While many people correlate allergy symptoms with pollen, pollution and other irritants out of your home, your internal air quality can have a big impact on your symptoms. According to the EPA, “In the last few years, a rising body of scientific evidence has specified that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the external air in even the biggest and most industrialized cities. Other research shows that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time within a home or building. Thus, for a lot of people, the risks to health may be larger due to more contact with air pollution indoors than outdoors.”
Our Des Moines homes are full of outdoor allergens like pollen that force their way in out homes, and by irritants like pet dander, dust mites, mold spores, chemicals from average household products and more. So, what can you do about it? The key is already in your home! It’s your HVAC system.
You should know that your HVAC can be your ally or your nemesis when it comes to handling your allergies. A dirty system can harbor and circulate allergens all over your home, so the solution is to keep your system well maintained. Above all, you need to keep your air filters clean. Place a reminder or mark it on your calendar to inspect them monthly and change them out when you see that they’re fairly dirty. They’ll usually need to be changed every two or three months, but this can vary greatly from household to home. You can buy filters that range from the most simple level of filtering to hospital-grade HEPA filters. The experts at Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling can help you decide which kind of filter will keep your home nourishing and keep your HVAC functioning correctly.
It’s also crucial to have your system habitually maintained by a pro to keep your interior air quality where it should be. On top of inspecting that essential filter, your service specialist will clean the inner workings of your system and ensure that everything is working as it should. You can also ask your specialist if a duct cleaning would be beneficial.
When it comes to your indoor air quality, you can put your faith in the experts at Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling to take good care of you. Besides helping you keep your HVAC system operating, we can help you make sure you have the tools you need to take on poor indoor air quality and allergens—like humidifiers and whole home air purifiers. Just give us a call at 515-207-6569 to confirm that your home’s air is healthy and clean.