The holiday season is here and I’m sure that we’re all really excited about that. But what no one is looking forward to is Flu season. Unfortunately, the flu is still prominent and it’s common during these next couple of months. No one wants to deal with the flu during the holidays. That’s why A/C Masters wants to share some ways that you can combat the flu with your HVAC system!
Note: Before we start discussing how your HVAC can help you combat the flu and other seasonal illnesses, we want to acknowledge the everyday precautions you can take. Make sure that you’re washing your hands frequently. Avoid touching your eyes and mouth while you’re out and about. Be mindful of how you feeling and don’t go out if you’re feeling under the weather. These simple precautions can help us all combat flu season together!
Tip #1 – No Stagnant Air
Keep that HVAC running at all times. That means even if you’re traveling this holiday season you should keep your HVAC running on fan mode at a minimum. Letting the air in your home get stagnant is NOT good. In order to maintain good indoor air quality, you want the air in your home to circulate continuously. This keeps it moving and continuously running through your air filters.
Tip #2 – Keep Air Ducts & Filters Clean
This is something that we encourage you to do all year-round no matter the circumstances. Keeping the ducts and filters of your HVAC system clean will help maintain good indoor air quality as well as help your HVAC run efficiently. It’s especially important to clean your air ducts during this time because it will eliminate dust, bacteria, and viruses that may be lingering. Letting these sit in your HVAC system can encourage the growth of more mold, bacteria, and viruses.
Tip #3 – Keep Humidity High
High humidity can actually play a huge role in eliminating the nasty bacteria and viruses that spread during the cold winter months. These illnesses, like the flu, typically thrive in low humidity environments. This is why they’re prevalent in the winter when the air is extra dry. Increasing the humidity in your home will create an environment that is unsuitable for these illnesses. High humidity can also improve overall indoor air quality eliminating dry noses, dry skin, and nose bleeds. Humidity can be increased through a portable humidifier. You can also consider installing a whole-home humidifier for a more effective and permanent fix.
Tip #4 – Consider Installing UV Lights
UV lights can be incredibly effective in eliminating dirt, mold, bacteria, and viruses from your HVAC. UV Lights can be installed in your HVAC system to help filter your home’s air. Although UV lights are an investment, they’re worth the money because they can help dramatically improve the quality of air in your home. To read more about UV lights and how they work check out our blog on the topic here.
Tip #5 – Consider an Air Purification System
Whole-home air purifiers can help you breathe cleaner fresher air on a regular basis. These systems much like UV lights or a whole-home humidifier can be installed directly into your HVAC ductwork. Making it easy for you to improve your home’s indoor air quality. These air purifiers can kill cold and flu viruses within the air in your ducts so that you never have to worry about them spreading in your home.
Overall, we hope that these tips can help you make educated decisions on what’s right for your family. These tips are all great ways to use your HVAC system to combat the flu this season. But beyond that, these are also great tips for improving the indoor air quality of your home 24/7. If you have any questions or you are interested in hearing more about how any of these devices can help you give us a call. Our experts would be happy to help you better understand how to optimize your HVAC. Just call – (757) 847-5252.