Published: November 25, 2008 08:16 pm      

Keeping it clean

Breathing fresh indoor air at home

Clean indoor air doesn’t just happen, the experts say.

For those with asthma or allergies, ensuring that the air they breathe indoors is free of pollens and other allergens takes only a few steps.

With the onset of winter and the sealing up of windows and doors to stop drafts, it’s important to maintain regular house-cleaning schedules.

For those with pets, the International Alliance for Animal Therapy and Healing has good tips on its Web site: http://www.iaath.com/tipsforcleanindoorair.htm.

Here are the IAATH’s recommendations:

• Vacuum where possible, including under the beds, on drapes and moldings.

• Wrap pillows and mattresses in allergen-protective covers and vacuum them, regularly.

• Wash your bed linens in hot (130 degree) water to kill dust mites and their eggs.

• Deep clean carpets and floors once every season.

• Get an indoor air purifier to remove airborne pollutants.

• Keep humidity to 50 percent or less. A humidifier will help you keep a cool and dry home.

• Try to sleep without your pets.

• Keep your dust-catcher collections — stuffed animals, other knicknacks — to a manageable minimum.

Electronic air cleaners are a good way to ensure clean air, said Jim Webb of Webb Heating Cooling & Electrical. The firm is located at 360 East Grafton Road.

“The best thing to do is to get some type of electronic air cleaner,” he said. “We like the Aprilare 5000.”

The cleaner comes with a high-density filter. It is installed in a home’s heating-and-cooling system.

Another good idea is installing an ultraviolet light in the ductwork near the air conditioner, Webb said. “It usually goes above the A-coil part of the air conditioner.”

He also recommends a humidifier to keep the indoor humidity to between 40 percent to 43 percent.

“A humidifier in the ductwork will even let you turn the temperature down in the winter,” Webb said.

Glenn Vandergrift, a sales associate at Aultman’s Distributors Plumbing & Heating at 534 Virginia Ave., said a good air filter, preferably pleated, will also cut pollen and animal dust.

“You definitely want to change the filter as scheduled,” Vandergrift said.

Aultman’s also carries Carrier electronic air cleaners, he said.

Air purifiers are the latest remedy, said Mark Hendershot of Hendershot Heating & Cooling Inc. The firm is located at 2026 Pleasant Valley Road.

“Air purifiers do a multitude of things,” Hendershot said. An air purifier combines the good effects of an electronic air cleaner and the use of an ultraviolet light.

Using patented germicidal technology, an air purifier kills anything alive in the air, “viruses, mold, mildews and bacteria,” he said.

As the air goes through the purifier, a filter traps the tiny troublemakers.

“It kills the allergen and then captures it,” Hendershot said.

“It seems like everybody is allergic to something these days.”

E-mail Bill Byrd at bbyrd@timeswv.com.