Not a place that is harming your health.
Common Pollutants Lurking in Your Air Ducts
When was the last time you took a peek inside your air ducts?
If you’re like most homeowners, you can’t remember. Or maybe you’ve never seen them at all.
And that’s exactly why they can cause so many problems.
Air ducts are hidden from view. Out of sight, out of mind.
But they’re not clean just because you can’t see them.
Dust, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, bacteria, and everything else that can hitch a ride on dust particles can accumulate in your air ducts over time. When your furnace blower turns on, those pollutants are then spread throughout your entire home.
The most common indoor air pollutants found in ductwork are:
- Dust
- Pet hair/dander
- Dust mites
- Pollen
- Mildew/mold
- Cooking/smoke odors
- Carpets and fabrics
- Bacteria
- Viruses
And they’re not just bad for your air quality.
Did you know that cleaning your air ducts can help your HVAC system run more efficiently too?
The U.S. Department of Energy has indicated that proper HVAC system maintenance can reduce energy consumption.
Airflow will move freely when your ducts are clean. But if they’re dirty, your HVAC system will have to work twice as hard.
Signs Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning
Air duct cleaning should be part of your routine maintenance schedule for your HVAC system.
But how do you know when it’s time to schedule professional duct cleaning?
Keep an eye out for these signs:
Does dust cloud come out of your air vents whenever your heating or cooling system turns on? Are you constantly fighting foul odors in your home? Do people in your home suffer from allergies more often than they used to?
These could be signs that your air ducts need to be cleaned.
If you notice any of these warning signs, give Capitol Cleaning a call today and we’ll set you up with a free air duct cleaning quote.
Ways That Clean Air Ducts Benefit Your Home’s Wellness
You might be thinking to yourself:
Duct cleaning costs money. What good does it really do?
Clean air ducts benefit your home’s air quality in a number of ways:
Breathing Cleaner Air
Let’s start with the most obvious.
If your air ducts are dirty, the air circulating throughout your home will be too. Cleaning your air ducts eliminates this problem.
Reducing Allergens in the Air
Part of breathing clean air is reducing indoor air pollutants such as allergens.
Removing dust, pollen, pet dander, and other common allergens from your air ducts can help your family breathe easier.
Increased HVAC Efficiency
Another hidden benefit of cleaning your air ducts is that it could save you money on your energy bills.
Frequent duct cleaning is not necessary for the majority of homes and can sometimes do more harm than good, according to the EPA. But if your ducts are visibly dirty or have a musty odor, it may be time to consider cleaning.
Air Duct Cleaning Improves Air Quality
So there you have it.
Now it’s your turn.
What are you waiting for?
Give us a call or request a free air duct cleaning quote online.
The air your family breathes every day is too important to ignore any longer.
Strategies For Improving Indoor Air Quality
As you know by now, indoor air quality can have a big impact on your home’s wellness.
But cleaning your air ducts is just one way to improve the air your family breathes every day.
Try one or all of these tips for improving indoor air quality:
Change Your Air Filters
This one is simple and costs you very little. Buy higher quality air filters for your HVAC system. The thicker the filter, the better it will be at trapping allergens and other pollutants before they enter your air duct system.
Control Humidity
This is especially important for people that suffer from allergies and asthma.
High indoor humidity creates the perfect environment for mold and dust mites to thrive. Take steps to reduce humidity in your home by running a dehumidifier or investing in a humidifier.
Increase Ventilation
Not only will ventilation help reduce humidity, but it also helps circulate fresher air into your home.
Take advantage of natural ventilation. Open windows when you can. Use exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathrooms to vent moisture outdoors.
Schedule Annual HVAC Maintenance
Once a year, have a professional inspect your HVAC system and clean your air ducts.
Cleaning your air ducts and checking for any issues will ensure your HVAC system is operating at peak efficiency while keeping your air as clean as possible.
Eliminate Problems Quickly
Have a water leak in your home? See visible mold growth or insects in your ductwork? Don’t wait.
These are all signs that your indoor air quality could be compromised. The longer you wait, the bigger the problem could become.
Don’t neglect the air your family breathes every day.
Summary
Making sure your home has good indoor air quality is one of the most important things you can do to promote wellness.
People live inside their homes more than anywhere else. And the air inside is often much worse than the air outside. But since it’s out of sight, it can easily be out of mind.
That’s why we wanted to share this guide on indoor air quality and your home wellness.
Once you know there’s a problem, you can begin to take steps to correct the problem.
And it all starts with cleaning your air ducts.
Need help cleaning your air ducts? Check out our Tacoma air duct cleaning services.