Take a deep breath. We hear that all the time, usually when someone is trying to get us to calm down. And it usually works. In fact, according to a number of research studies, the simple act of breathing deeply can not only help relieve stress but lower blood pressure and improve digestion as well.
However, if the air you are breathing in isn’t as clean as it could be, those deep breaths may also do more harm than you realize. And the fact is that in many homes the indoor air quality just simply isn’t very good.
Some very basic things you can do to improve the overall air quality in your home include making use of natural, chemical free air fresheners, opening the windows (when the weather permits) to circulate fresh air into the home and implementing a no shoe rule, to avoid dragging in dust and dirt that dirty the air as well as your carpets.
Going a little further there are other measures that can be taken to clean up the air in your home and make sure it’s as fresh, invigorating, and free of harmful allergens as possible.
Consider a Duct-Mounted Air Cleaner
The Air Scrubber Plus by Aerus substantially reduces odors, visible smoke in the air, and microbial populations on surfaces, utilizing the patent pending ActivePure Technology. ActivePure consists of a special UV light and photocatalyst target, creating an Advanced Oxidation Process containing several friendly oxidizers. Certified Space Technology continuously protects and purifies the air, and attacks contaminants on all surfaces. This is a great in-home air cleaner for Kansas City homes due to the pollens in the air from trees & plants in our region.
Consider Radiant Floor Heating
Radiant floor heating is, as its name suggests, is installed beneath the floors of your home and consists of panels that contain either warming electric or water-carrying pipes. It’s as efficient as other heating systems but as it is not physically present in the room it is not spewing out dust or airborne allergies as some other systems do.
For homeowners with asthma or other respiratory conditions, the benefits can be even greater. Unlike forced hot air systems that can dry the air and blow around allergens and baseboard heaters that can harbor dust in hard-to-clean areas, radiant heating is as clean as you keep your floors.
Go Green
We have already mentioned that switching to natural air fresheners can help improve air quality but that is not what we mean here. What we are referring to here is going green by heading to the local garden center and buying some greenery take, science (and even NASA) agree not only look attractive but help clean the air as well.
Some of the best of these plants include Aloe Vera, which is very good at absorbing the formaldehyde found in some plywoods, carpeting, and furniture as well as in certain cleaning products, and a bamboo palm, which has natural antibacterial properties and efficiently eliminates benzene, which is used in the manufacturing of plastics.
Better still these plants are incredibly hardy and won’t wither and die if you forget to water them as often as you should, which means even the gardening impaired can make use of them to clean up the air in their home.
Move Up to a HEPA
HEPA – high-efficiency particulate absorption – filters offer a number of benefits to homeowners over the standard filters used in air conditioners and other HVAC systems.
The air in your home – and you and your family – can benefit from the power of these fine-mesh filters in several ways. If you have a forced-air furnace system, they will help clean the air that comes out of your heating vents. The same is true for central air conditioning systems.
You should also look for a vacuum that has a HEPA filter, because it prevents the dust sucked up by the vacuum from escaping back into the air through the exhaust. Finally, an air filter placed in the rooms you use the most, like the bedroom or living room, can keep the air fresh and allergen-free for longer and make being indoors at any time of year a healthier experience.
Give us a call today to discuss putting a duct-mounted air cleaner in your home – 816-436-1000!
