Indoor Plants Can Clean Your Air
Whether you like to work in your yard, garden or enjoy the natural beauty around you there’s something in common: plants. You trim vegetation, plant flowers or other greenery, or notice the assortment of plant life around your home. Before winter weather sets in, bring some plants indoors. Together with an efficient air conditioning system, you can improve the indoor air quality in your home.
Your home’s air is polluted every day by harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Did you know plants can reduce the number of VOCs in your house by absorbing them? There are some plants identified by scientists which enhance your indoor air better than others.
Air quality can improve with air conditioning maintenance tips too. Read on to learn how you can improve your home environment this fall for your loved ones.
Add Beauty and Purpose to Your Home with These Plants
Several different plants will absorb the VOCs in your house and leave you with fresh air throughout the day. These plants absorb airborne contaminants through tiny openings on their leaves, using their roots and the bacteria in the soil to purify the air.
Common plants to keep indoors for most improved air quality include:
- Snake plant, or Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
- Areca Palm
- Money Plant
- Chinese Evergreen
- Flamingo Lily
- English Ivy
- Peace Lily
- Red-Edged Dracaena
- Florist’s Chrysanthemum.
Use plants inside your home to help control pollutants affecting your health. It’s likely you will notice fewer headaches, eye irritations, and respiratory problems.
Harmful chemicals are removed from indoor air using plants every day, such as:
- Xylene: Causes mouth irritation and headaches when exposed in small doses. Long-term effects will lead to heart, kidney and liver problems.
- Ammonia: This chemical causes throat and eye irritation and promotes coughing.
- Trichloroethylene: Exposure to this chemical causes nausea, vomiting, headaches, loss of consciousness and coma.
- Benzene: Exposure on a small scale produces eye irritations, confusion, accelerated heartbeat and headaches. High doses of benzene cause loss of consciousness.
- Formaldehyde: A wide range of problems, including irritations of the nose and mouth and swelling in the lung and larynx.
Clean Air Conditioning Filter Throughout the Year
Your air conditioning filter is responsible for trapping and eliminating allergens, dust and other pollutants. Check your filter every month for excess dirt. If you notice it’s dirty or clogged, replace it.
This avoids contaminants circulating around your home when your HVAC system operates. If you are unsure how to change your filter, contact Douglas Cooling & Heating for help.
Our NATE-certified technicians will inspect your filter and replace it when necessary, including when maintenance is performed.
Air Conditioning Maintenance Key to Healthy Indoor Air
You can improve your indoor air quality by scheduling preventative maintenance on your air conditioning unit before and after summer. Preventative maintenance clears away dirt, dust or other debris accumulated inside the air conditioning equipment.
When a unit remains dirty, the buildup gets transferred throughout the ductwork. Then it continues to circulate through the vents into your home.
If you’ve felt your family can’t shake a virus, consider the airborne particulates repeatedly circulating through your air conditioning. Maintenance also ensures your air conditioning system:
- Operates safely by inspecting the air conditioning unit for irregularities indicating potential breakdowns later.
- Increases efficiency, so your energy bills are lower.
- Reduces the number of unexpected and expensive air conditioning repairs.
- Prolongs the lifespan of your air conditioning equipment. Service visits identify and can replace components which show increased signs of wear and tear.
- Improves the reliability of your air conditioning unit. You can rest easy when the heat and humidity rise.
Keep your home’s indoor air clean and healthy. Use plants and schedule maintenance on your air conditioning unit. Clean air is more than an air filter change every few months. Call Douglas Cooling & Heating today to schedule service on your air conditioning unit. You’ll be glad you did!
