On average, people spend 90 percent of their time indoors. A majority of that time is spent at home. You may be dismayed to discover that the air in your Baton Rouge, LA, home is two to five more times polluted than the outdoor air. Fortunately, you can use these three tips to reduce pollutants in your home and enjoy better indoor air quality.

Eliminate Sources of Indoor Air Pollution

The simplest way to reduce pollutants in your home is to eliminate the sources of pollution. Before bringing in new furniture, plastics, upholstered items or sealed wood, allow those items to off-gas for several days. Avoid burning candles or using wood stoves or fireplaces. When engaging in your hobbies, choose paints, adhesives and materials that don’t contain volatile organic compounds.

Improve Whole-Home Ventilation

Cooking, showering, painting and cleaning generate a lot of particles and humidity. Use your home’s exhaust fans during these activities. To improve ventilation more, install an attic fan or a whole-house ventilator for better airflow. Energy recovery ventilators exhaust stale and replace it with preconditioned outdoor air.

Maintain Your Heating and Cooling System

Maintaining your heating and cooling system also helps reduce pollutants in your home. The air filter plays a key role in trapping particles. Be sure to check your filter every month and replace it at least every two months. Choose the highest minimum efficiency reported value filter available for your HVAC system. Schedule a spring AC tuneup and autumn heating tuneup. Tuneups include cleaning dirt and debris from the system.

By reducing pollutants in your Baton Rouge area home, you’ll have fewer illnesses and allergies. Better indoor air quality also enhances your comfort and your heating and cooling system’s energy efficiency. To learn more about reducing pollutants in your home and boosting indoor air quality, call Central Heating & Air today.

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