Over the last year, most of us have spent over 80% of our time at home. Anyone else feel like they’ve reached the end of Youtube or Netflix? Anyway, that’s a lot of time together indoors, within the same walls, breathing the same air day after day.  This is why, now more than ever, it’s important to make sure the air your family is breathing is healthy and clean.  

When we think of unhealthy air, you may think of smoke or bad odors.  While dust, mold, and odors can be a sign of unhealthy air, many air pollutants are undetectable by our senses.  However, if you have poor indoor air quality, you may notice symptoms like bad allergies, problems breathing, or your family feeling tired or sick more often than normal.

So throw those cleaning gloves and disinfectant sprays to the side for a bit, and discover 4 effective hands-free ways to get rid of germs and keep the air in your home healthy year-round!

#1 – Purify your air

If you desire perfectly clean and contaminant-free air, having a whole-home air purifier installed is an excellent solution. One of the best purifiers on the market? The REME HALO Whole-Home Air Purifier. It has been proven and third-party tested to kill 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, mold, mildew, dust, odors, and pretty much any air contaminant you can think of.  

Essentially, it uses an electro magnetic energy cell to create ionized hydro-peroxides, which in turn, creates a charge in the air that kills pollutants. It’s a natural process, seeing as hydrogen peroxide is actually part of Mother Nature’s process of cleaning the air.  A safe and effective way to stop the spread of germs in your home!  Fun fact: The REME HALO has been proven to kill sneeze germs 3 feet from the source – take that germs!

#2 – Clean your Ducts

Anyone who has ever cleans ducts knows this is a dirty job, and definitely not a hands-free cleaning method.  However, it’s definitely a job that you should leave to HVAC professionals, so this made the list because most people won’t do this on their own.  As time goes on, the build-up of mold, dust, and other contaminants in your ducts circulate throughout your home, which can cause health issues like allergies, respiratory problems, asthma symptoms, and overall lower immunity.  In addition to health problems, dirty ducts can result in higher energy bills because your system has to work harder to push through the debris to reach the desired temperature. 

If it’s been a while since you’ve had your ducts cleaned, and you’re noticing any of the following, the air you’re breathing isn’t as clean as it should be:

• If you remove your vent plate for a cleaning and notice mold spores in your ductwork
• Asthma, allergy issues, respiratory problems, dry skin, and other health issues are more common than usual
• Higher energy bills and poor temperature control
• You can see dust and debris blowing through your vents

If you need further proof that your ducts accumulate dirt and pollutants over time, check out our video below of what was discovered in a customer’s duct after a routine cleaning! 

#3 – Invest in a Humidifier

When the air in our homes is more dry, like it is in the winter months, we are more susceptible to colds and illness, seeing as germs and viruses thrive in dry, low-humidity environments.  So another way to kill germs hand-free is investing in a whole-home humidifier.   

A whole-home humidifier can protect your family’s health, creating an environment where germs don’t like to live that is also optimal for easier breathing and less congestion.  In addition, a humidifier can also protect your home.  Dry air tries to absorb moisture wherever it can find it.  As a result, if your air is too dry, it will try to pull moisture from structures within your home, which can cause unsightly warping and cracking in  your cabinetry, wood floors, and furniture.  If you want to maintain your family’s health and your home, it’s important to keep your indoor humidity levels between 40-50% year round.

#4 – Replace your Air Filter

Hot and cold air blows constantly throughout your home, and your filters are working hard to make sure pollutants aren’t being distributed in your breathing air.  For this reason, you should regularly replace air filters at least every 2-3 months, especially if you have animals in your home.  

If you’re someone who doesn’t want to worry about replacing an air filter every couple of months, we recommend Accuclean, which has a permanent filter that won’t need to be changed for 5 years or more.  This can save you up to $200 a year on replacement filters and the hassle of having to change it every 60-90 days.  

Accuclean Filters not only last longer but are more efficient than standard filters:

• Removes up to 99.98 percent of allergens from the filtered air
• Catches particles down to .1 micron in size
• 100 times more effective than a standard one-inch throwaway filter or ionic-type room appliance.
• Reusable filter can be cleaned by vacuuming

We know replacing your filter isn’t hands-free if you do it yourself, but if you are curious about what air filters are the best option for your home, we’re happy to come out and make recommendations and replace them for you so you can start breathing cleaner air right away.

Summary

It feels like it takes more effort these days to keep germs away.  Maybe you have dry hands from all the hand-washing and are cleaning surfaces more than ever to keep germs away.  One of the most important safeguards to add an extra layer of protection without any additional effort on your part, is keeping the air around us clean and germ-free. 

If your family is experiencing allergies, respiratory issues, or frequent illness, or if you just want to feel safe knowing you’re breathing uncontaminated air, contact us for an indoor air quality assessment. One of our Air Quality Experts can come out and sample your home’s air to see exactly what you and your family are breathing and make suggestions based on that assessment to ensure your home’s air is perfect.

Boss Services serves Coloma, St, Joseph, Benton Harbor, and the surrounding southwest Michigan communities.