5 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality During Winter

When you live in the Twin Cities, you know bitter cold will force you to spend the majority of the winter cooped up inside a building. And unfortunately, spending a large part of your day indoors isn’t the greatest for your health. Since indoor air can be up to 10 times more polluted than outdoor air, cleaning up the air inside your home should be a top priority.

What can you do to boost your indoor air quality throughout the winter months? Below, we’ve got five simple and effective tips you’ll want to implement.

Use Air Purification Devices

Both portable and whole-house air purification systems feature HEPA filtration, which traps airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns in diameter. Given their ability to trap these microscopic particles, air filtration devices can make a big difference in the quality of your indoor air.

If you’re on the fence about these devices, test out a standalone unit first to see how you like it. A whole-house system is a big investment, and it must be integrated into your HVAC system by a professional, so it’s never a bad idea to test drive a smaller unit first.

Curious about these devices? Check out Whole-House or Portable: Which Air Purification System Is Best for Your Home for more information. 

Dust Often

To help control airborne particles, make sure you’re dusting weekly, at a minimum. Be sure to use microfiber tools that effectively trap dust rather than just pushing it around. Also, don’t forget to vacuum when you’re finished to pick up any debris that may have fallen on the floor.

Open Windows Briefly

Your HVAC system continually recirculates the air inside your home, and over time, that air can get stuffy and polluted, especially when people are always indoors. But there’s an easy fix for that: simply crack your windows and leave them open for 10-20 minutes. Yes, it’ll be cold, but periodically allowing fresh air inside your home can go a long way toward improving your indoor air quality. 

Schedule Duct Cleaning

Dirty, clogged ductwork is a leading culprit in poor indoor air quality since it’s your ducts that funnel the warm air from your furnace throughout your house. If you haven’t ever had professional duct cleaning or it’s been years since your last service appointment, consider scheduling service.

Purchase Indoor Plants

Did you know indoor plants are natural air purifiers? No, they aren’t as effective as an actual air purification system, but they can remove certain toxins from the air. One NASA experiment even found that some plants can get rid of dangerous volatile organic compounds like benzene and formaldehyde! Every plant’s cellular respiration process (photosynthesis) also produces fresh oxygen, which is crucial for boosting indoor air quality.   

Dust Doctors Can Help You Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Ready to breathe cleaner indoor air? Let our team at Dust Doctors help you out! We specialize in indoor air quality improvement services for property owners throughout Little Canada, MN, and the surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul metro areas. Whether you need duct cleaning, furnace cleaning, or an indoor air purification system, we’ve got you covered.

To get started, feel free to request a free service quote or give us a call today at 651-319-9777.