How Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Allergies

August 03, 2017

While many people connect allergy symptoms with pollen, pollution and other irritants outside your home, your interior air quality can have a large impact on your symptoms. According to the EPA, “In the last few years, a rising body of scientific evidence has specified that the air within homes and other buildings can be more dangerously polluted than the outdoor air in even the biggest and most industrialized cities. Other research shows that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time within a home or building. Thus, for many people, the threats to health may be bigger due to more contact with air pollution indoors than outdoors.”

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

You should realize that your HVAC can be your ally or your foe when it comes to managing your allergies. A dirty system can collect and distribute allergens throughout your home, so the key is to keep your system functioning properly. Primarily, you must keep your air filters clean. Place 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 usually need to be changed every two or three months, but this can vary significantly from household to home. You can get filters that range from the most basic level of filtering to hospital-grade HEPA filters. The specialists at Gilray Heating and Cooling can help you establish which type of filter will keep your home healthy and keep your HVAC running efficiently.

It’s also important to have your system routinely serviced by a professional to keep your inside air quality where it should be. On top of checking that all-important filter, your service technician will clean the inner workings of your system and make sure that everything is running as it should. You can also ask your technician if a duct cleaning would be needed.

When it comes to your interior air quality, you can trust the specialists at Gilray Heating and Cooling to take good care of you. In addition to helping you keep your HVAC system maintained, we can help you know that 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 715-301-0727 to confirm that your home’s air is healthy and fresh.