Your home’s air filter is an essential tool for trapping pet dander, pollen dust and other airborne particles keeping your home environment pollutant-free. It’s important to regularly change the air filters in your home for the reasons explained in this article.
Improved Air Quality
Air filters capture particles such as smoke, dust, spores and dander, and they serve to improve the quality of air within your house. This is particularly beneficial for pet owners, allergy sufferers as well as elderly people and young children within your household.
Regularly changing your air filters can make it easier for asthmatics to breathe and those with seasonal allergies to suffer less from symptoms such as congestion, sneezing and itchy, watery eyes during times when the pollen count is high.
If left unchanged for too long, your air filter will become clogged from the build-up of dust and other particles which will begin to accumulate pumping air that is full of dust and other allergens back into your home. A dirty filter can also cause organic contaminants such as mold, mildew and bacteria to grow polluting the air that circulates throughout your home.
Better HVAC Efficiency
A common cause of malfunction or damage within a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is because of dirty air filters.
A good tip is to change your air filter every 30 to 60 days to avoid it becoming clogged and restricting the airflow in your home. In addition to this, a dirty air filter can put stress on your entire HVAC system causing it to work much harder than usual to pull in air, reducing its efficiency.
If the heating and cooling equipment is coated with dirt your HVAC system is also more likely to freeze or burn out. The buildup from dirt can cause cold air to become trapped in the air conditioning system resulting in the formation of ice on the evaporator coils which will make it inoperable.
Conversely, a dirty or clogged HVAC air filter will restrict the amount of air that can be drawn in causing it to become overworked. This can lead to problems in the AC and furnace which can overheat resulting in your HVAC system malfunctioning.
Changing the air filters on a regular basis will help your HVAC system to work optimally, thereby reducing your energy costs. It will also reduce the likelihood of costly repairs and ensure your HVAC system has a longer lifespan.
Cleaner Home Environment
A clean air filter will be able to work with greater efficiency capturing more debris, dirt and dust from your indoor air. This can significantly reduce the amount of dust that accumulates on surfaces such as bookshelves, light fixtures and behind appliances.
With less airborne pollutants and dust in your house, the cleaner your home and indoor environment will be and the less time you will need to spend on cleaning, wiping and dusting. Some of the other benefits include a better smelling home, better quality of sleep and an overall improvement to you and your family’s health and wellbeing.
Follow the suggestions in this article to keep your air filters and HVAC equipment working at their best, helping to create a fresh and healthy indoor environment all year round.
