Category: Air Quality
October 6, 2025
As the trees start to change colors and the leaves fall in many parts of the US, it is important that you don’t allow your home to fall into bad indoor air quality. Many homes across the US have been enjoying having windows open and fresh air coming into the home as well as spending time outside. As cooler weather starts to arrive, those windows close and more time is spent inside rather than outside. While many celebrate the arrival of sweater weather, the indoor air quality of the home might not be considered. The good news is with a few simple considerations, you can turn that bad indoor air quality to good.
The changing of seasons can serve as a great reminder to clean your fans. Some simple maintenance can ensure that your exhaust fans operate as expected and extend their life. Make sure to read your specific owner’s manual for proper safety and cleaning procedures. In general, a good washing of the grill and vacuuming out the interior of the fan will do the trick. Having a constant exchange of fresh air into your home is vital for good indoor air quality. As we close and seal up our homes for the winter months, we lose that natural air exchange and the air in our homes becomes stagnant, allowing contaminants such as mold, mildew, germs and more to linger in the air we are breathing. When exhaust fans are working and utilized properly, those contaminates are pushed out of the home.
If you have a central air heating or cooling system, it has an air filter. This should be replaced every 3 to six months depending on usage. If you can’t remember the last time you replaced the filter, or if you are only now realizing that your system has a filter – it’s probably time to change it. Dirty filters will not only contribute to bad indoor air quality, they will diminish the effectiveness of the unit, costing you more money.
Many homeowners will bypass this to save a few dollars. A good HVAC technician will be able to identify and repair any deficiencies in your unit’s operation. They will check your filter and replace it if needed, they will also ensure the system is working at optimum efficiency. Another benefit of servicing your unit is they will check for any leaks or anything that could be contributing to bad indoor air quality coming from your system.
For homes that do not have a central HVAC system or for additional air quality to ones that do, adding a portable air filtration unit can be a great option. There are many options on the market today with a wide range of features and costs from something simple like the Lasko FF305 Air Flex to something more advanced like the GermGuardian AC3200 Airsafe+. Our recommendation it to make sure it includes at least a MERV 10 filter. This will filter out most common household contaminates. To learn more about MERV and air filters, click here to read our post Making Sense of What Air Filter to Use.
While there are products out on the market that will monitor your indoor air quality, we feel the best monitor is you. Does your home feel musty? Does your home have some unpleasant odors? Is everyone in your home getting sick more often? These can all be signs of bad indoor air quality that if you identify them quickly and utilize the points listed above, could have a very simple solution. The longer you let it go, the longer it will take to solve.
The changing of seasons to fall and the beautify landscapes, that brisk air and the return of pumpkin spice (okay, we’ll let you determine if pumpkin spice is a good or bad thing) should be a time of joy and not worrying about indoor air quality. By taking the few steps we outlined above we hope you and your home enjoy a healthy fall and winter. To learn more about indoor air quality, please read through our extensive library of blog posts on the subject.
