Why Your Indoor Air Should Get Special Treatment

The quality of the air in your home- how clean it is and how much humidity it contains--is important to your health, the life of your furniture and the overall performance of your home comfort system. Here's how special treatment for your air can keep you healthier and more comfortable:

Though most of us would tend to think that air treatment-air cleaning and humidification is a luxury, there are lots of practical reasons for making it part of your home comfort system.

There's Something in the Air

Pet dander, tobacco smoke, grease from cooking, and fumes from automobile exhaust and cleaning solutions find their way into home's air every day. For those of us with breathing problems or allergies, airborne pollen can be exceptionally unhealthy and uncomfortable.

Even worse, these contaminants eventually cling to your walls, your furniture, your clothing-- and your lungs. To give you an idea of how much contamination is in the air you breathe, take a look at a sunbeam on a sunny day. What you see is the light being reflected from the visible pollutants in the air. But since the pollutants you can see only make up only about one percent of the particles in the air, multiply what you see by one hundred and you'll get a better idea how much pollution you're breathing.

How to Clean up Your Act

Of course, installing an air cleaner isn't the only solution to cleaner indoor air. You should start by controlling the sources of contaminants. For example, limit the extent or the areas of your home in which you allow smoking; use non-aerosol products; and clean your furnace, it's filters, your air conditioner and range exhaust hood filters regularly. You can also cut down on indoor contaminants by circulating them outside through open windows or an exhaust fan.

Unfortunately, these methods by themselves still leave most of the pollution in the air. An electronic air cleaner is the most efficient way to enjoy healthier, cleaner air. In fact, it can remove up to 95% of the dirt, bacteria, viruses and other contaminants you're now breathing.

Basically, an electronic air cleaner removes particles from the air in two ways. First, a screen filters out the larger particles. Then the air passes through an ionization chamber, which essentially "magnetizes" the airborne contaminants so that they are attracted by and adhere to collector plates. efficient to operate, an electronic air cleaner requires less energy than a light bulb- and upkeep is simple too. You simply run the filter through your dishwasher or hose it off seasonally. All In all, giving the air you and your family breathe "special treatment" can go a long way to creating the comfortable, healthful environment we all deserve in our homes.

Contact us at plupson@acca-ncc.org

© 1996 ACCA-NCC

Last Updated: June 11, 2001
Updated By: PSL