-
Checklist: 6 Steps to Improve Your Home's Air Quality
Air can have a big impact on the health and energy efficiency of our homes. So how do we optimize the air our family breathes? It's easier than you think. Just add these tasks to your healthy home routine, and you'll soon experience the peace of mind that comes with knowing you're doing everything you can to help keep your family safe and healthy.
Manage Air Quality
-
1. Remove surface dust.
Regular dusting throughout your home can help remove the dust, pet dander and pollen that can trigger allergies and asthma.
-
2. Perform regular heating and cooling system inspections.
Get your furnace, air conditioner and water heater professionally inspected every spring and fall to ensure that systems are in good repair and properly venting hazardous carbon monoxide.
-
3. Replace furnace filters
at least every three months. Upgrade your air with a Filtrete™ Healthy Living Filter, which features exclusive 3-in-1 technology from 3M to pull in and trap unwanted particles while letting cleaner air flow through.
Enlist Climate Control Methods
-
4. Control humidity levels.
Monitor indoor humidity levels and strive to keep levels between 30 and 50 percent. (You can purchase a hygrometer, which measures humidity, for about $15 online or at home improvement centers.) Higher humidity creates the right conditions for mold and mildew to thrive, which can contribute to asthma, allergies and other health concerns. Run a dehumidifier to help remove excess moisture when air is too humid. On the other hand, if your home’s air is too dry, you can run a humidifier to make the air more comfortable.
-
5. Ensure proper ventilation throughout your home.
Make sure that your kitchen and bath exhaust fans, clothes dryer, fireplace and gas appliances are all properly vented to the outside to reduce airborne irritants that can affect the quality of your indoor air. Install a whole-house fan in the attic or under the roof to pull fresh air in and pull poor air out. (Don’t consider yourself to be too handy? This is a job that you may to hire out to a pro.) Also, investigate whether a crawl-space fan or vents are appropriate for your home.
-
6. Keep air moving.
Ceiling fans are a useful supplement or replacement for your air conditioning system during summer months. The fans keep air moving and prevent pockets of stale air from forming.
