If you experience seasonal allergies, have any respiratory problems, or just plain don’t like the idea of all that junk floating around your house, we’ve got good news. You can enlist your heating and cooling system to help get rid of it!
Now, nothing here takes the place of regular cleaning. But, in this article, we outline five ways your HVAC system can help you in your efforts to keep your home clean. As a bonus, they’ll also help you avoid a furnace repair call in the winter.
If you have any questions or want to learn more about how this would work in your home in or around Kuna, ID, call or email us here at Snowflake Air.
Five Ways To Rid Your Home of Dust (With Your Heating And Cooling System)
-
Get a Better Air Filter
-
Clean and Disinfect Your Vents
-
Call for Annual Maintenance
-
Install an Air Purifier
Get a Better Air Filter
Your air filter is like the first line of defense when it comes to preventing dust buildup in your home. You can make the most of it by changing it regularly or even upgrading to a stronger model.
We’ll give ourselves a quick plug: Snowflake Air’s worry-free filter program in Kuna, ID and across Boise Metro makes it really easy for homeowner to keep up on changing them. With our filter program, you’ll have them delivered directly to your home on the schedule you want.
We recommend changing them every month. You can get away with every three months, or once a season. But, if you’re already concerned about dust, keep it a new one every four weeks.
Next, you can get a filter that will trap even more dust and dirt than the average one-inch filters you get at the hardware store. To figure this out, check the MERV rating.
That’s short for “Minimum Efficiency and Reporting Value,” but all you need to know is that higher-rated models trap smaller and smaller particles.
The average filter’s around an eight and only grabs larger dust and dirt particles. Go higher, and you’ll catch pollen, dust mites, and even viruses and bacteria. But, the higher the rating, the more air resistance you get.
In other words, the screen starts blocking air as well as particles. Anything past a MERV 13 is too strong for residential units. You’ll end up with weak circulation or none at all.
So, give us a call if you’re looking to upgrade. We’ll help you determine the highest rating your system can use.
Clean and Disinfect Your Vents
Meanwhile, here’s a quick, easy tip: Take a wet cloth and disinfectant to your vents before you start using your heating and cooling system in the fall or spring.
You’d be surprised how much dust can build up inside and on the vent cover. Once there’s no air coming through, it can all settle. But, once the forced air comes back on, all that buildup blows all through your house.
Your best bet is to wipe it all down until it’s visibly clean. Then, blast it with a regular disinfectant spray. This doesn’t require any special chemicals, just the kind you buy at the supermarket.
Now, the next step could be a duct cleaning. But, that’s probably not necessary — despite what you may hear from some less-than-honest contractors.
The truth is, you only need this service if you can visibly see a lot of buildup inside the ductwork or if you’re having an issue with mold or something like that. But, sometimes, we hear about people pushing this unnecessarily to make a quick buck.
So, start with cleaning out the vents. If you think you need more, give us a call. We’ll take a look and let you know if duct cleaning’s the way to go. If not, there are other options to consider.
Call for Annual Maintenance
Annual maintenance, or a tune-up, is an all-around good idea for your heating and cooling system. The general recommendation — and we agree with it — is to have two maintenance visits a year: One in the spring for your AC, and another in early fall for the heater.
There are plenty of benefits to this, which we cover here. We’ll also note that it’s not all that expensive, especially given what you get back from it. And it only takes an hour or so.
But, let’s focus on the topic at hand: Dust.
Part of a tune-up is cleaning out the furnace or central air condenser. In terms of heating in particular, a whole lot of dust and other particles can and will build up inside the unit.
However, you can sweep up around the system all you want. You can’t get inside and start tinkering with the fans and other components.
Instead, you can check off a few items at once with a simple maintenance call. Our techs inspect and clean dozens of checkpoints throughout the system. These optimize your system and help avoid you calling for furnace repair in the winter.
They’ll clear out any dust that’s just waiting to blow through your vents as soon as you turn on the heat. And, they’ll make sure your system is ready for the winter ahead.
Install an Air Purifier
We’ve saved the big guns for last: a robust, whole-home air purifier that works by attaches directly to your heating and cooling system and eradicates dust and microorganisms anywhere in the house.
Yes, they’re that powerful. They’re also a little more costly than, say, a new filter or a tune-up. But, if you’re especially worried about dust — or bacteria, mold, or viruses, and especially if you have health concerns — then a setup like this is certainly worth considering.
There are many types of air purifiers for you to choose from. We’ve had the most success with Kuna, ID homeowners by installing an AirScrubber by Aerus and a high-efficiency filter from AprilAire.
The AprilAire screen is way stronger than MERV 13. But, it’s safe to use on your home because this setup comes with an extra blower. So, it accounts for the extra air resistance.
Now, that traps the particles. What about getting rid of them?
That’s where the AirScrubber comes in. These use UV light to neutralize and eradicate all the junk that gets trapped in the filter.
So: Dust, dirt, germs, viruses, etc. flow into your HVAC system through the ductwork. It reaches the high-efficiency filter, where they get trapped. Then, a UV light shines on the filter and kills it all off.
You can also consider a humidifier or dehumidifier for the winter and summer, respectively. In particular, increasing humidity in the winter, during flu season, can make it harder for germs, bacteria, and viruses to spread.
Heating and Cooling (And Indoor Air Quality) In Kuna, ID
We’ve outlined quite a few options here. Some are free; others require a significant investment. To find out which are best for your home in Kuna, ID, call us here at Snowflake Air. As an established, reliable, and trusted heating and cooling company, we’ll assess your home’s specific needs and help you build the perfect strategy for you and your family.
