Indoor Air Quality Can Improve If You Reduce Household Dust

May 5, 2015

One of the main contributors to poor indoor air quality is household dust, which often contains a mixture of discarded skin cells, cloth fibers, pollen, mold spores, insect droppings and other substances. Breathing in these substances can cause irritation, especially for those suffering from allergies or asthma. However, by using the following tips you can reduce household dust in your Des Moines home and keep your family comfortable:

  • Check the air filter in your HVAC system once a month and clean or replace it as required. To improve your system's ability to remove dust, choose filters with higher MERV ratings or upgrade to a high MERV filter (from 11-16) or HEPA filters, which are specially-designed to capture over 99.97 percent of small particles from the air.
  • Clean the registers for your HVAC system often. If you notice excessive dust coming out of the registers when the system is running, consider having your air ducts cleaned to reduce household dust.
  • Vacuum your floors often with a vacuum that features a HEPA filter. Make sure to use the agitator brush on carpeted surfaces to extract more dust, and turn the thermostat on your  to the "fan on" position to allow the HVAC system to help filter the air.
  • Clean your closets often and vacuum them to reduce the accumulation of irritating cloth fibers. Store seasonal or rarely used clothes in garment bags and put small items in plastic bins to keep them safe from dust.
  • Wash your bedding at least once a week to prevent the accumulation of dust, fibers and dust mite droppings.
  • Take large items such as rugs and furniture cushions outside at least once a month during good weather and beat them to remove excess dust.
  • Dust your home often using clean, moist rags or disposable electrostatic cloths.
  • Consider installing an air cleaner to improve indoor air quality.

To learn more about how your HVAC system can help reduce household dust, talk to our experts at Lozier Heating and Cooling. We have been serving the Des Moines area for more than 100 years. Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Des Moines, Iowa area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: "lanych/Shutterstock"