Tips on How You Can Improve Your Indoor Air Quality This Flu Season

The flu is no fun, but improving the quality of your indoor air can help to keep flu germs, viruses, chemical contaminants, allergens and other indoor air pollution at bay. Poor indoor air quality is largely due to insufficient ventilation in tightly sealed Lorton, Virginia, homes. Whole-house ventilators can greatly reduce the presence of airborne contaminants by moving stale air outside and bringing fresh air inside, but there are other ways to clean up indoor air as well. Here’s how to make your Lorton home a healthier place this winter:

Supplement Your HVAC With an Air Cleaner

Air cleaners get rid of indoor air pollution by trapping contaminants in a built-in HVAC filtration system. The filters are installed between the air return duct and your furnace. As indoor air passes through ductwork, contaminants are trapped in the filter and removed from indoor air. Air cleaners are great at removing larger particles and allergens like dust, dust mites, pet dander and pollen. Air cleaners are good for your HVAC because they reduce the amount of dirt and dust that collects on your equipment and interferes with system efficiency.

Consider Adding an Air Purifier

It’s easy to confuse air cleaners with air purifiers. Both clean your indoor air, but they do it differently. Whereas air cleaners trap airborne particles in a filter, air purifiers zap contaminants with ozone, negative ions or UV lights. Like air cleaners, air purifiers are installed in ductwork; unlike air cleaners, they can get rid of very small airborne contaminants like spores, viruses, bacteria, cigarette smoke, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and household chemical cleaners.

Install UV Lights

UV lamps are a type of air purifier that kills airborne contaminants as indoor air is circulated through the ductwork system. The lamps are particularly effective against biological pollutants like mold, mildew, spores, viruses, bacteria and other microbes that can grow in the moist environment of your HVAC and blow into your home. UV lights can assist your HVAC equipment by enhancing air flow and helping with system efficiency.

To learn more about eliminating allergens and pathogens that can compromise the health of your family, visit Commonwealth Cooling & Heating, LLC, or call us at (703) 436-8028 to schedule no-cost indoor air quality testing.