Reducing Dust in Your Home Using Your HVAC System

Dust inside the home is a common problem, from coating surfaces and fabrics to causing allergies and asthma flare-ups. While there are many sources of dust in your home, there are also many ways to bring dust and other airborne particles under control. Your HVAC service can help you put various solutions in place to reduce dust in your home for a cleaner and healthier environment.

Increase Your Furnace Filter’s MERV Rating

Changing your furnace filter regularly—every one to three months—is a good way to reduce dust and other airborne particles inside your home. However, a clean filter may not be everything you need to reduce dust. All air filters are given a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating. The higher this rating, the smaller the particles it will prevent from passing through the filter itself. MERV ratings run from one to sixteen, so check your filter’s current MERV rating and consider purchasing a filter with a higher rating to block out smaller particles and keep your home’s indoor air cleaner. It is important to note that filters with a higher MERV rating can also restrict airflow through your HVAC system because their meshwork is smaller—before you drastically increase your furnace filter’s MERV rating, it’s best to contact your HVAC service and ask for recommendations.

Use Your HVAC Fan After Cleaning

Oftentimes, cleaning activities such as dusting can disrupt dust from surfaces and launch it into the air, where it can travel through your home and settle elsewhere. One of the easiest ways to reduce dust in your home is simply to turn on your HVAC fan after dusting or vacuuming by switching your thermostat from “auto” to “on.” This allows your HVAC system’s filter to remove any airborne dust from your home before it can settle or continue to circulate through your home. No heating or cooling is necessary, so you won’t use excess energy by using your HVAC fan alone to prompt air circulation after cleaning.

Install an Electric Air Cleaner

An electric air cleaner is an HVAC accessory designed to remove dust and other airborne particles from your home’s air more efficiently than a passive furnace filter. These whole-home air cleaners use electricity to remove particles as small as those removed by the highest-rated MERV filters without affecting airflow through your HVAC system. Electric air cleaners may use one of two techniques to remove dust from your air. Some systems use a set of charged plates to attract particles to the plates, rather than allowing these particles to pass through your ducts. These systems should be disassembled and cleaned every two to four months, but the components never require replacement. Alternatively, some systems use an electrically-charged filter to attract charged particles; this electrostatic filter must be replaced every one to two years to maintain the system’s efficiency.

Your HVAC system can help you reduce indoor dust to enjoy a home that is easier to clean and air that is healthier to breathe. Please stop by our website to learn more about HVAC accessories and indoor air quality in Columbus, OH, or to check out the latest HVAC news and homeowners’ tips on our blog.