Indoor Air Quality Tips for Dry Winter Air

The air inside your home can become terrible during the winter months. When your heater runs constantly, it can deliver pollutants into the air. With the windows closed all season, bad air doesn’t have much chance to escape. It’s important to do what you can to keep your air as clean as possible in the winter.

With the right techniques and systems, you can experience high-quality air in every room during winter. Look at our tips for keeping your air quality high during the year’s coldest days.

Indoor Air Quality in the Winter

The quality of indoor air is commonly lower than that of outdoor air. A lot of dust and debris can enter your home and cause allergic reactions or serious respiratory issues. Just a few causes of low air quality in the winter include:

• Recirculated air: During the winter, your doors and windows are closed more often, leading to the same air being circulated all day. If there are pollutants in your air, they don’t have much chance to escape.
• Pet dander circulation: If you own a pet, their dander enters the air all the time. During the winter, this dander can circulate throughout the home easier than at any other time of year.
• Pollen and mold: If you have flowering plants in your home, pollen can enter your air and spread around whenever the HVAC system runs. If mold is present anywhere, the same can happen.
• Pollutants from heating units: Certain heating units, like wood stoves, emit pollutants into the air. These systems can cause issues for the air in your home during the winter months.
• Drier air: In the winter, you run your heating system more often, drying out the air throughout your home. This dry air allows for pollutants to fly more easily throughout the rooms.

Tips for Combatting Bad Indoor Air Quality

While air quality may suffer during the cold months, there are remedies to improve things. A few actions you can take to clean up your home’s air include:

• Installing air purifiers: An air purifier can pull in air and clean it up before returning it to the room. Single-room and whole-home units can provide clean air for a single or whole-house, respectively.
• Cleaning air ducts: The air duct system in your home can get clogged up with dust and debris after years of use without cleaning. A professional HVAC technician can clear the line, reducing the number of pollutants delivered into your home.
• Upgrading air filters: There are many different grades of air filters on the market. Installing new air filters more often during the winter and using a higher-grade filter can help clean your air.
• Adding a humidifier: Humidity levels are much lower inside a home during the winter. A whole-home humidifier can add moisture to the air, helping grab dust and other pollutants and making them easier to filter.

Tips for Combatting Dry Air in Your Home

A humidifier can be the best option if your air seems dry. BVSM Heating & Air Conditioning offers humidifier services throughout the Monaca area. These units add moisture to the air and help dampen pollutants so they can be filtered more easily.

Improving ventilation by opening all vents and occasionally opening windows can improve air quality. Ensure that any heating units are properly ventilating out of the house. Consider removing plants for the season to avoid pollen development.

These tips and systems can greatly improve the quality of your home’s air during the dry and cold winter months. For indoor air quality services in Monaca, turn to the team at BVSM. Call 724-417-9550 today to learn more.