Keep Dust Down in Your St. Lucie Area Home with These Suggestions
Dust is a huge concern in newer, tightly sealed homes. Once it gets in, if your forced-air cooling and heating equipment don’t have effective air filtration and ventilation, dust can become an insurmountable, continuing problem. Then, whenever you turn on the vacuum or flop down in a chair or on the couch, there’s a puff of dust. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to keep dust down in your home.
The first thing is to prevent dust from entering the house in the first place. Dust enters the house through leaks in your home’s outer envelope, leaks in ductwork, open windows and doors, and on the shoes, clothes and hair of people and pets. Sealing air leaks and closing windows on windy days will help cut down on dust infiltration. Also, take off coats and shoes at the door or in a mud room to help stop dust from entering as well. Brush pets before they’re let inside.
The best ways to keep dust down that’s already in the house include:
- Change your A/C or heat pump filter monthly during high-use seasons for your cooling and heating. Buy a filter that’s efficient enough to capture most dust particles.
- Make sure your clothes dryer is vented outdoors and that the connection to the back of the dryer is secure. Dust and lint are not only lung irritants, they are also fire hazards.
- Seal duct leaks and when necessary, schedule a duct inspection and cleaning. This will help prevent dust from being sent out into your living areas whenever the air conditioner kicks on.
- Turn your thermostat to “fan only” mode before you vacuum. This way, the dust kicked up by the vacuum agitator will be more likely to be pulled into the return vents and through the home’s filtration system.
- When you dust your home, use a dusting spray to ionize the dust so it will stick to your dust-cloth better. This will let you actually pick up dust instead of just pushing it out into the air and down into the carpet.
For more ways to keep dust down, please contact us at NisAir Air Conditioning and Heating. We have been serving the Treasure Coast since 1973.
