Keeping good indoor air quality in your Bath, Pennsylvania helps reduce your risk of respiratory illness. If you have asthma or allergy sufferers in your household, maintaining quality indoor air quality is even more vital. The good news is, you can improve your IAQ and reduce the allergy triggers in your home, by following a few tips below.
Reduce Clutter
Having clutter around your home can make the perfect hiding spots for dust and dirt mites. Make sure the rooms in your home are picked up and put away and reduce unnecessary items around the home that can collect dust and take longer to clean.
Vacuum Regularly
Carpets are the perfect place to harbor dirt, dust, and debris. It also can accumulate pet hair and dander if you share your home with pets. Keep your home vacuumed, and dust and wash area rugs on a regular basis. You can also reduce a significant amount of allergens by having guests remove their shoes before stepping on the carpet.
Launder Your Bedding
When you sleep at night, you shed dead skin cells, which attracts dust mites to your bedding. Even rooms where the bedding is not used, dust can begin to accumulate, so it is essential to launder all of the bedding in your home at least once a week.
Keep Your Pets Bathed and Groomed
If you share your home with furry friends, you will need to be extra vigilant at removing allergens from your home. Brush your pets outside at least every other day and bathe them once a week. If you can’t wash your pets outside or at a grooming facility, make sure to clean your tub immediately after bathing them to remove the buildup of hair and dander.
Close Doors and Windows
While it sounds like a nice idea to throw open your windows for some "fresh air," you’d really be letting more allergens inside instead. Not only would you be doing yourself a disservice by letting more allergens into your home, but you’d also be creating more work for your HVAC system to have to filter it all back out of the air. It’s best to keep your home cool by running your AC instead.
Keep Your Filter Cleaned and Changed
Throughout the month, your filter can become dirty and clogged with dust and debris. When this occurs, your system’s airflow will be reduced and it can be harder to get proper airflow throughout your home. Without proper airflow, dust and dirt will settle easier on the surface of your home.
Maintain Proper Humidity
Maintaining proper humidity is crucial to limiting biological growth in your home, which can worsen asthma and allergy symptoms. Run bathroom and kitchen fans when necessary, use your air conditioner to remove humidity from the air, and limit the length of your showers during the hot months.
Keep Surfaces Free From Crumbs
Keep food and garbage picked up and secured. Always wipe down your kitchen counters and make sure that floors are clear of crumbs. Food particles can attract cockroaches and ants, which can heighten allergies. If you notice a problem with roaches or other insects, make sure to treat your home.
Keep On Top of Where Dust May Be Hiding
There are a lot of places where dust may be hiding in your home, to the point where you may not even realize it’s lurking there. Be sure to address these places during your regular cleaning routine. Some of the most common places where dust may be hiding include your drapes and blinds, lampshades, under furniture, vents and registers, and on household plants.
Have Regular HVAC Maintenance
Having your HVAC system regularly maintained will only help it function better and improve its longevity, but it can also reduce the number of allergens circulating throughout your home. Your HVAC technician will repair any parts that are damaged and can reduce the flow of air throughout your home and will also clean all of the components of your system so that the buildup does not get into your indoor air supply.
Follow the tips above to reduce allergy and asthma triggers in your home and contact us at (610) 810-3992 today. One of our Sullivan Oil & Propane specialists will schedule your HVAC maintenance appointment.
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