How Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Allergies

August 03, 2017

While many people associate allergy symptoms with pollen, pollution and other irritants outside your home, your indoor air quality can have a large impact on your symptoms. According to the EPA, “In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more dangerously polluted than the outside air in even the greatest and most industrialized cities. Other research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Therefore, for a lot of people, the threats to health may be bigger due to more contact with air pollution indoors than outdoors.”

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

You should know that your HVAC can be your ally or your worst enemy when it comes to controlling your allergies. A dirty system can collect and spread allergens all over your home, so the solution is to keep your system operating well. Primarily, you must keep your air filters clean. Set a reminder or indicate it on your calendar to look at them monthly and exchange them out when you see that they’re becoming dirty. They’ll typically need to be exchanged every two or three months, but this can differ considerably from home to house. You can find filters that span from the most straightforward level of filtering to hospital-grade HEPA filters. The experts at J.L. Brady Company LLC can help you decide which type of filter will keep your home healthy and keep your HVAC running properly.

It’s also vital to have your system routinely maintained by an expert to keep your inside air quality where it should be. In addition to checking that essential filter, your service expert will clean the central workings of your system and ensure that everything is running as it should. You can also ask your specialist if a duct cleaning would be needed.

When it comes to your indoor air quality, you can rely on the experts at J.L. Brady Company LLC to take good care of you. Besides 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 309-517-7511 to certify that your home’s air is healthy and clean.