If someone in your Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, home, suffers from asthma, then you will want to make sure your indoor air quality is clean to help reduce asthma symptoms. Dirt and dust, along with pollutants and contaminants from outside air, can trigger asthma symptoms and even an asthma attack. There are several strategies that you can use to reduce the likelihood of your loved one experiencing asthma symptoms and attacks. By keeping your home clean, running your air conditioner, and installing whole-home purification systems, you can help to reduce asthma symptoms.
Asthma Symptoms Can Be Triggered by Poor Indoor Air
Asthma is one of the leading causes of chronic illness in children today and is a serious respiratory illness that can be life-threatening, often leading to a visit to the doctor or emergency room. There are many compounds that can trigger an attack, such as outdoor pollutants, pet dander, smoke, and dust particles.
When someone who suffers from asthma is exposed to these compounds, their airway becomes restricted, and they begin to wheeze, cough, and have difficulty breathing. Mucus buildup in the airway further restricts normal breathing. Due to the severity and seriousness of asthma, keeping your home clean of triggers is essential.
How Running the Air Conditioner Can Reduce Asthma Symptoms
Many of the triggers for asthma symptoms come from dirty outside air that has been brought in by having your doors and windows open. While it may be refreshing to have outside air coming in, if there is pollen or dust blowing, this can be devastating to someone with asthma. Keep the doors and windows closed tightly, and run the air conditioner if there is smoke, dust, pollen, and other pollutants in the outside air.
The air conditioner recirculates indoor air and that air must go through a filtration system before it is circulated through the ductwork. If you have kept your home clean of dirt and dust, the air coming from the air conditioner will be much cleaner and easier to breathe than outside air.
Add Improved Filtration to Reduce Symptoms
Excellent air filtration is one of the keys to keeping your home clean, so always make sure that the filters in your air conditioner are cleaned or replaced on a regular basis. In addition, consider having our experts at McDevitt Air install indoor air quality products to help improve your indoor air quality. When looking for home filtration systems, you want to make sure that the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) ratings are a high number. The higher the number, the better they are at trapping small particulate matter that can trigger asthma symptoms.
A product that McDevitt Air carries is an Infinity Air Purifier GAPA that traps harmful pathogens found in dust and pollution particulates. Once these dangerous particulates are captured, the GAPA Air Purifier sends an electrical charge through the filter to kill the harmful pathogens.
This air purifier works inline with your existing HVAC system to create a whole home purification system. Your home will stay cleaner with decreased levels of dust and dirt coming through, and your family will have healthier indoor air which can help reduce asthma symptoms and attacks.
Keep Your Air Conditioner Maintained to Reduce Symptoms
Because your air conditioner is vitally important in keeping asthma symptoms at bay, it is imperative that you keep the system well-maintained. Replace or clean the air filters on a monthly basis, and be sure to have your air conditioning system serviced regularly.
Investing in a maintenance agreement can help to ensure that your air conditioner is inspected, cleaned, and kept in tip-top-shape year round. As the air from your HVAC system runs through ductwork throughout your home, be sure to have it inspected and cleaned at least twice per year. If the ductwork is leaking or is filled with dust and gunk, dirtier air will be blown about the house, which can trigger those asthma symptoms.
By running your air conditioner, installing a whole home purification system, and keeping your home clean, you should be able to reduce asthma symptoms in your home. To discuss having your indoor air quality improved, and to make an appointment to have your HVAC system serviced, call the experts at McDevitt Air today at 877-692-9402.
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