In most cases, it’s comforting to know that our homes or businesses are sealed against the outside world. In terms of everything from security to energy efficiency, keeping the outside out is a very good thing. Modern buildings, especially, are very tightly sealed against the outside world, with windows, doors, insulation, and other elements of building design working together to limit how much air can find its way in from the outdoors. You’ll be glad to have this kind of design when you get your utility bill each month because it means that your air conditioner or heating system isn’t having to work as hard to maintain an ideal interior environment. When it comes to indoor air quality, though, that tight seal can pose a challenge—and make it extremely important to invest in air purification in Santa Rosa.
How Bad Is Indoor Air Quality?
While it’s a positive thing if hot outdoor air doesn’t have a way to leak into your home or business during the peak of summertime, the tight-sealed design of most modern buildings is a double-edged sword. Sure, what’s outside stays out, but what’s inside also becomes trapped there. Dust, dirt, pollen, hair, skin, pet dander, mold, and other debris can be entrapped in carpets, furniture, or even air ducts. Rather than dissipating and diffusing as they would in the outdoors, these particles circulate in your home’s HVAC system repeatedly. Habits such as cigarette smoking only make matters even worse.
In fact, in many homes and commercial environments, expert researchers have found that indoor air quality is indeed just as polluted and just as bad for you as the outdoor air in smog-ridden cities. Indoor air quality is so bad in many cases that it can exacerbate issues such as asthma and allergies, or even lead to upper-respiratory infections. All these issues can drastically and negatively impact overall health, wellbeing, and quality of life.
Solving the Problem: Air Purification in Santa Rosa
The good news is that there are ways to solve the indoor air quality problem. The most obvious solution is to start using air purifiers in your home. Air purification systems are appliances that actively work to remove contaminants from the air throughout your home or business. Using HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air), air filters will trap tiny allergens and particles and make it impossible for them to continue re-circulating through the air. These systems can pull a considerable amount of junk out of the air, including everything from pollen to mold spores.
While air purification in Santa Rosa is a substantial investment, it’s also important not to use an air purifier as a crutch. This type of appliance can go a long way toward eliminating allergens from the air, but it won’t do the job by itself. It’s essential to take a more systemic look at how these particles are building up in your home or business in the first place. That way, you can go to work treating the cause rather than just the symptom.
That’s not to say you will be able to stop dust or hair or dead skin cells from building up. The price we pay with these modern, energy-efficient buildings we now occupy is that there is nowhere for any of these contaminants, many of which are produced by our bodies, to go. However, there are steps you can take to stop the buildup before it reaches crisis mode. One step is to replace the filters on your furnace and air conditioner so that they can play an air purification role at the HVAC level. Another is to have the ductwork in your home or building cleaned regularly to remove contaminants that are circulating and re-circulating through the air. Even something as simple as routine vacuuming and dusting can go a long way toward helping the indoor air quality problem.
Unlock the Benefits of Air Purification in Santa Rosa, CA
As you might imagine, there are many, many benefits to be gained when you commit to preserving the air quality in your building. Purer air is fresher air, which is better for you. You’ll enjoy a fresher, more pleasant indoor environment—one free of many of the odors or stale air problems that manifest in buildings with dirty ducts or non-purified air. In turn, you might notice that common symptoms of air quality problems—stuffy nose, scratchy throat, irritating eyes, etc.—are no longer a constant concern. Allergy flare-ups, asthma attacks, or even upper respiratory issues such as colds will likely occur less frequently and with reduced severity.
The benefits of indoor air quality don’t even stop at health and wellbeing. On the contrary, your HVAC system will love cleaner air. Clean ducts and clean furnace/air conditioner filters mean those systems run more freely and efficiently. And since your HVAC system won’t be working as hard to force air through your ducts, you’ll pay less to keep your building at a comfortable temperature, all year-round.
Are you ready to unlock the benefits of air purification in Santa Rosa, CA? Start by calling your HVAC technician for duct cleaning, HVAC filter replacements, and advice on indoor air quality matters.