Keeping Particulate Matter to a Minimum Indoors
Your Las Cruces, NM home is where you spend a lot of time, and particulate matter in its air could be causing serious health effects. Each time you breathe, some of these particles get into your lungs. Read on to learn some tips on how to keep indoor particulate matter to a minimum so that you can breathe more easily.
Limit or Stop Activities That Create Particulate Matter
Many everyday activities you do contribute to the amount of particulate matter in your home. Avoid smoking in your home, and tell guests to refrain from doing so. Burning candles or wood in your home also creates particles. If you have a wood stove or fireplace, the EPA recommends ensuring the doors close tightly and using appropriate wood for burning. Get wood stove and fireplace flues or chimneys cleaned every year. Have your furnace and other gas-fueled appliances serviced once each year by a certified technician.
Increase Ventilation
Increasing ventilation removes indoor particles and brings in fresh air. There are several ways to increase your home’s ventilation. Using an attic fan helps remove old, dirty air from your home. An energy recovery ventilator also expels old air and brings in outdoor air, filters, and heats or cools it. Use exhaust fans when cooking or cleaning. Make sure all gas-powered appliances vent to the outdoors.
Use an Air Purifier and Quality Air Filter
A whole-house air purifier works along with your Los Cruces home’s heating and air conditioning system to remove particulate matter from the air. Air purifiers come in several different varieties. Some of the most common types use high-efficiency particulate air filters, electrostatic filters, or UV-C lights. Some can also inactivate bacteria and viruses. You might consider upgrading your heating and cooling system’s filter to one with a minimum efficiency reported value of 16 or higher.
To learn more about minimizing particulate matter in your home, take a look at Dynamic Heating & Cooling, Refrigeration’s indoor air quality services, or call our HVAC experts today for additional info.
