Touchstone Heating & Air Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Indoor Air Quality’ Category

Allergy Season Will Soon be Here: Here’s How We Can Help

Monday, January 24th, 2022
tulips-in-spring

Struggling with allergies? Making improvements to the air quality at home can help. We’ll explain the dangers you may be facing with your indoor air quality, as well as ways we can help you improve the situation.

Allergens

Allergens are substances that trigger allergic reactions. Allergens can be found in the air in an indoor environment. Furniture and floors also absorb allergens. Can you guess what’s in your air? It’s like a mix of bacteria, dust, mold, pollen, and volatile organic compounds—all of which are allergy triggers.

At-home allergy and asthma management begins with the air we breathe at home. Pollen and mold can trigger symptoms when people suffer from allergies. But dust and pet hair can cause the air in your home to be very poor. There is a possibility that the air quality inside your home is worse than outside. According to the EPA, indoor air pollution levels can often exceed 2 to 5 times the levels found outdoors, which is the opposite of what most people believe. Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks in the country. Most people in the US spend 90% of their time indoors, between work, home, and visiting different places. If you’re worried about air quality at home or need air conditioning in Macclenny, FL, we’re here for you.

Allergy Season

With allergy season fast approaching, it is absolutely essential to keep the indoor air quality up to mark, especially since many children have been home-bound during the school year. The allergy season typically begins in the spring and lasts until fall. However, different allergens appear at different times of the year. In the springtime, tree pollen is the most common allergen, followed by weeds and grasses. May is the worst for allergy sufferers because trees, grass, and weeds all pump out allergens at the same time. This marks the beginning of peak allergy season, which lasts through July. Children and adults alike should avoid being exposed to allergens as much as possible. Avoid being outside when there is a high pollen count.

Getting Control of Your Indoor Air Quality

It’s more important now than ever to maintain healthy indoor air quality. Getting rid of allergens and irritants from your home is the best way to improve your air quality. Lowering humidity also minimizes mold and dust mite growth. A central air conditioner reduces humidity, too. You can now schedule an indoor air quality test with our team at Touchstone and we’ll help you find solutions that will make the upcoming allergy season more bearable.

We offer help installing air filters, air purifiers, and UV germicidal lights, all of which target specific allergens. We’ll find the right combination of indoor air quality devices to give your house the healthiest air possible.

Whether you need help with your indoor air quality or want to start your journey towards cleaner and healthier indoor air, our team of indoor air quality experts is standing by to help.

Call Touchstone Heating & Air Inc 24/7 for exceptional customer service!

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What Are the Best Ways to Have Better Indoor Air Quality for My Home?

Monday, July 26th, 2021

family-in-homeIndoor air quality (IAQ) has never been more on the forefront of people’s minds than now. But poor IAQ has troubled homes for the last few decades: as construction creates more airtight houses to boost energy efficiency, indoor contaminants have fewer ways to escape, and less fresh air sweeps through to help keep the air clean. Chances are high that if you’re concerned about the IAQ of your house, you have good reason.

Thankfully, you can find great help to improve your home’s indoor air quality. Our technicians have more than two decades of experience working to help North Central Florida homes enjoy the best IAQ. We’ve listed below a number of ways to improve your home’s air quality. 

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Battling VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in Your House

Monday, April 5th, 2021

clouds-in-skyWhen you think of harmful or irritating particles in your home’s air, what comes to mind first? Probably dust, dander, bacteria, viruses, and mold spores. These are all problems for indoor air quality and we recommend using air filters or a special air purifier in Alachua, FL to combat them.

But one common pollutant may not be on your list: volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It’s a big term, and one worth knowing because VOCs are major problems for indoor air quality. We’ll explain more below.

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Is an Air Purifier Necessary If I Already Have Air Filters?

Monday, January 11th, 2021

air-filterBefore we go further in answering this question, we want to make sure we know what you mean by “air filters.” If you’re referring to the air filter on your HVAC cabinet, the one you’re supposed to change every one to three months, then you don’t have an actual air cleaning system of any kind in place. This filter isn’t in place for better indoor air quality but to protect the interior of the HVAC system from dust and debris. The type of air filters you need for improved indoor air quality are specialized air filtration systems, and that’s something you can call us for. These filters are the best place to start when you’re looking to improve indoor air quality for your house.

If you already have a set of these types of filters, then it does make sense for you to wonder if they’re enough. Maybe you need an air purifier in Alachua, FL for the best IAQ.

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How Phenomenal Aire Can Help Your Home’s Air Quality

Monday, August 24th, 2020

man-relaxing-in-chairThe air quality in your home is probably worse than you would like it to be. We know this because most homes in the US suffer from poor indoor air quality. How bad is it? The air indoors is two to five times worse than the air outside on average. Your home’s air may be filled with bacteria, mold spores, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), allergens such as pollen and dander, odor molecules, and much more that you don’t want.

There are several ways our indoor air quality professionals can help you enjoy fresher and cleaner air in your house. One of our favorite methods is to install Phenomenal Aire in Lake City, FL homes. This is an affordable, safe, effective, and long-lasting air purification system that removes the most harmful pollutants from a house.

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Tips for Controlling High Humidity Indoors

Monday, June 29th, 2020

heat-wave-fanFlorida is notorious for its high humidity, and we can expect to see relative humidity levels over 60% on most days, which is the point where the moisture in the air will have a negative impact on comfort. When you combine relative humidity above 60% with days above 90°F, it can make it difficult to scrape through the day, even with the best and most reliable air conditioning system.

You can improve your indoor air quality in Macclenny, FL with a number of steps and by arranging for service from our IAQ team. Below we have some tips for lowering indoor humidity.

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Indoor Air Quality in Homes Is Worse Than Ever—Here’s Why

Monday, May 18th, 2020

woman-with-allergiesYou’re staying indoors much more these days. Probably much more than you ever expected or ever wanted. So it’s a good time to talk about indoor air quality—starting with the bad news.

Indoor air quality is worse today than ever before. In fact, studies in residential and commercial buildings have discovered that the air quality indoors is often three to four times worse than the air quality outdoors. That sounds like it goes against the basics of the idea of “air pollution,” but it’s a fact. Your own indoor air may be making your comfort and health worse, and that walk outside could do you some good.

But you still have to be indoors much of the time, so learning more about indoor air quality in Gainesville, FL and how to improve it is extremely worthwhile.

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Duct Cleaning and Other Ways to Help With Allergy Season

Monday, March 23rd, 2020

family-in-yard-before-frame-houseSpring brings warm weather, but it’s also the season when people who have allergies to grass and pollen suffer from hay fever the most. The warmer weather causes plant blooms, and the pollen count shoots into the stratosphere. It can even be an uncomfortable time for non-allergy and asthma sufferers.

You can take various medications to help deal with the symptoms that come with allergy season. There are also ways to attack the source of the problem, at least inside your own home. One of the most effective of these services is duct cleaning in Gainesville, FL, particularly if you’ve never arranged for this service before.

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Bettering Winter Indoor Air Quality

Monday, December 2nd, 2019

air-filterMaking it through winter in comfort here in North Central Florida is rarely a problem—at least when it comes to keeping warm. Low temperatures are rare, and heating systems don’t have to stretch hard to get the job done.

But there’s another aspect to comfort that can become trouble during our winters, and that’s the quality of the air in our homes. Because our houses are usually well-sealed against the outdoor air (making it easier to stay warm, even without the heater running), there’s little chance of fresh air currents to sweep out the stale indoor air and its pollutants. Your house may end up with stuffy air filled with dust, lint, germs, chemicals, and other unwelcome particles.

However, you have ways to improve your air quality during winter. Our technicians offer indoor air quality services that can make your air quality as pleasant as your indoor temperatures.

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Is an Air Filter Enough for Healthier Air in My Home?

Monday, October 7th, 2019

air-fliter-cuIf you found your way to this blog, it’s probably because you know your house, like many houses in Florida, has poorer air quality than you would like. Homes today are often built so tightly that there is little chance for the circulation of fresh air, and even less chance in a warm climate like ours.

What’s the best solution to combat low indoor air quality? Air filtration systems are one of the basic solutions for removing the unwanted particles circulating through a house—but is an air filter enough for your house? Let’s take a look.

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