You may not realize it, but the air in your home is likely holding more pollution and irritants than the air outside. These pollutants can agitate seasonal allergies here in Jacksonville. Thankfully, maintaining your house’s air quality isn’t as hard as you might assume, and with a few straightforward, steady switches, you can lower the chance these pollutants and allergens will trouble you and your family. Here are five specific measures you can take to better the air quality in your space:
1. Tidying Up
Frequent cleaning to get rid of dust, debris and dirt is a painless practice to substantially enhance the state of the air in your home. This includes dusting, vacuuming and mopping the surfaces and floors of your home that are most likely to collect these substances. If you have furry friends, you’ll also take care of loose fur and pet dander.
Taking actions to tidy up around the exterior of your house is also extremely helpful, particularlly close to the places where your HVAC system is housed. You can clear away excess leaves and yard debris and clean up mold or mildew. With this consistent tidying up, you’ll take out these particles before they have the opportunity to move about in your home comfort system, and keep from breathing any of them in!
2. Think About Disposing of Man-Made Scents
Even if they fill your space with inviting fragrances, a lot of common air fresheners consist of chemicals that can adversely impact your home’s air quality. It can be nearly impossible to work out the complex claims many organizations make about the safety of their merchandise. To escape these nuisances completely, choose sprays that don’t have chemical fragrances as well as non-aerosol. However, if you just love that bright citrus smell, give baking soda and fresh- sliced lemons a try! This natural alternative creates a satisfying scent, and is air-quality approved. Potpourri and other natural substances are also great alternatives if you want fresh-smelling air without all the chemical extras.
3. Consider a Little Green
Adding one or two live plants to your home is another great, natural idea to boost the quality of air in your house. There are many elegant plants that not only look great but absorb a range of of common airborne irritants. If you have pets, do keep in mind that select plants are toxic. Do some research before selecting any plants and bringing them in your home where your dog or cat can get to them. If that’s something you don’t need to worry about, add whatever amount to a room as you like! They’ll require enough sunlight and water, but if you’re the proud owners of a green thumb, plants are one of the most appealing ways you can lighten up your decor and air quality together.
4. Routinely Check and Change Air Filters
As you might expect, the air filters in your space play a big part in keeping up the standard of air that moves around your house. Picking the proper filter for your Jacksonville home can help gather and eliminate debris and allergens from your HVAC, keeping the quality of air high. But that’s only part of the battle. Routine seasonal maintenance, cleaning and changing of your filter can give you cleaner, healthier air for a long time, while giving your HVAC system an opportunity to function at peak efficiency.