A balanced diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep give you the basic recipe for a healthy lifestyle. However, even though those three factors have the biggest impact on your physical well-being, you have other considerations to worry about as well.
Those considerations include the air inside your home.
In the Seattle area, residents enjoy relatively healthy air. The region certainly has less pollution than other major metropolises, such as Los Angeles. However, the high humidity creates other problems for locals, and the air quality in their homes suffers as a result.
If you think the air quality inside your house could use some help, air conditioning may give you the answer. In this blog, we’ll explore the risks that moisture poses to your home, as well as ways your air conditioner cleans the oxygen to keep you healthy.
Humidity and Air Quality: What’s the Connection?
High moisture levels and warm temperatures play a normal part of King County summers. Together, these features create the ideal environment for mold and mildew. And these organisms grow even faster in dark environments, such as your toilet or cupboards, where nothing — not even airflow — can disturb them.
Mold and mildew reproduce via microscopic cells called spores that float through the air until they find another secluded, moist surface. A single mold colony can create millions of spores at a time, depending on the species.
While these tiny cells might not seem like a big deal, they do spell trouble for your sinuses. Even the most innocuous mold species can cause irritating allergic reactions. Other species, like black mold, produce toxins that lead to more serious health problems, such as poisoning.
To keep the mold and mildew under control, you have to reduce the heat and humidity inside your home. An air conditioner takes care of this task for you. When you install an air conditioner from your home, you decrease air contaminants and moisture that cause irritating allergy symptoms. How Air Conditioning Keeps Your Family Healthy.
Ways Air Conditioners Control Humidity
You already know how your A/C tackles the heat. You wouldn’t own an air conditioner otherwise. But you may not have realized that this appliance also lowers the moisture levels in your house.
AC helps eliminates moisture by reducing the temperature. Cold air can’t hold as much moisture as warm air. Additionally, the breeze dries any extra humidity, and the A/C’s filter keeps most water outside.
As a result, you can keep Seattle’s wet weather at bay and control the mold growth in your home. You won’t experience as many allergy symptoms, and you won’t have to spend as much time scrubbing away mildew colonies either.
Other Ways Your Air Conditioner Cleans Your Air
As mentioned above, your A/C (if you have a modern model) has a filter on it. That filter keeps toxins out of the air that enters your home. These toxins include mold spores, pollen, dust mites, bacteria, and other biological contaminants. The filter also traps chemical pollutants, such as car exhaust and pesticides. However, keep in mind that the A/C only catches the contaminants that pass directly through the filter. When you open a door or a window, pollutants can freely enter your home through that opening.
So if you want to ensure your house’s air stays clean, you’ll have to perform regular maintenance. How Air Conditioning Keeps Your Family Healthy.
Cleanings and Other Maintenance Considerations
Your air conditioner needs a little help if you want to keep your oxygen supply unpolluted. At least once a year, set aside time for these two tasks.
1. Filter Cleaning or Replacement
Your filter traps debris, and that debris will clog the material over time. Those clogs could break away from your filter and contaminate your air. Replace or clean the filter each spring before you turn on your A/C for the first time.
If you don’t know how to scour your existing filter or install a new one, call your HVAC representatives to do it for you.
2. Duct and Vent Cleaning
When contaminants sneak into your home, they accumulate in places like your ductwork. The pollutants then blow freely around your home every time you use your HVAC system, and your allergy symptoms worsen as a result.
Breathe easy and keep your air clean by scheduling duct maintenance with your HVAC professionals. They have the tools to reach deep into your ductwork and scour every contaminant.
Keep in mind that the annual rule only applies to duct cleaning if you have a small family. If you have a large family or multiple pets, schedule service twice a year or once every season. How Air Conditioning Keeps Your Family Healthy.
Air Conditioners vs. Dehumidifiers
The average homeowner can get by with just an air conditioner. However, if you have severe moisture problems in your house, you may need a dehumidifier to keep the mold under control.
Contact your preferred HVAC experts to test your indoor air. They can direct you toward the best way to keep your oxygen free of mold and chemicals.
Air conditioners do more than just cool your home; they keep you and your family healthy as well.
Make sure your A/C stays in peak condition so you can reap the benefits outlined above. How Air Conditioning Keeps Your Family Healthy.