Have you ever spent a day cleaning, only to find that your house is dusty a few days later? Dusting is a thankless job, and what’s worse, it seems like it needs to be done constantly.
You can’t eliminate dusting from your to-do list completely, but you can get your HVAC system to help you cut back on the dust and keep your home cleaner. Here’s how.
After being cooped up over a long winter, most of us are thrilled to open windows and get some fresh air flowing in our homes. Unfortunately, that also means letting in dust and allergens that can have you sneezing and congested, instead of enjoying the new season.
Cleaning only helps so much, so if you want to keep your home squeaky clean, find out how you can get your HVAC system to reduce your home dust.
What Causes Home Dust?
No matter how often you clean, you will notice that dust still comes around and ends up on your floor, tables, furniture, and everywhere else. You can dust, but it’ll still come back.
If you use your HVAC system to help, you can cut back on the regular dusting and enjoy a cleaner home.
How to Reduce Home Dust
Your HVAC system can take on some of the work of keeping your home dust-free. Here’s what you can do:
Replace Your Air Filters
Your HVAC filter is designed to filter the air and keep it free from dust and dirt particles. It catches some of these particles coming in, keeping them from ending up on your floors and surfaces.
Still, over time, your filter will accumulate dust on its own. If you don’t replace it regularly, you’ll just put all that dust back into the air. When you’re replacing your filter, you may want to consider getting a better quality filter.
All air filters are classified by MERV ratings. Filters with a MERV rating below 4 are enough for the average home, but if you have allergies, respiratory conditions, or pets, you may need a higher rating.
Higher isn’t always better, however. MERV ratings go up over 13 and clear virtually everything from the air, but they’re typically used in specialized settings like hospitals or pharmacies. It’s best to get an air filter between 4 and 13 to keep your home cleaner.
Use the HVAC Fan While Cleaning
Air filters are good at removing the dust and dirt that’s in your home’s air, but that doesn’t help you remove it from your surfaces.
When you clean, you’re sending dust and dirt flying into the air while you wipe down surfaces and sweep your floors. This can all go into the air filter, rather than falling back down to undo your work.
Inspect Your Air Ducts
Aside from the dust you can see, there’s plenty that’s inside your air ducts. Left alone, this dust will build up and add wear and tear to your HVAC system, not to mention that it all gets sent back into your home when your system is running.
You should have your ducts cleaned regularly to keep up with this dust. As part of regular HVAC maintenance, air duct cleaning ensures that you don’t have a buildup of dust and dirt that harms your HVAC system’s efficiency.
Clean Air Vent Registers
As your HVAC system runs, dust comes into the ducts or gets blown back into your home, but a lot of it gets stuck in the vent registers. The nooks and crannies are the perfect place for dust to end up. Fortunately, you can minimize this buildup by wiping down your air vents every week or two.
Install an Electric Air Cleaner
If you want to ensure that a minimal amount of dust goes into your home, invest in an electric air cleaner. This component attaches to your HVAC system to filter out microscopic particles from the air using electrostatic energy. The dust and dirt are drawn in, including microscopic pollutants like viruses, mold, and bacteria.
If you have allergies or other respiratory conditions, an electric air cleaner is a good choice to keep your home as clean as possible.
If you want to take an extra step to reduce dust in your home, you can invest in an electric air cleaner. This is a component that can be added to your HVAC system that filters out microscopic particles from the air.
Book a Routine HVAC Inspection and Tune Up
Your HVAC system is a major part of keeping your home comfortable in cold or hot weather. It’s also complex and has many components that can be damaged, especially after a long season. Routine HVAC maintenance is important for keeping your system running its best and promoting healthy indoor air quality.
Looking to improve your indoor air quality? Contact us at Sierra Air!
