Updated January 22, 2024
While we’d like to think our homes have cleaner air than the outdoors, that’s not always the case. According to the EPA, indoor air can have up to 5x the number of pollutants as outdoor air. These pollutants range from mold and mildew to allergens and cause headaches, dizziness, or respiratory issues.
It’s important to keep your home’s air clean and healthy, especially if you have young children or elderly adults in your family, as they may have compromised immune systems.
- Regularly Changing Your Air Filter
- Install a Whole-Home UV Light Air Purifier
- Invest in a Whole-Home Air Cleaner
- Add a Whole-Home Dehumidifier
Our air quality experts will review each tip. With a few simple changes, you and your family can get cleaner, healthier air.
For further reading, check out our blog: What Causes Poor Indoor Air Quality in Iowa.
Want Upfront Pricing on the Most Efficient and Reliable Air Quality Products?
Contact Golden Rule. We’re open until 7 pm on weekdays and have weekend service hours. With solid 100% satisfaction guarantees, we’ll install a whole-home dehumidifier, UV light air purifier, or electronic air cleaner that you love. Call us at (515) 393-4526 or schedule below.
Regularly Changing Your Air Filter
One of the easiest ways to improve indoor air quality is to change your air filter regularly. Dirty air filters can cause a range of air quality problems, such as:
- Circulating microbes (e.g., dust, pollen, and debris) throughout your home
- Mold growth, as dust comes into contact with humid air
- Buildup of dust, pollen, and debris on household surfaces, irritating your household’s asthma or seasonal allergies
- Furthermore, a dirty air filter can increase your energy bills (since the air conditioner cannot effectively cool your home), cause a shortened system lifespan, and lead to more breakdowns.
It’s a good idea to change your air filters every 1-3 months. A good rule of thumb is 1 month for every inch of filter thickness. Exceptions depend on:
- The filter’s efficiency rating: Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) ratings, ranging from 1 to 20, measure how effectively an air filter captures unwanted contaminants. Air filters with a MERV rating of 16+ need replacement every 1-2 months as they collect dust, debris, and dirt faster.
- Pets: Households with pets should use a high-efficiency air filter and replace it every 2-3 months and whenever the season changes. Those with more than one pet should change their air filter monthly.
- Your family’s health: If you have a child under 5 years old and they are still developing their immune system, it’s recommended that you change your air filter every 2-3 months. If anybody in your family suffers from allergies or asthma, you should change your air filter every 6 weeks as they’re more sensitive to airborne particles.
- Your lifestyle: If you like to burn candles or smoke cigarettes, you’ll need to change your air filter every 2-3 months.
You can either buy the filters and replace them yourself or contact an HVAC technician to perform a system check, which will include an air filter replacement.
Install a Whole‑Home UV Light Air Purifier
Iowa has 70% relative humidity in the summer. Any relative humidity level above 30-50% promotes the growth of harmful microbial contaminants like mold, bacteria, fungi, or mildew. Installing a UV light air purifier is a great way to render those contaminants harmless without resorting to heavy chemical cleaners.
A technician can install a whole-home UV light air purification system within your HVAC system. The EPA considers them more effective than tabletop air purifiers. As your HVAC system cools or heats your home, the UV light disinfects your air by preventing pollutants from entering the home’s air.
Invest in a Whole‑Home Air Cleaner
Air cleaners can remove contaminants like viruses, mold, and fungi that could trigger respiratory problems and disinfect your home’s air. They work in tandem with your HVAC system to clean the air. Golden Rule can install a whole-home electronic air cleaner that is designed to replace your standard HVAC filter. It features polarized media that uses an electric charge to capture even the most microscopic particles.
Installing a whole-home air cleaner is a popular choice amongst homeowners—especially those with pets—as they require little maintenance, have fewer parts that need regular upkeep, and effectively remove pet dander and odors.
When you contact an air quality expert, they will assess the size of your home and discuss with you the contaminants you’d most like removed before recommending a whole-home air cleaner that works for your needs and budget.
Add a Whole‑Home Dehumidifier
As we mentioned before, Iowa has moderately high humidity levels on average. When you live in a humid area, you need to remove as much extra moisture as possible from your home to prevent mold growth and warping wooden structures. Mold growth decreases indoor air quality, and your family might experience inexplicable skin rashes, sore throats, and headaches. Not to mention, it will aggravate allergies and asthma.
Install a whole-home dehumidifier attached to your HVAC system to remove extra humidity. The dehumidifier will prevent structural damage to your home, prevent damage to any delicate possessions, increase your home comfort, decrease energy bills, and improve symptoms of respiratory conditions.
Learn more in our blog, 4 Benefits of Installing a Humidifier or Dehumidifier in Iowa.
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality with a Golden Rule Installation
At Golden Rule, we install the latest whole-home air cleaners, UV light air purifiers, and dehumidifiers within just hours in the Des Moines, IA Metro area. We provide customized recommendations that address your budget and air quality concerns, and we can integrate air quality products into any HVAC system you may have. Plus, we back up all our installations with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and a 1-year labor warranty.
Call us today at (515) 393-4526 to deliver exceptional air quality to every room in your home.
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