How Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Allergies

August 03, 2017

While many people connect allergy symptoms with pollen, pollution and other irritants outside your home, your internal air quality can have a large impact on your symptoms. According to the EPA, “In the last couple of years, a growing body of scientific evidence has shown that the air in homes and other buildings can be more dangerously polluted than the external air in even the greatest and most industrialized cities. Other research shows that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time within a home or building. So, for many people, the risks to health may be bigger due to more exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.”

Our Bend homes are full of outdoor allergens like pollen that find their way indoors, and by irritants like pet dander, dust mites, mold spores, chemicals from everyday household cleansers and more. So, what can you do about it? The key is already in your home! It’s your HVAC system.

You should realize that your HVAC can be your best friend or your foe when it comes to handling your allergies. A dirty system can foster and circulate allergens around your home, so the key is to keep your system well maintained. First and foremost, you must keep your air filters clean. Establish a reminder or indicate it on your calendar to check them monthly and swap them out when you see that they’re getting dirty. They’ll typically need to be exchanged every two or three months, but this can differ greatly from home to house. You can get filters that span from the most simple level of filtering to hospital-grade HEPA filters. The specialists at Tri County Climate Control LLC can help you decide which kind of filter will keep your home healthy and keep your HVAC functioning properly.

It’s also important to have your system routinely maintained by an expert to keep your indoor air quality where it should be. In addition to checking that essential filter, your service technician will clean the central workings of your system and ensure that everything is operating as it should. You can also ask your technician if a duct cleaning would be beneficial.

When it comes to your interior air quality, you can rely on the experts at Tri County Climate Control LLC to take good care of you. On top of helping you keep your HVAC system maintained, we can help you ensure you have the tools you need to take on poor indoor air quality and allergens—like humidifiers and whole home air purifiers. Just give us a call at 541-238-2797 to confirm that your home’s air is healthy and clean.