Tips to Improve Air Quality at Home

Updated: 3/31/2022

What is light as a feather but even the world's strongest person couldn't hold it for more than five minutes? If you guessed 'your breath,' then you're right! We take about 20,000 breaths each day, yet the air we breathe is often unnoticed.

In fact, most people spend about 90% of their life indoors, but if you were asked what's in the air you breathe – would you know? Test your knowledge and see if you know more than the people in this video.

How to improve filtration:

• 1. Use a furnace filter that has a high Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV). The ratings were set by the HVAC industry and are used as a standard to define a filter’s ability to capture airborne particles from the air. Learn more here. 
• 2. Adjust settings on your thermostat to run your fan and circulate your air intermittently (as opposed to only circulating the air when your furnace or air conditioning unit is heating or cooling the house). This will help run the air through the filtration system and freshen your air more regularly.
• 3. Change your 1-inch filter monthly, or you can change your 4-inch filter every 3-4 months. Sign up to have them delivered automatically so you’ll remember to replace regularly.
• 4. Upgrade your heating/cooling system by adding: a UV Air Purifier with the AirBright Odor Absorption System that can reduce airborne and surface contaminants like mold, bacteria and viruses in the duct system. And also upgrade from your disposable filter to a Whole-House Electronic Air Cleaner, which can capture a significant amount of airborne particles as they pass through the system.

How to improve ventilation:

• 5. Bring fresh air in and cycle out the old – open a window or run the bath fan.
• 6. Add a Fresh Air Ventilation System to the home to help reduce carbon monoxide levels and help improve indoor air quality.
• 7.Upgrade your home’s command center (the thermostat). Resideo offers Honeywell Home thermostats that allow for configuring ventilation to suit your needs and the season on an on-going basis.

How to balance humidification and dehumidification:

• 8. Check for leaky pipes, faucets or standing water in your home; that could be impacting your relative humidity.
• 9. Ask a professional to install a whole-home solution: not just something you plug in that treats one room. It should be installed on your heating/cooling system to treat the air circulating through the home's air duct system.
• 10. Ensure that your smart thermostat – the command center for your indoor air quality – can manage and monitor your HVAC and that it’s calibrated properly to control your whole-home solutions.

To learn more about the air in your home and to find the right indoor air quality solutions, take this short quiz or contact a professional to run an air quality assessment. Learn more at resideo.com/knowyourair.