7 Tips to Maintain Indoor Air Quality Between Duct Cleanings

If you already schedule professional air duct cleaning on a regular basis, good for you. You’re taking an excellent step toward keeping your indoor air quality as high as possible. But professional air duct cleaning is only half the battle of maintaining clean indoor air.

The other half of the battle lies in how you treat your HVAC system and how often (and thoroughly) you clean your home.

Fortunately, winning that battle isn’t difficult. It just takes some diligence on your part. How should you maintain healthy indoor air quality between duct cleanings? The experts at Dust Doctors share a few easy-to-implement tips below.

1. Change Your HVAC Filter Regularly

First and foremost, make sure you’re changing your HVAC filters according to the package directions. If you have pets or smokers in your household, change your filters every 60 days.

If you live in an average suburban household, your filters should last about 90 days before you need to replace them.

2. Dust & Vacuum Regularly (& With Effective Tools)

You might be dusting and vacuuming regularly, but are you doing the job with the appropriate tools? If not, you’re likely just pushing particulate matter around your house rather than eliminating it from the space. And the more particulate matter that floats around inside your home, the lower your indoor air quality will be.

To maintain healthy indoor air quality between duct cleanings, make sure you’re dusting with the right tools. You can also find vacuums that feature HEPA filtration designed to minimize the amount of microscopic particulate matter that exits the unit when you empty it into the trash.

Ideally, you should vacuum several days a week, especially if you have pets or children. Dusting once a week should suffice, and if you find there’s still dust floating around everywhere, it may be time to schedule a maintenance duct cleaning appointment.

3. Consider Installing an Air Purification System

Air purification systems that feature HEPA filtration are designed to trap approximately 99.7% of airborne particles sized 0.3 microns or larger. For reference, the diameter of the average human hair is around 70 microns. So basically, a HEPA filter can capture airborne particles that are about 200 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair!

HEPA filters trap viruses, bacteria, pollen, dust mites, dust particles, mold spores—the list goes on and on. More importantly, the average HVAC filter isn’t designed to trap these particles very well. That means they constantly circulate inside your house, diminishing indoor air quality.

If you really want to take steps toward maximizing the cleanliness of the air inside your home, implementing an air purification system is the way to go. You can choose between a whole-house purification system and portable systems, depending on your needs and the size of your home. Some units even feature UV filtration as an extra protective measure.

4. Avoid Using Products With VOCs

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exist in many cleaning and household products. Currently, scientists have identified over 1,200 VOCs, and just a handful of the household products that contain them include:

●        Paints and stains

●        Personal care products

●        Most types of aerosol sprays

●        Cleaning products and air fresheners

●        New cabinets, furniture, rugs, carpets, wood floors

●        Surface sanitizing products

●        Scented candles, especially petroleum-based products

Unfortunately, many of these products are marketed as completely safe when in reality, they can harm your respiratory system quite a bit. To protect your indoor air quality, read up on common household products containing these harmful compounds. If you regularly use products that contain VOCs, look for more natural alternatives.

5. Use Kitchen Vents

Most air pollutants come from the kitchen because gas stoves can release contaminants like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. Electric burners from toasters, stoves, and ovens can release microscopic particles directly affecting air quality. So when it is time to cook, open a window or turn on your kitchen vents or fans to support proper filtration.

6. Control Your Humidity

Moist or humid weather can become a breeding ground for mildew and mold, affecting issues like asthma or allergies. Depending on your location, the warmer months can create exceptionally humid conditions, so to help reduce this, invest in a dehumidifier to maintain a more comfortable living condition with consistent humidity levels.

7. Let in Fresh Air

Per the EPA getting higher quality indoor air also involves operating fans, opening doors and windows, or running an air conditioner with the vent control open to lower concentrations of pollutants inside.

Additionally, turning on fans in rooms you are doing short-term activities like painting and sanding can help dilute and remove indoor airborne pollutants for natural ventilation for your home.

Dust Doctors: Providing Full-Service Air Duct Cleaning for Twin Cities Homes

If the indoor air quality in your Twin Cities home could use some help, get in touch with our team at Dust Doctors! For over a decade, we’ve specialized in comprehensive air duct cleaning, furnace cleaning, a/c cleaning, and indoor air quality improvement services. We understand what a critical role clean indoor air plays in your health, and it’s our goal to help you and your loved ones stay healthy year-round.

To learn more about our services or schedule an appointment, call our Little Canada, MN office today at 651-319-9777 or request a free quote online. You can also message us with any questions or concerns, and we’ll be in touch!