Many people don’t give their indoor air quality a second thought. But when you live in the Silicon Valley and run your air conditioner frequently, it is something you should be thinking about. Most people are concerned more about the effects of outdoor pollutants rather than the indoor air contaminants that are circulated throughout your home — especially when the air conditioner is running and the house is closed up.

Unwanted contaminants like bacteria, viruses, pollen and dust can have a negative impact on your family’s health. Fortunately, there are three simple steps you can take to help improve your indoor air quality:

1. Reduce pollutants at the source: Indoor air pollution is caused by factors such as: bringing outdoor pollutants inside; pets; smoke; appliances; and carpets. Although not all indoor air pollutants can be prevented, you can reduce them by taking shoes and jackets off when you come inside, regularly vacuuming, and having combustion appliances inspected for proper operation.
2. Ventilate for fresh air: Removing stale, contaminated air and bringing clean, fresh air into your home is an important component of maintaining good indoor air quality. Open your windows to bring in fresh air on mild days, and use the exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom to remove old air and bring in clean air.
3. Use an air cleaner: For the air contaminants that simply cannot be avoided, use a whole-house air cleaner to remove them. Integrated into your existing home comfort system, a whole-house air cleaner will efficiently circulate fresh air to every room in your home. There are different types of air cleaners that use filters, UV lights and ventilation systems to remove unwanted contaminants.

If you’d like to know more about improving your home’s indoor air quality, contact us at Valley Heating, Cooling and Electrical. Or just give us a call at 408-294-6290.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Valley Heating, Cooling & Electrical services the South Bay Peninsula and Santa Cruz areas in California.  Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!