The spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) elevates the significance of cleaning, decontamination, and indoor air quality. In the midst of a challenging time to understand the implications of a fast-spreading virus, it’s important to know what you can do to improve your indoor air quality now and how to maintain a healthy environment in the future.
We know you can’t combat a worldwide pandemic by improving your indoor air quality. The focus is to do what you can to create an environment of purified air and reduce your risk of becoming ill due to contaminated indoor air.
Why Indoor Air Quality Matters
A study from the Environmental Protection Agency reports that indoor pollutants can be 2 to 5 times greater indoors compared to outdoors. To add to that, they also state that the typical American spends 90% of their time inside. Whether you spend that much time indoors or not, it’s a good idea to be sure the air you’re breathing is as clean as possible.
Poor air quality can be problematic for anyone, especially those with or who are more susceptible to respiratory issues, allergies, asthma or other health complications. Even if you don’t have existing health concerns, you are putting yourself at risk by not maintaining adequate indoor air quality.
What Causes Poor Air Quality
Air quality is compromised by pollutants that come from combustion, cleaning supplies, insecticides, paint, chemical products, and more. Mold, pet dander, radon, dust, dirt, and other naturally occurring substances also contribute to jeopardizing air quality.
As more pollutants are introduced to a space, the worse the quality of the air becomes. As you breathe in that contaminated air (roughly 17,000 – 23,000 breaths per day!), you are elevating your risk for health issues.
How To Improve Indoor Air Quality
While there are many factors that can not be controlled, there are ways to clean the air within your home.
Change Your Air Filter
The first step to increasing your indoor air quality should be to replace your air filter. All air that is circulated throughout your home must pass through your air filter. A dirty filter will be full of allergens, dust, dirt, pollen, and other debris.
The whole point of an air filter is to capture these molecules and promote clean air. When an air filter becomes clogged and dirty it has done its job and needs to call for backup. Air filters have a lifespan of 1-3 months, depending on your system and home environment. Don’t sacrifice your health because of a dirty air filter. Replace it to be sure your heating and cooling system is not distributing dirty air.
Keep Your Ducts Clean
Once the air passes through the filter, it travels through the ductwork before being pushed out of the vents and into your living spaces. Since your ducts are hidden in the walls of your home, it is difficult to know just how dirty they are. While air filters act as a wall to decrease pollutants, they are not intended to be a brick wall. Some dirt, danger, and dust will pass through the filter and linger in the ductwork.
We recommend having your ducts cleaned every 3-5 years to eliminate trapped dust and allergens. Don’t worry, you don’t have to try to figure this out on your own. We offer duct cleaning in our wide range of indoor air quality services.
Have A REME Air Purifier Installed
A more regular air purification method can be accomplished by adding a REME Halo Ionized Hydro-Peroxide Air Purifier to your heating and cooling system.
Adding a REME Halo is not as complicated as its name implies. Simply put, this is an air purification system. The REME Halo is a brand and model of an air purifier. The “ionized hydro-peroxide” refers to the technology which assists in breaking down and destroying air-quality contaminants. Additionally, the REME Halo will introduce a charge to the air that is circulated from your heating and cooling system, causing the contaminants to stick together, making it easier to capture the particles.
The REME Halo air purifier is effective in reducing the risk of the H1N1 virus, the Norwalk virus, and MRSA bacteria. It has the ability to eliminate up to 99% of bacteria, mold, and viruses. The REME Halo has not yet been tested against COVID-19. You will also see a reduction in pollen, dander, and allergens.
The REME Halo system can be easily integrated with your existing HVAC system and will operate silently.
Improve Indoor Air Quality With Cyclone Contracting
To be clear, implementing these changes now will not eliminate the spread of a highly contagious or novel virus, such as COVID-19. We intend to keep you educated and help provide the best air cleaning solutions available to enhance indoor air quality and, ultimately, your health.
Contact us online or give us a call to schedule a consultation or ask questions about indoor air quality. We have a team of certified professionals who have been working to keep families healthy for over 20 years. We look forward to helping your family next.