According to the National Institutes of Health, the most common category of New Year’s resolutions is those related to physical health and well-being. However, exercise and dietary change can be time-consuming and frustrating. How about a resolution about breathing? You do that all the time anyway. What if you could do that in a healthier way?
During the winter, the air in your home is easily contaminated and not easily aired out. Contaminants and germs can build up and cause illness. What can you do to make the air you breathe healthier? Let’s talk about the wide variety of air filtration systems and how they can help.
Air Filters
You probably know about the air filters belonging to your furnace and air conditioner, and we hope you change them regularly. Keep in mind, though, that these are not designed to act as home air filtration systems. Their purpose is to prevent large particles and fibers or significant amounts of dust from working their way into the moving parts of your heating and cooling systems and causing problems for them.
An air filtration system intended to improve your indoor air quality is different. It can be added to your HVAC system so that all the air that passes through your ducts and flows out your vents will be filtered. Many options are available with different types of filters, and these do an excellent job of trapping particles that you would otherwise end up breathing.
Air Purification Systems
Like filtration systems, air purification systems do contain a filter that catches a lot of particles. But purification involves more than just filtering, and these systems also include a secondary step. Depending on the type of air purifier, this secondary step can be one of two things: an electronic air cleaner or an ultraviolet light.
Electronic air cleaners use an electrical field to charge the particles that do manage to pass through the filter. Then, as the air continues to flow, those particles pass over a plate that has an opposite charge. The particles are helpless against the force that draws them to the plate, and they are trapped there and unable to continue circulating through your air.
Ultraviolet light purifiers use a specific frequency of UV light to sanitize the air. Any organic particles that pass through the filter, such as germs or mold spores, are exposed to this light. While safe for larger organisms, it can destroy these single-celled pathogens by literally unraveling the proteins that hold them together, like scrambling an egg with a fork.
Choosing Your System
If you’re interested in getting an air filtration system in Lockport, IL, your first step is a conversation with a qualified professional. They can help determine your main concerns. (Pet dander? Other allergens? Bacteria and mold? Dust from home renovations?) They’ll determine the size of the system needed. And they’ll help you navigate all the options to find the best one for you.
And then, just by breathing deeply, you can achieve your New Year’s resolution of improving your health!
Call J&A today, Sleep-tight tonight!