3 Ways To Allergy-Proof Your Home This Spring
When spring returns, so do allergies caused by mold, dust, pollen and more. Don’t be left with a family full of sneezing allergy-sufferers this season. While you could do the obvious like dusting furniture and vacuuming rugs and drapes, this may not be enough where you live.
Take the time to allergy-proof your home with some help from the professionals and make spring that much easier for you and your family.
Keep Cool with Your Air Conditioner
One of the most effective ways to keep allergens out is to shut the windows and turn on the air conditioner, especially when the pollen is at its peak.
Pollen is at its heaviest between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. This only works, however, if you air conditioner is free from allergens itself.
Get your ducts professionally cleaned and ask about having HEPA filters installed on your air conditioner. Not all of them are capable of having HEPA filters, but if your air conditioner is able to, having a HEPA filter will dramatically reduce allergens coming in from the outside.
Check Your Ducts
Have an HVAC technician check your ducts for air leaks. This will keep costs down while running your air conditioner and ensure that there isn’t a secondary way for allergens to invade your home. The leaking air can stir up dust and mold particles that can make their way into your home.
The last thing you want is for your ducts to become clogged, as that will prevent you from using the air conditioner at all. This is easy to overlook since most people don’t even go where the air ducts are located.
Typically, you should only need to get them cleaned every three to five years. Do get them checked if you suspect mold is present in your ducts, however.
Watch the Humidity
If you have a thermostat that controls the humidity in your home, check it to ensure it stays at about 50%. Too much humidity invites mold growth and too little humidity stirs up dust.
If you have an old-fashioned thermostat, you can buy a new one and have an HVAC specialist replace it for you.
Depending on the features they have, newer thermostats start as low as $25 on average. Just make sure to ask ahead of time if the thermostat is compatible with your air conditioner to ensure the new thermostat will work as intended.
Constantly sneezing in your Indianapolis home? Call Griesemer Plumbing & Mechanical at (317) 881-9536 today, and breathe in the fresh air.
