If you suffer from allergies, seasonal changes can be a bad time. Suddenly, fall allergies you forgot you had will reappear, making you and other vulnerable family members miserable. The problem is exacerbated by the airtightness of many modern homes. They're built to intentionally keep warm air from escaping in the winter and from infiltrating inside in the summer. However, this has the unfortunate side effect of trapping dirty, allergen-filled air in the house.However, don't despair. There are effective strategies for protecting indoor air quality as well as your health. Try some of the following:
Keep allergens outside. Close windows and doors during days when allergen levels are high in the outside air. Brush pets before they come inside, and take off your shoes and outerwear upon entering the house and leave these items by the door.
Clean the house frequently, and make sure you wash bedding at least weekly. Store unused clothing in plastic boxes or bags. Try to limit the display of knick-knacks, trophies, picture frames, etc., since these are notorious dust collectors, and household dust is full of allergens.
Change the air filter in your furnace or heat pump regularly to preserve indoor air quality. Inspect it once a month and change it when it looks clogged or dirty.
Your home should have effective mechanical ventilation to ensure a regular exchange of fresh outside air with stale indoor air. Use exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom, and leave them on for 10 or 15 minutes after you're finished in that room. If ventilation is pulling more allergens inside, consider a whole-house air purifying system that works in tandem with your forced-air HVAC system.
Control moisture levels in your home, since unusual humidity levels inside, either too high or too low, can create a welcoming atmosphere for allergens. A whole-house humidifier can help counter the adverse effects of dry indoor air in the winter.
For more advice on improving indoor air quality during the fall allergy season, please contact us at Air Assurance, providing quality HVAC and air quality services in the Broken Arrow area since 1985.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Olena Zaskochenko/Shutterstock”
Asthma and allergies are no laughing matter, and excess dust can severely exacerbate the suffering. If you've been looking for ways to reduce household dust in your greater Tulsa area home, we suggest that you start with these tips:
Upgrade your vacuum. Good suction won't remove all the dust from your carpet. For the best results, you need to find a vacuum with a strong agitator (the brush that sweeps the carpet) and a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter.
Remove your carpet. Carpets hold a great deal of dust, and when you walk across them, that dust is sent back into the air. Switching to alternate flooring such as laminate, wood or tile will cut down on hidden dust and allow for easier cleaning, which is best accomplished with the use of a canister vacuum.
Use a micro-fiber cloth. Feather dusters spread around more dust than they collect. When you dust your home, you should be using a micro-fiber cloth or, at the very least, a damp rag. This will capture the dust instead of stirring it up, where it can irritate your respiratory system.
Get a new filter. Not all HVAC filters are designed to catch dust and other contaminants, so you may want to upgrade to one that does. The best kind to use is an electrostatic filter attached to your ductwork, but those are expensive. If in doubt, contact an industry professional for help in deciding the best type of filter.
Clean the air. If you have carpets, the vacuum you're using—no matter how powerful or expensive—will whip up dust and send it into the air, before settling on a new surface. You can filter out some of this dust by turning your thermostat to its "fan" position. For maximum effect, leave the fan on for 15 minutes after you've finished cleaning.
For more advice on ways to reduce household dust, or if you have any other concerns related to home comfort, please contact the friendly professionals at Air Assurance. We've been serving the HVAC needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding area since 1985.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Craig Wactor/Shutterstock”
It's the time of year when we in Broken Arrow can expect to see below freezing temperatures. Instead of paying high energy bills this winter, spend a morning inspecting your home for heat loss.
Here's what to look for:
Check the areas around doors and windows. If you felt a draft last year, now's the time to fix it. An incense stick produces a fine stream of smoke you can use to pinpoint the leak. If the gaps or holes you find aren't too big, buy a can of insulating foam sealant—it expands inside the wall and keeps cold air out.
Take a walk around your home's exterior. Be aware of junctions where pipes and wires enter the building. The original insulation may have weathered, shrunk and cracked in these areas, which leads to more heat loss.
Make sure all the shingles on your home are intact. A spring or summer storm might have damaged your roof. Even if water isn't getting in, cold air still can. If you see something out of place, head to the attic and take a closer look.
Inside your home, inspect your heater's air filter. Dirty air filters can increase the amount of allergens in your home and reduce the efficiency of your heater. Write down the size, or take a photo with your phone and head to the home improvement store to buy a new one.
Is your water heater wrapped? Thermally insulating it will reduce your bills. Also, think about turning it down a few degrees—it's another easy way to save money.
Is the hot water pipe from your water heater insulated? If not, it's losing heat. Pipe insulation is easy to install and doesn't cost much.
Finally, examine the heater vents around your house (especially in the kitchen.) Debris and dust fall in them, reducing their effectiveness. Pop them out of the floor, take them outside, and shake the dirt out.
If you need help preventing heat loss in your home, contact Air Assurance in Broken Arrow. We want our customers to have a safe and comfortable homes year round.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
