Spring is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. Take this opportunity, three months into the new year, to evaluate your home and see what changes need to be made. We always recommend beginning by participating in that famous “spring cleaning” trend. IT will be sure to reset your home and the way you feel in it.
Make these areas a top priority when cleaning your home:
Clean Your Air
Even pre-pandemic, the average person spent 90 percent of their day indoors, and with air that is up to 5 times more polluted than the air outside. Now that we’ve been relegated to spending 100 percent of our time at home, it has become even more important to take care of our indoor air quality.
There are several steps you can take to improve the quality of air inside your home.
- Change the air filters. Depending on a few factors, you may or may not have to change your filters more frequently, but the general rule of thumb is that you should change your air filters every 90 days. If you have little kids, pets, anyone who smokes, or anyone with respiratory problems, then change your filters every 30 days.
- Clean your air ducts. If you don’t have a mini-split air conditioning system, then you have air ducts running throughout your home. These air ducts are responsible for transporting temperature-controlled air from the HVAC unit to the rest of the house. Unfortunately, these ducts are also a great place for dirt, dust, allergens, dander, and other contaminants to collect. Once they’ve collected there, they are typically redistributed throughout the rest of the house. As you can imagine, this can cause a lot of problems, especially for those with allergies or respiratory problems.
Luckily, there’s always duct cleaning! Throughout this process, a team of experts will clean out your air ducts of all pathogens and take steps to prevent them from getting dirty again - at least in the near future. We also offer sanitization, which will go a step further and disinfect and remove mold from air ducts.
- Install an air purification system. There are several different types of air purification systems to choose from, and they range from portable localized systems to whole-house systems. The pierce ranges also vary greatly, so do your research before making the purchase.
Clean Your HVAC
Yes, your HVAC unit needs to be cleaned. Outside of the air ducts and air filters, you’ll also need to pay attention to the condenser unit. This is the part of your HVAC that is typically located outdoors. We recommend keeping a two-foot radius around it at all times so that it remains clear of dirt, dust, leaves, branches, and other debris. If it does get dirty, this will lower the efficiency of your system and cause your energy bills to increase.
You’ll also want to watch out for the evaporator and condenser coils. When these get coated with dust, they have a harder time absorbing heat from the surrounding air, causing your AC to work harder to cool your home, which will once again cause your energy bills to rise.
Clean Your Water
Do you have a water softener installed at your home? How about a water filtration system? If you have neither, it’s time to consider making the upgrade. Most homes in the US have hard water to some degree which leads to pesky water stains, faded laundry, dry hair and skin, and limescale building on plumbing fixtures. The best fix for eliminating these problems is to eliminate the minerals in your water that cause them.
If you’re ready to begin your spring cleaning, give us a call for assistance! You can reach us by phone at (724) 241-8698 or through our website for more information.