Winters Can Worsen Indoor Air Quality in Our Homes. Here’s how to Improve it

The winter usually brings indoor air quality challenges. But this year, indoor air quality concerns are exacerbated by the threat of COVID-19. How can you keep your family safe and healthy within your home while the weather outside is cold and miserable?

7 Ways to Improve Air Quality in Your Home Over the Winter

• Filter out contaminants.
  Air filters are your first line of defense against airborne pollutants. Upgrade your air filter to newer HEPA filtration options to remove more contaminants, such as dust, pollen, dander, mold, mildew, viruses, and bacteria, trapping them before they can spread throughout your home.
• Step up your game with an air purifier.
  Whole-home air purifiers, which work in conjunction with your heating and cooling system to clean the air circulating throughout your entire home, can purify the air in your home several times per hour, capturing and/or killing airborne contaminants before they are spread through your home.
• Zap germs in the air and on surfaces.
  Tired of constantly cleaning high-touch surfaces? The Air Scrubber by Aurus can effectively remove up to 99% of microbes, particulates, and gases moving through your heating and cooling unit AND eliminate contaminants from surfaces. Learn more.
• Check your ducts.
  Like those high shelves you never bother to dust because you can’t see them, your ductwork can become coated with dust and airborne contaminants, spreading them throughout your home. If you can’t remember the last time you’ve had this service, have your ducts professionally inspected, cleaned, and sealed.
• Keep things clean – without the chemicals.
  Vacuum, mop, and wipe down surfaces regularly, avoiding synthetic chemicals and choosing natural, non-toxic cleaning products and air fresheners to prevent the buildup of toxic VOCs in your home.
• Increase ventilation.
  Because of  the COVID crisis, we all know the solution to pollution is dilution. But how do you freshen air when it’s freezing outdoors? Reduce your pollutants in your home with added ventilation. Talk to your HVAC professional about available options that bring fresh air into your home without impacting the temperature and comfort level in your home, such as energy recovery ventilators.
• Control humidity.
  Extremely dry winter air is bad for indoor air quality in your home. Without adequate moisture, contaminants remain airborne longer, spreading throughout your home. Dry skin and nasal passages can crack and bleed, increasing your likelihood of exposure to germs. Fortunately, these problems are easily solved with the addition of a whole-house dehumidification system. This affordable technology does all the work for your, monitoring humidity levels in your home and adding moisture when needed. Attached as part of your HVAC system, it can manage the humidity levels throughout your home.

Take control of your health this winter. Improve the indoor air quality in your home with the help of H & H Heating & Air Conditioning today.

 

This blog was originally posted on https://www.delcohvac.com/blog/winters-can-worsen-indoor-air-quality-in-our-homes-heres-how-to-improve-it/

How to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution In the Fall When Trapped Indoors

This year, with the COVID pandemic, reducing the levels of the pollutants in the air circulating throughout your home is crucial. Research has shown air trapped inside residential homes is significantly more polluted than outdoor air. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cleaners, off-gassing of furnishings, allergens like pollen and pet dander, and mold, bacteria, and viruses can quickly buildup in your home, creating an unhealthy environment. How can you protect your family from these contaminants and breathe easier?

5 Ways to Combat Indoor Air Pollution (IAP)

1. Eliminate sources of pollution.
   The EPA identifies one of the most effective ways to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in the home is to eliminate these potential pollutants at the source: 
   • Cleaning chemicals and air fresheners, which produce VOCs.
   • Tobacco products, which emit carcinogens, toxic metals, and other poisons.
   • Combustion appliances that burn oil, gas, kerosene, and wood as a fuel source, which can leak deadly carbon monoxide into the home without proper maintenance.
   • Pressed wood/particleboard and laminated furnishings, which continuously release formaldehyde.
   • Pesticides, which are inherently toxic.
   • Wet furnishings and building materials, which serve as a breeding ground for toxic mold.
2. Boost ventilation.
   Open windows to flush out indoor pollutants and circulate clean, fresh air throughout your home whenever possible. Talk to your local HVAC pro about incorporating mechanical ventilation to bring fresh air into your home in the winter.
3. Upgrade your air filtering equipment.
   Add a few bells and whistles to your heating and air conditioning system to remove dangerous particles from the air in your home: 
   • Upgrade your home air filter to remove more pollutants from the air.
   • Add a UV light air purifier to your HVAC to kill dangerous viruses, bacteria, and mold.
   • Kill up to 99% of airborne and surface viruses, bacteria, and mold with the revolutionary Air Scrubber by Aerus.
4. Install a whole-house humidifier.
   Winter air is dry, causing particles like pollen, dander, bacteria, and viruses to disperse and remain suspended in the air. Using a whole-house humidifier in the fall and winter quickly solves this problem. These devices operate in conjunction with your central heating system, monitoring humidity levels. When air is dry, humidifiers add moisture to the air, distributing it throughout your home with conditioned air.
5. Have your home heating system regularly inspected.
   Maintenance is about more than a well-functioning, quiet air conditioner. It’s about safety. An inspection in the fall, before winter weather extremes put your system under duress, ensures peak performance. This maintenance is especially crucially for combustion appliances, identifying faulty equipment that could lead to potentially deadly carbon monoxide leaks.

Stand up to the pollutants that put the health of your family at risk. Ensure a safe, healthy home throughout the cold-weather season with the help of H & H Heating & Air Conditioning. Contact us to learn more about making your home safer in the COVID era today.

 

This blog was originally posted on https://www.delcohvac.com/blog/how-to-reduce-indoor-air-pollution-in-the-fall-when-trapped-indoors/

6 Common Air Pollutants Lurking in Your Home

Air pollution affects more than outside air, hiding in America’s homes and businesses and risking the health of inhabitants. In fact, the air inside your home can be up to five times more dangerous than the air outdoors. And the harmful air within your home can cause more than breathing issues – it can be a major risk factor for major diseases.

What Air Pollution Dangers are You Overlooking in Your Home?

1. Everyday pollutants.
   Household cleaners, air fresheners, detergents, fabric softeners, and many other products (even those not sprayed) can release harmful chemicals into the air of your home.
2. Upholstery & fabric pollutants.
   Pollutants trapped in drapes, couch cushions, bedding and more can dislodge and boost particles into the air with every movement.
3. VOCs.
   Found in many common items including carpeting, building materials, and furniture, VOCs are found in the air of nearly every indoor setting. Short-term effects include headaches, dizziness, light-headedness, drowsiness, nausea, eye and lung irritation.
4. Home heating pollutants.
   Heating systems are often a prime contributor to poor indoor air quality, whether a wood burning fireplace or gas furnace. Your AC units can also affect air, particularly those in need of an air filter or duct cleaning.
5. Moisture-related dangers.
   Moisture can lead to serious indoor air quality issues. Moisture encourages bacteria and mold growth, including the proliferation of dangerous, mycotoxin-producing black mold. Moisture also attracts pests, increasing the proliferation of dust mites, a top allergen.
6. Air freshener pollutants.
   While pollutants in the indoor air can create bad smells, masking them with air fresheners or candles only adds more toxins to the air you breathe.

Is Your Health Being Adversely Effected?
The link between air pollution and its effect on those with allergies and asthma is well-established. Children, the elderly, and infirm are at increased risk, experiencing deterioration in health when pollutants are present. Air pollution is also a well-established risk factor in lung and heart disease, brain health (stroke), and diabetes, with toxins disrupting insulin and inflammatory responses. Unfortunately, most homes do not have such effective air filtration – a primary reason why those who work in the home suffer higher cancer rates than those who work elsewhere.

Improving Air Quality
The only way to remove these dangerous pollutants from the indoor air you breathe is with proper ventilation and filtration. Luckily, the air in your home can be easily and effectively cleaned with the right ventilation measures, air cleaners, (de)humidifiers, and UV lights, alone or as part of your home heating and cooling system. Regularly changing and upgrading your HVAC air filter, and altering your cleaning choices, purchasing decisions and lifestyle can further safeguard the air in your home by reducing pollutants as well.

Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, leading the EPA to rank indoor air quality as one of the top five environmental health risks today. Is your family at-risk? Learn more about the latest in air cleaning technology. Contact the trusted professionals at H&H Heating & Air Conditioning today.

This blog was originally posted at https://www.delcohvac.com/6-common-air-pollutants-lurking-your-home/.

Allergy season is here again: How to Allergy Proof your Home

Cool, crisp fall breezes have many Americans opening up their doors and windows after a stifling summer. Though the temperature may feel great on the skin, however, all that cool, dry air makes for an convenient transportation mechanism for airborne allergens that can wreak havoc on your sinuses. Is there any way to enjoy the best of both worlds?

Reduce the effects of allergens in your home with these effective air quality solutions:

• Time it.
  Opening up windows to boost air quality, especially in today’s tight homes, is a great idea. However if you or a family member is an allergy sufferer, do it by the clock – and by the weather. Check your local pollen and mold forecast, keeping windows closed when counts are high, especially between 10am and 3pm, and on dry, windy days.

• Leave it at the door.
  When you come in from enjoying a little time outdoors, ditch outer garments on the porch or in your laundry/mudroom – then take a shower. This keeps mold and pollen that have settled on clothing out of your home.

• Be average.
  Average humidity levels – around 50% – are optimal inside your home to keep mold (which likes moisture) and dust (which likes dryness) at bay.

• Keep it contained.
  An essential line of defense against bringing allergens into your living space is tightly sealed ductwork. When was the last time you inspected yours?

• Use your filter.
  Installing compatible HEPA filters on your existing HVAC system with the help of a hvac repair technician can help remove millions of particulates like mold spores, dust mites, pollen, and other harmful airborne contaminants. Just remember to clean them regularly, as dirty filters can do more harm than good – to sinuses as well as your HVAC system.

• Light it up.
  Used in conjunction with your heating and cooling system, an ultra-violet air purification system can further help eliminate mold, as well as harmful viruses and bacteria that can make you and your family sick throughout the cooler weather season.

• Focus your cleaning efforts.
  Though keeping your entire home as clean as possible is recommended, today’s busy lives may make finding time tough. If this is the case, concentrate efforts on bedrooms (dust mite heaven) and bathrooms (mold Xanadu). Proper moisture levels (ventilation fans, de/humidifiers) and careful cleaning are key. Consider upgrading to a vacuum with a HEPA filter, and don’t forget to damp mop shelving and floors regularly.

• Cut the clutter.
  The less stuff clogging up surfaces in your home, the fewer places for allergens to hide – and the easier it is to clean. This includes nick knacks on shelves as well as curtains, and high-pile wall-to-wall carpeting.

• Love Fido in the living room.
  Reduce bedroom dust mites and dander allergens by making your bedroom a no-fly zone for pets, washing bedding regularly to cut down on the buildup of substances you inadvertently track into your room.

Burnt out on sneezing your way through the season? Take a load off your sinuses (and loads of tissues off your tables) with the help of indoor air quality services from H & H. Contact us today.

Where does indoor air pollution come from?

Modern man spends a great deal of time indoors – some 90% of our lives in the “shelter” of homes and buildings. Unfortunately, all this time indoors can come at a cost to our health. Tighter building designs geared toward energy and cost savings are trapping pollutants inside the dwellings where we seek respite.
Rather than clean indoor air, we are instead being assaulted by pollution levels two to five times higher than the air outdoors.

Where are all those pollutants coming from?

• Mold and mildew
  High humidity and dampness resulting from condensation, poor ventilation, plumbing and other leaks can aid in the proliferation of mildew and mold, triggering allergy and asthma symptoms, eye, skin, nose, throat, and lung irritation, as well as upper and lower respiratory issues in those exposed.
• Biological contaminants
  Biological contaminants in your home include not only mold, mildew, bacteria and viruses, but pollen, dust mites, cockroach feces, and more. Contaminants are carried in via your person or on your pets, and are distributed throughout your home – even through your HVAC ducts. These contaminants are capable of aggravating allergies and asthma and/or causing disease, but can be easily controlled with the use of high quality filters and UV germicidal lamps.
• Smoke
  Smoke from both cigarettes and combustion burning create gases and particulates that carry a host of chemicals which can result in eye, nose, and throat irritation, respiratory irritation and infections, emphysema, lung cancer, and more.
• Asbestos
  A natural mineral fiber used in various building components in most homes over 20 years old, including insulation, flooring materials, and more, asbestos exposure can ultimately result in abdominal, chest, and lung cancers and asbestosis.
• Radon
  Colorless, tasteless, and odorless, radon is created from the naturally occurring breakdown of radioactive materials in earth and rock. Symptoms are not immediately apparent, however radon is linked to an estimated 20,000 lung-cancer deaths annually.
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
  Colorless and odorless, CO gas is produced during the incomplete combustion of all carbon-based fuels, including commonly used wood, charcoal, gas, diesel, kerosene, propane, and other natural gases. Often mistaken for the flu, exposure causes headache, drowsiness, dizziness, impairment of respiration, vision, and brain function, and ultimately death. If you fear CO may be an issue in your home, consult an indoor air quality service professional right away.
• Formaldehyde and other VOCs
  Off-gassing from pressed wood products, foam insulation, glues and adhesives, carpet and upholstery, household cleaning and deodorizing products, and more can release pungent gases into the air capable of causing allergic reactions, headaches, nausea, dizziness/confusion, eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing. Multitudinous VOCs are linked to brain, liver, and kidney damage, as well as various cancers.
• Lead
  Lead-based paint, pipes, and fixtures in older homes can contribute to airborne dust particles, causing significant health effects including cognitive and developmental issues in children, brain, nervous system, and kidney damage, anemia, hearing loss, and even death.

Ventilation plays a starring role in indoor air quality
To provide efficient energy use, particularly with regard to your home’s heating and cooling equipment, homes are specifically designed to minimize the amount of air that can leak into and out of them. This can result in the need for enhanced ventilation and specialty air filters in your HVAC systems to preserve the air quality in your home. Options include:

• Site-specific exhaust fans, such as in the kitchen and bath.
• Whole house air purifiers with UV lamps.
• Mechanical ventilation, such as exhaust or supply ventilation systems and heat recovery ventilators.

Concerned about the air quality in your home? Ensure a clean, healthy home environment year-round. Contact H&H Heating and Air Conditioning, the indoor air quality experts, today.

Improve your Indoor Air Quality – Options available Today

With the winter now in full swing, we are now mostly confined to our homes with air-tight doors and windows and breathe in air that is circulated through our home’s HVAC system. Making sure that this air is clean and pure is essential as bad indoor air quality can dull your home’s atmosphere and is provocative for allergies and other health matters. Luckily, home air filters are a great approach for fixing this matter in no time. So if you find that your family is suffering from too many colds and allergies, or if your indoor air feels stuffy, you might need to take steps to clean out your home’s atmosphere. Here are the top options available to you.

Fantastic Filter:

The Fantastic Filter is a type of air purification focused on gradient layered technology that successfully removes a large part of air borne particles down to 1.8 microns. Made of Polyolefin, this filter is effective as it does not absorb moisture, allowing it to minimise the growth of pollutants such as bacteria, mould, mildew and fungi. This filter is also one of the only options available that successfully captures and eliminated cat dander, making it ideal for asthma and allergy sufferers. For many home owners, investing in HVAC regular maintenance can seem like a costly endeavour but with the Fantastic Filter, you can rest assured that you are dealing with one of the most affordable options on the market. If you choose this option, be sure to change the filters every three months.

Microguard Filter:

Looking for an electronic air cleaner that is cost effective and also easy to maintain? The Micro Power Guard Filter is just that. This form of air purification comes in standard sizes as well as handy custom sizes that perfectly fit in with the needs of your home. Additionally, the Micro Power Guard Filter filter allows you great power over large and submicronic particles and allergens that may be lingering around your home while still allowing unlimited air flow throughout your home.

PureSept Bypass HEPA Filter:

With its thermally insulated cabinet, the PureSept Bypass HEPA Filter is quiet and effective both. With an easy to maintain design and great access through the front door, this is one option that will perfectly fit into your home’s environment. Not to mention, this is yet another great way to curb allergies and asthma for your family due to its 99.7% efficiency at filtering polluting particles down to 0.3 microns per pass. If replacing filters every few months doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, the HEPA filter only needs to be changed every two years and the fan comes with a 7 year warranty as per the manufacturer.

Why install an air filter in your home?

Installing an air filter in your home can offer a host of benefits such as:

• Longevity of comfort system- Air filtration is a great way of improving the air flow of your heating and air conditioning unit. This results in decreased amounts of dust and pollutants clogging your unit, increasing its efficiency and consequently its longevity.
• Savings: A more efficient system is likely to use up lesser electricity to operate, making air filters great for savings.
• Improved health: With most of us spending almost 90% of our time indoors, air quality has a direct impact on our health and wellbeing. The cleaner air you breathe, the fewer allergies and illness you are likely to have.

At H&H Heating and Air Conditioning, we pride ourselves in providing customers with quality products. If you find yourself in need of air filters, we provide a great range from reputable brands such as Nature’s Home.