Month: July 2018

When Do You Replace Your HVAC Filter?

With household dust as the theme for this month’s blog posts, we wanted to address one important thing you can do to reduce dust in your home. It’s the air filter in your furnace/air conditioner.

The filter you use for your heating and cooling unit is important. The basic filters are cheap, but they do little to remove dust and allergens from the air. Consider a higher quality filter with a higher MERV rating https://www.bobvila.com/articles/merv-ratings/. These ratings go from 1-16, with the higher rating allowing fewer airborne particles through. Be sure to read the article from Bob Vila’s website for details on getting the right MERV rating for your system. Highest is not always best!

Most furnace manufacturers recommend replacing your air filter once a month. Not only will this help reduce dust, but a clean air filter is easier on your furnace and air conditioner. If you have pets, it’s super important to change your filters regularly because of the dander and fur they produce.

Be sure to also have your furnace and air conditioner maintained on an annual basis. These units collect dust inside that you will most certainly smell when you first turn on your furnace in the fall. The accumulation can make for a stinky start to the heating season!

Just like regular cleaning of you home, regular replacement of the air filter, will help keep your home and the air in it, fresher and healthier. To make it easy to remember, we always replace ours on the same day each month!

The Effects of Dust in Your Carpet

Dust. Everyone has it and no one wants it!

It seems like a never-ending battle to eliminate dust.

What is Dust?

Dust is made of small particles from the ground, from fabric, and from your skin and the skin of pets. Gross, right? Mammals like us are constantly shedding little bits of skin, which is why dust is a constant problem.

What are Dust Mites?

Dust attracts dust mites and helps them grow. Dust mites are microscopic creatures that feed off of the skin particles in the dust. They live in carpet, bedding and other places where the dust settles.

I’ve read that carpet can accumulate up to 40 pounds of dirt in a year. If even a tiny bit of that is skin flakes and dander, dust mites are sure to be present in your carpet. Plus, little pieces of sand and dirt can be sharp and begin to break down your carpet’s fibers, which creates more dust.

Why Eliminating Dust is Important

Some people are very sensitive to the waste that dust mites produce. An allergy to dust mites https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dust-mites/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352178 makes vacuuming and dusting unpleasant. However, with regular cleaning, dust and dust mites can be reduced. It’s a catch 22 if you have a dust mite allergy, because cleaning can make you sick, but leaving the dust mites is bad, too.

Avoid the accumulation of dust and dander in your home and carpet with regular cleaning. Our vacuum cleaners have HEPA filters that clean without spreading dust and dust mite waste through the air. And we also dust surfaces using products that pick up the dust rather than letting it become airborne and re-settle on your carpet and other surfaces.

Contact us for a free estimate on regular cleaning. We dust and vacuum every time we visit your home so we can keep dust to a minimum. It’s important to have a healthy home for you and your family!

Watch this blog for more information about filters for vacuums and for your home.