Originally published in June 2017, updated in March 2020.
When you think about air pollution, your mind might jump to smog and outdoor pollution in Savannah, Georgia, that makes it hard to breathe. It may come as a surprise that the air within your home and office building is often as much as five times more polluted than the air outside. The indoor air quality (IAQ) you breathe can impact your overall health and wellness, so it’s important to keep up with regular maintenance.
Worsening Health Symptoms
If you suffer from allergies, you may notice that your symptoms are worse when you’re at home or work than they are when you’re outside. Pollen and other contaminants can come in when you have the windows open. As the heating and cooling system circulates air, those allergens may move throughout the rooms in your home, causing you to breathe them in and experience symptoms like congestion, sore throats, and headaches. Track your symptoms to see if they’re worse when you’re in your residential or office building. If so, it’s time to schedule a duct cleaning service.
Existing breathing conditions, like asthma and COPD, can also become worse when you breathe polluted air. With the increasing number of cases of asthma in children and adults across the U.S., it’s critical to maintain good air quality to avoid attacks and other issues. The American Heart Association also links poor IAQ to serious health problems like lung cancer and heart disease.
How to Protect Yourself
The best way to combat poor IAQ is to bring in a professional to perform regular air duct cleaning. During this service, your HVAC technician will use a vacuum to remove contaminants and allergens from the ducts. They can also use sanitizing spray to kill mold spores, which can cause more serious allergic reactions. Your technician may also examine the various components within your furnace to make sure everything is working properly.
Install a PERFORMANCE™ Ultraviolet Germicidal UV Light
The indoor portion of your HVAC system contains the indoor coil. This is the part of the system that helps cool your home. The coils and its drain pan tend to stay damp which is a perfect home for biologic growth and bacteria. These organisms affect efficiency, reduce airflow and can become airborne. UV lamps from Carrier contain a UV light which kills these organisms, stopping them in their tracks. UV lights keep your indoor air cleaner and healthier, and keeps your system running efficiently.
Schedule your air duct cleaning and start enjoying the benefits of improved air quality or give us a call if you’re interested in more information about installing a UV light.
Image provided by Shutterstock
