How Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Allergies

August 03, 2017

While many people associate allergy symptoms with pollen, pollution and other irritants outside your home, your indoor air quality can have a large impact on your symptoms. According to the EPA, “In the last several years, a rising body of scientific evidence has specified that the air in homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the external air in even the greatest and most industrialized cities. Other research shows that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Therefore, for a lot of people, the threats to health may be greater due to more interaction with air pollution indoors than outdoors.”

Our Crystal and Twin Cities homes are polluted by outdoor allergens like pollen that force their way in out homes, and by irritants like pet dander, dust mites, mold spores, chemicals from everyday household cleansers and more. So, what can you do about it? The solution is already in your home! It’s your HVAC system.

You should know that your HVAC can be your ally or your worst enemy when it comes to managing your allergies. A dirty system can harbor and spread allergens around your home, so the solution is to keep your system well maintained. Primarily, you must keep your air filters clean. Establish a reminder or mark it on your calendar to check them monthly and exchange them out when you see that they’re fairly dirty. They’ll usually need to be replaced every two or three months, but this can fluctuate greatly from home to home. You can buy filters that span from the most simple level of filtering to hospital-grade HEPA filters. The experts at GV Heating & Air can help you decide which type of filter will keep your home nourishing and keep your HVAC functioning properly.

It’s also vital to have your system regularly checked by an expert to keep your indoor air quality where it should be. On top of inspecting that essential filter, your service specialist will clean the internal workings of your system and guarantee that everything is operating as it should. You can also ask your technician if a duct cleaning would be helpful.

When it comes to your indoor air quality, you can trust the experts at GV Heating & Air to take good care of you. Besides helping you keep your HVAC system maintained, we can help you know that you have the tools you need to combat poor indoor air quality and allergens—like humidifiers and whole home air purifiers. Just give us a call at 763-535-2000 to certify that your home’s air is healthy and clean.