Staying in? Pro tips for healthier air in your home

Even during a mild winter, most of us spend more time indoors and less time breathing the fresh air outside. For some tips on ways to improve the air quality in your home, we spoke to Kevin Ukkonen from Bee’s Knees Plumbing, Heating and Electrical.

Humidifiers, polarized-media area cleaners, and UV light are his top three.

• Humidifiers – Keeping the air less dry and staticky in the winter months adds to the overall comfort of your home and can even make your home feel warmer. A well-maintained humidifier can also help alleviate dry skin, and protect wood flooring and furniture.

• Polarized-Media Air Cleaner – By polarizing and trapping airborne pollutants like dust, mold spores and even particles as small as smoke, a polarized-media air cleaner filters the air significantly better than a regular furnace filter.
  “Polarized-media air cleaners are usually the first thing that people like to do because it’s fairly good bang for the buck, and it’s easy to get done,” Ukkonen told us.

• UV light sanitization system – While furnace filters trap particles, a UV light system is designed to kill microbes. It can help sanitize your home’s air during cold and flu season and help maintain healthier indoor air all year long.

A UV light kills but doesn’t filter, and a polarized-media air cleaner filters but doesn’t kill. Having them work in tandem is ideal, but they offer benefits individually as well.

“If you have these already, you do want to make sure they’re getting maintained,” Ukkonen advised.

Humidifier pads should be changed to ensure the unit isn’t blowing gross, contaminated air through your house. He also pointed out that a UV light that’s older than two years can be on but no longer doing the job. “If you haven’t changed the bulb in two or three years, then it probably needs to be switched out. Otherwise there’s not really any point in having it on.”

Along with supplying and installing, Bee’s Knees also does maintenance like changing regular furnace filters and polarized-media air filters, replacing humidifier pads and replacing UV bulbs.

For more info on improving the air quality in your home or workplace, you can reach Bee’s Knees at 250-800-1373 and online at beeskneesplumbingandheating.ca.