How Can I Improve My Indoor Air During the Summer?

Is the air in your Pacific Northwest home contributing to a comfortable summer? Or is it causing you to sneeze, wheeze, and cough throughout the season?

Good indoor air quality (IAQ) is a significant component of a healthy home. However, it may seem impossible to achieve, especially during the summer when open windows bring humidity, wildfire smoke, pollen, and other pollution indoors.

Closing windows and doors does not necessarily guarantee improved air quality, either. Consider the sources of pollution within your own home. Smoking, dust, gas cooking appliances, high humidity, dirty air ducts, off-gassing from household cleaners, home improvement products, and personal care items all worsen indoor air. 

Find a Bryant Dealer

It may seem impossible, but good indoor air quality is within reach. A little DIY effort and assistance from a professional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) company will turn your home into a sanctuary.

At Bryant Northwest, we work with HVAC pros throughout Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Northern Idaho, and Northern California. You can find a local expert through our online directory of Bryant dealers. These pros can identify contaminants in your indoor air and provide solutions tailored to your needs. Click on our Find A Dealer link to get started. 

Start With Your AC

Did you know that your cooling system can help reduce humidity in your home? Central air conditioning and heat pumps remove moisture from the air as they help you stay cool in the summer. Maintaining a humidity level between 30 and 50 percent can help prevent the growth of mold and mildew.

Preventative maintenance ensures that your AC or heat pump will continue providing temperature and humidity control during the summer. Schedule a tune-up with a Bryant dealer through our Bryant Northwest directory. Dealers maintain all HVAC brands.

If your air conditioner alone is insufficient for lowering the humidity in your CITY home, a whole-house dehumidifier can help. It can remove excess moisture from the air that might otherwise create perfect growing conditions for mildew, mold, bacteria, and viruses. 

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) AC tips

  • Use your exhaust fan to clear moisture from your bathroom after a shower. 
  • Ask a professional to check your cooling system’s condensate line and pan for overflow or clogs. Too much moisture inside your HVAC equipment can create the perfect habitat for mold and bacteria. 
  • Replace dirty air filters at least every 90 days to maintain good airflow. 

Cleaning The Air

Although your cooling system uses an air filter to catch dirt and debris, it will not thoroughly clean the air like an air purifier.  Air purifiers eliminate particles and germs, leaving indoor air clean and safe to breathe. 

Consider Bryant’s Evolution® air purifier, for example. It captures 95 percent of particles in a powerful MERV 15 filter and kills 99 percent of germs.  It works in conjunction with your HVAC system.

Ultraviolet (UV) lamps can prevent germs and mold from circulating through your HVAC equipment and your indoor air. When placed inside your cooling system, they sterilize the coils and stop bacteria, mold, and viruses from growing.

A Bryant dealer can determine the type of product that will work best for your air quality needs. 

DIY air contaminant tips:

  • Dust, vacuum, and sweep regularly. You will keep your air filter and HVAC equipment clean. 
  • Groom your pets.
  • Prohibit smoking indoors.
  • Reduce clutter that can trap dust.  

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Why not spend that time breathing air free of particulate matter, germs, and dust?

Contact a Bryant Dealer Today

Let a Bryant Dealer improve your indoor air quality. Find a local dealer through our Bryant Northwest directory by clicking on the Find A Dealer link.