Air conditioning gets a bad rap for being a hindrance to those who suffer from allergies. While the units themselves aren’t the culprits, the fact that they spread allergens and particles through your home is. Those particles wreak havoc and allergy sufferers face the dilemma of turning off their cooling units.
American Air Cares believes they can be more of a help than a hindrance if you keep up your AC maintenance. The following are three ways you can still beat the heat in the Florida summers and keep allergy symptoms at bay.
1. Keeping registers, vents, and ductwork clean
To help cut down on allergy symptoms, keep all your AC vents, and ductwork clean of any dust particles. Air circulates throughout your home using the ductwork of your cooling system or through the vents of a window air unit. When dust accumulates within them, air will push the dust through the ductwork or vents. Allergens thrive in dusty environments, so air pushed through dust will end up in your living space and you will breathe them in. Have the ductwork professionally cleaned and vacuumed to avoid sending allergens into the air.
2. Use Air purifiers and Humidity control
You can also help to keep the air you breathe free from allergens by setting up an air purifier in a room you’re in a lot, like the bedroom. These appliances will trap most allergen particles and other air pollutants, so you breathe in pure air. They will require routine maintenance to keep them clean and working smoothly. The only downside is that they will only trap a certain percentage of the pollutants and can only work in a small area.
Also, humidity plays a big part in the growth of allergens and mold within your cooling system. Controlling the relative humidity, will help keep mold and allergens from thriving and spreading. Exhaust fans, especially placed in the attic, are also a help in controlling humidity.
3. Using higher-grade air filters
One of the most effective ways to keep allergens to a minimum is by using a special allergen filter in your AC system. There are a few different types to use.
MERV– Minimum efficiency reporting value is the rating placed on an allergen filter. The rating states the size of air pollutants that the filter can trap while air flows through the home. The larger the rating, the better protection you’ll have.
Electrostatic– These filters are considered permanent, but require regular maintenance to keep them clean. They use static electricity to trap the pollutants as the air flows through your system. They work great for light allergy sufferers.
HEPA– This is a high-efficiency particulate absorbent filter that’s designed to grab allergens and eliminate polluted air conditions that are problematic for allergy sufferers. The HEPA filters need to trap at least 99.97% of the particles in the air flowing through the air conditioning system.
American Air Cares can be depended upon to clean your registers, ductwork, and vents, as well as maintaining the allergen air filters in your home. Count on us to improve the quality of air for you and your family, so allergens won’t get the best of you. We’ll ensure the filters are running smoothly, so you can always breathe pure air and leave your allergy symptoms behind. There’s no reason you should have to live without cooler air just to find relief from your allergies. The professionals in air conditioning service in Port St. Lucie, and surrounding areas, at American Air Cares can help!
