When you’re looking for a reprieve from the summer heat, it’s nice to come home to a cool home. However, the cool indoor temperature isn’t enough. It’s important to maintain clean air as well. Consider some of the best ways you can maintain optimal indoor air quality this summer in Glendale, AZ.
1. Keep Pets Clean and Groomed
It’s often stated that a dog is a man’s best friend. However, if you don’t clean up after your dog (or any other pet), it’ll play a role in the decline of your home’s air quality. As pets move throughout your home, they naturally release fur. Tiny particles of pet dander can build up over time. When you take dogs for walks daily, they’ll naturally pick up dirt and debris from outside. As they move throughout the home, they’ll carry those germs inside.
To regain a sense of order and cleanliness, start by keeping your pet well-groomed. Make sure they’re bathed on a schedule that’s best for their overall hygiene and health. Routine grooming is essential to keeping them as clean as possible. If you’re walking a dog each day, wipe their paws before allowing them back inside. Use a microfiber cloth to gently wipe down the bottoms of your dog’s paws.
Consider keeping certain areas off-limits for your pets. You might decide to keep them on certain floors of the house to limit their ability to leave pet dander everywhere. Bedrooms are great places to designate as no-pet zones.
2. Remember Your Air Filter Changes
When you’re ready to turn on the AC and feel that cool sensation throughout the home, the cold air goes through your air filters. If those air filters aren’t clean, the dirt from the air filters gets dispersed through the home as well. This is the main reason why it’s essential to remain current with your air filter changes.
Typically, many manufacturers encourage an air filter change once every 90 days. This equates to once every three months. If you’re focused solely on the summertime, you’ll only need to change your air filters once. To make it easy on yourself, use the first day of summer as the indicator that it’s time to make the air filter swap.
There is one exception to the rule of a 90-day swap. If you have pets or anyone in your home who suffers from allergies, it’s best to change the air filters more often. Depending on the severity, changing the air filters once a month can do wonders for your home as it will reduce the spread of allergens.
3. Prioritize Proper Ventilation
During the summer months, get creative with your ventilation process. Become strategically creative because you don’t want the AC to escape outdoors or the bugs and excess humidity to come indoors. To get fresh air circulating consistently, consider implementing a passive cooling strategy.
Start by turning off the air conditioning unit. Then, place a few fans near the windows of your home. Take advantage of the cooler temperatures in the early morning hours before the sun comes up. Go throughout the home and open the windows. As you leave the windows open, turn on the fans. Allow the fans to run for at least an hour or two. To reduce the chances of introducing warm outdoor air into the mix, close the windows by 8:30 a.m. Even though you’ve closed the windows, keep the fans running.
Leave the fans running to continue the air circulation at the same cool temperature. This keeps the home cooler for much longer without the help of the air conditioning unit. By implementing this strategy a few consecutive days each week, you’ll introduce fresh air while potentially reducing your energy output each billing cycle.
4. Eliminate Indoor Smoking
It doesn’t matter if you like vaping or smoking — both are terrible for your indoor air quality. Ultimately, it’s best to drop the habit because it can have harmful effects on the lungs, brain and entire body. It’s even worse when you live with non-smokers because you’re putting their health in danger. Second-hand smoke inhalation is extremely detrimental when the exposure happens for a long period in living quarters. Even if you keep your home immaculate and tidy, indoor smoking cancels it out. The odor and particles stick to walls, surfaces and your air filters.
However, if you must engage in this habit, do it away from your home. Even when you’re ready to smoke outside, it’s better to make the distinction between areas where it’s okay to smoke or not. Avoid smoking near the windows, doors and gutters of your home. Smoke travels, and it’ll get through any entryway that’s too close.
5. Maintain Cleanliness
Clutter is known to have negative effects on your physical and mental health. To regain mental clarity, increase your productivity and maintain a higher quality of indoor air and stick to a cleaning schedule.
When you head to your mailbox to gather that new stack of mail, sort through it immediately and throw the junk mail away. Don’t allow items to pile up. Make sure every item in your home has an assigned location. If you don’t have a place to put certain items, find a place or throw the item away. Don’t allow the dust to settle by maintaining a strict cleaning routine.
Granted, you don’t need to do it all in one day. Instead, break up the chores into daily tasks. Do certain tasks, like cleaning down tabletops, countertops and kitchen floors, daily. If you have carpet and rugs, you’ll want to clean those at least twice a week. Tackle bathtubs and toilets on the same day you sweep the bathroom floors. By doing these routine cleanliness check-ins, it’s much easier to maintain a clean home. Cleanliness can do wonders for maintaining your indoor air quality as you’ll reduce the buildup of pet dander, debris and allergens.
6. Monitor Your Home’s Humidity
Humidity can have a positive or negative impact on your air quality. The key is to get the levels between 30% and 50%. To monitor your home’s humidity levels, there are a few key tools to invest in. Start by purchasing a hygrometer. A hygrometer measures how much humidity is in the air. If you have too much humidity, your next helpful tool is a dehumidifier. If you don’t have enough humidity, invest in a humidifier to bring moisture into the air. Humidifiers make it easier to breathe. They’re also excellent for your physical health. If you’re in a profession that requires a lot of talking, such as teaching or vocal performance, it’s not a bad idea to sleep with a humidifier running next to your bed.
Call Us for Professional Assistance
Even if you strictly adhere to these tips, professional expertise is paramount. A trained eye can detect issues with the HVAC system before they become costly repairs. Plus, it’s better to invest in scheduled maintenance to ensure comfort when you’re at home. Prioritize HVAC inspections on an annual basis to make sure your HVAC system operates smoothly. Our team at Christian Brothers Air Conditioning Plumbing Electrical is well-versed in AC repair, installation and maintenance services to keep you cool all summer in Glendale, AZ. We offer services related to ductless mini-split systems, plumbing and electrical systems as well. If you’re struggling with your home’s indoor air quality, we also provide one-on-one indoor air quality consultations. For more information on how we can serve you, contact us today!
