​Your home is a safe space. A place to relax, be yourself and enjoy precious time with your friends and family. You take extra measures to make sure your home stays safe like adding a security system, keeping up with routine maintenance and spraying for pests, for example. But have you ever thought about how the air you breathe in your home could be negatively affecting your family’s health over time? 

Indoor air quality refers to the quality of the air in a home, school, office, or other building environment.
According to the EPA, Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations (1).

​These pollutants can include:

• Fuel-burning combustion appliances
• Tobacco products
• Building materials and furnishings as diverse as:
  • Deteriorated asbestos-containing insulation
  • Newly installed flooring, upholstery, or carpet
  • Cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products
• Products for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care, or hobbies
• Poor performing central heating and cooling systems and humidification devices
• Excess moisture
• Outdoor sources such as:
  • Radon
  • Pesticides
  • Outdoor air pollution

Individuals with pre-existing conditions may have a harder time with poor indoor air quality conditions but even a healthy individual may experience symptoms like increased allergies after being continually exposed to poor indoor air conditions.
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Symptoms could include (1):

• Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat.
• Headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
• Respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer.

Luckily, there are several ways to combat poor air quality conditions in your home or office.

1. Change your air filters regularly. Around every 90 days you should replace your air filter to help maintain good air flow and keep particles and allergens out of the air you breathe. If you have multiple pets in the home or your air conditioning unit is working harder, like in the summer, you may want to replace your filter sooner than 90 days.
2. Schedule an antimicrobial fogging with duct cleaning service. This kills microbes and mildew that may be growing in the air ducts. After fogging it is recommended to have your ducts cleaned to remove the debris which prevents regrowth.
3. Invest in advanced media filters or Air Scrubbing Technology like the Aerus Air Scrubber: These options are designed to filter and kill bacteria, viruses, germs, odors and more as air is pulled through the unit, releasing clean air into your home. 

A licensed HVAC company will be able to go over all the indoor air quality improvement options available and see which one will best suite your family’s budget and needs.
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We offer a wide range of options here at Country Air and are always happy to answer your questions and give free estimates. Give us a call at 281-356-8564. 

I need to get my ducks cleaned – what?!

NoOoOo, not your ducks, your ducts!
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Your air ducts are conduits that run throughout the attic space in your home. They deliver and remove air for both the AC and heating system. Each room in your home is connected to the ducts with a supply register and some rooms will also have a return register. 

A buildup of mold, fungi, bacteria, and dust in your air ducts directly affects the indoor air quality of your home.

Poor air quality can result in a decline in the overall health, comfort, and well-being of the building occupant. People who are more sensitive to their environments that have allergies or certain diseases may be impacted further by poor air quality in the home.
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Getting your air ducts cleaned when needed will help improve indoor air quality and your overall health and wellness. Clean air ducts can also result in more energy savings on your monthly bills depending on how clogged they were before cleaning. 

A general rule of thumb is every 3 to 5 years, but this depends on several factors, like:
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• Number of smokers in the household.
• Number of pets that live in the home shedding hair and dander.
• A recent renovation or remodeling projects.
• Location of your home.
• Prior to occupancy of a new home.
• Residents that have underlying health conditions that may benefit from a reduction in indoor air pollutants.
• How often the air filter is changed.
• How often the HVAC system is maintained.
• Water or other damage that may have affected your HVAC system.

 
Depending on how these factors may affect you and your home will determine how often your ducts need to be cleaned. Some homes can go longer than 5 years before needing a good duct cleaning. 

Make sure you are taking care of your home and HVAC system properly. This includes:

• Vacuuming and dusting your home regularly.
• Changing your air filters routinely.
• Finding and sealing leaks in your air ducts that might attract dust to come in from your attic area.
• Upgrading to new duct work if your home is older or your duct work is in poor condition.
• Signing up for an affordable HVAC maintenance plan where your system will get professionally tuned and inspected twice per year.

An air duct system should be cleaned by a reputable professional. The air duct system will be placed under negative pressure using a specialized duct cleaning system that functions like a vacuum cleaner.
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While the vacuum draws air through the duct work, a rotating brush head is inserted into the ducts through the registers of each room which dislodges any debris and gets sucked into the vacuum, leaving the system like new again. 

Costs for duct cleaning vary depending on how many HVAC units your home has, whether you own a one or two story and how large your home is.
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Country Air specializes in whole home air duct cleaning and provides free quotes. Give us a call today at 281-356-8564 and we’ll be happy to answer any more questions you have about duct cleaning and provide you with a free quote at no obligation to you.