Allergy symptoms can include headaches, itchy eyes, a scratchy throat, sneezing, and coughing. Outdoor allergens like pollen and pollution can exacerbate these symptoms. Indoor conditions are often worse in Sterling, VA homes due to exposure to dust, dust mites, mold spores, pet dander, and more. If you or someone in your home suffers from allergies or asthma, there are several things you can do to reduce the symptoms. This includes the use of a whole-home air filtration device.
What Is Whole-Home Air Filtration?
The air inside your Sterling home can be affected by several contaminants. Particulate matter enters your sinuses and body, causing irritation if you’re prone to allergy symptoms. In addition to pollen, dust, and mold spores, volatile organic compounds may also be an issue. VOCs come from things like building materials, chemical-based cleaning products, beauty products, air fresheners, scented candles, and much more. VOCs have a negative impact on your health, causing allergy issues and other symptoms like headaches and fatigue.
An air filtration device is equipped with one or more filters that will remove particulate matter from the air that is circulating throughout your home. There are different types of filtration available. Some remove very fine particulate matter that is as small as 0.3 microns in size. In many cases, whole-house filtration can remove almost all the contaminants from the indoor air.
What Options Are Available?
You’re likely familiar with the portable purifiers and filtration devices that you can move from one room to another based on your indoor air quality needs. Whole-house filtration is more convenient and effective. It addresses the indoor air quality on an entire residential structure. All the air that’s coming out of your vents and into your living spaces will be much cleaner and healthier. There’s no need to move a bulky unit around. Maintenance is much simpler as well.
High-efficiency particulate air filtration, or HEPA for short, is effective at removing 99.97% of indoor air pollutants. These filters need to be removed and replaced periodically. HEPA filters can be combined with other forms of purification and filtration.
Activated carbon filters are extremely effective at removing volatile organic compounds and odors from your indoor air. These filters are often combined with HEPA filters or other types of filters.
Electrostatic filtration removes particulate matter from your indoor air by charging particles and trapping them on oppositely charged collection plates. These plates should be removed periodically, cleaned, and replaced. This is a cost-effective whole-house filtration option that is very effective at reducing allergy symptoms.
It’s likely that you’re using some form of media filter in your HVAC system. Whole-house filtration works alongside these standard filters to remove particles from your indoor air. Unfortunately, AC and furnace filters on their own don’t remove enough particulates in most cases, especially if you’re someone who suffers from allergies.
Whole-House Filtration Maintenance
It’s important that you keep up with the routine maintenance of your whole-house filtration system. This ensures that your equipment is effectively removing any contaminants that could conceivably cause you a problem with your allergies. When your equipment is installed, our team will educate you on how often you should be changing the filters in your system. We can also talk to you about the different types of filters that are available and which you should use based on your symptoms and air quality needs.
It’s highly advised to schedule routine maintenance for your both your HVAC system and filtration equipment. During these appointments, our team will look at all the interior components of your setup and clean them. This provides us with an opportunity to catch any problems before they become more involved or serious. If necessary, we can make repairs.
We can also provide you with follow-up indoor air quality testing to ensure that your whole-home filtration system is handling your indoor air quality properly. There may be a need for additional improvements, such as the installation of a whole-house humidifier or dehumidifier.
Other Methods of Improving Indoor Air Quality
In addition to whole-house air filtration, there are other improvements that can be made to your home’s HVAC system to decrease allergies. Humidity is something that can affect allergies. If the air inside your home is too humid, this can increase your exposure risk to mold spores and allergens. A whole-house dehumidifier can bring moisture levels back down to an acceptable level. If your home is too dry, you can add moisture using a whole-house humidifier. Ideally, relative humidity should be kept between 35% and 55% throughout the year in Sterling. Your needs may change depending on the season and the weather. You can utilize both types of equipment in your home, using your thermostat to switch between the two units.
Ventilation is something that is very important for reducing allergy symptoms. If the air inside your home is stale and stagnant, this can increase your exposure to allergenic particulate matter. Removing indoor air and exchanging it with fresh air from the outside can be done in a few different ways. Exhaust fans are commonly installed in homes in the Sterling area. These fans are usually in your bathrooms and kitchen. You should run your exhaust fans while showering to remove moisture from the air. Your kitchen exhaust fan will help to remove cooking odors and fumes. If you feel like ventilation is a concern in your home, there are other types of exhaust fans that can be installed in areas such as your attic. This healthy exchange of air can help reduce your allergy symptoms and improve your indoor air quality.
Routine maintenance for your HVAC system can also improve your indoor air quality. Our team will inspect various parts of your heating and cooling equipment, in addition to any air filtration equipment that you’re using. We will clean interior components to boost efficiency. We can also inspect your ductwork to ensure that particles and pests aren’t entering your circulating air through gaps and cracks. This service should be scheduled once per year. This can also prevent issues from occurring with your HVAC system that could leave you without use of your heating or air conditioning functions, in addition to your air filtration processes. Our professionals can perform an indoor air quality assessment to determine the current state of your indoor air.
Professional Assistance for Your Air Filtration Needs
If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of a whole-house air filtration system for your Sterling home, reach out to our experts at Meade’s Heating and Air. We can provide you with an indoor air quality assessment to see what kind of contaminants may be worsening your allergies. This allows us to make a recommendation for a whole-house unit, as well as other possible improvements.
Our team also assists with the installation, maintenance, and repair of heating and cooling equipment. Besides that, we can install and service zoning systems, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, water heaters, gas lines, and much more. Contact us at Meade’s Heating and Air today to schedule an appointment anywhere in the Sterling area.
