How Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Allergies

August 03, 2017

While many people connect allergy symptoms with pollen, pollution and other irritants in the air outside your home, your internal air quality can have a huge impact on your symptoms. According to the EPA, “In the last couple of years, a increasing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air inside homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outside air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Other research says that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time inside. Thus, for many people, the dangers to health may be greater due to more interaction with air pollution indoors than outdoors.”

Our Hodgenville homes are full of outdoor allergens like pollen that force their way in out homes, and by irritants like pet dander, dust mites, mold spores, chemicals from everyday household cleaners and more. So, what can you do about it? The key is already in your home! It’s your HVAC system.

You should understand that your HVAC can be your supporter or your nemesis when it comes to controlling your allergies. A dirty system can collect and distribute allergens around your home, so the answer is to keep your system functioning properly. Above all, you have to keep your air filters clean. Set a reminder or indicate it on your calendar to check them monthly and exchange them out when you see that they’re fairly dirty. They’ll typically need to be changed every two or three months, but this can differ considerably from house to home. You can find filters that vary from the most straightforward level of filtering to hospital-grade HEPA filters. The experts at Phelps Heating & Cooling can help you establish which kind of filter will keep your home clean and keep your HVAC running efficiently.

It’s also important to have your system habitually maintained by an expert to keep your indoor air quality where it should be. As well as checking that all-important filter, your service specialist will clean the internal workings of your system and guarantee that everything is running as it should. You can also ask your professional if a duct cleaning would be helpful.

When it comes to your interior air quality, you can trust the specialists at Phelps Heating & Cooling to take good care of you. On top of helping you keep your HVAC system up-to-date, we can help you make sure you have the tools you need to take on poor indoor air quality and allergens—like humidifiers and whole home air purifiers. Just give us a call at 270-358-3167 to confirm that your home’s air is healthy and clean.