Could Your Heating System Be Adding Dust To Your Home?

Have you ever noticed dust in your home not long after doing a thorough cleaning and wondered why? Believe it or not, the culprit could be your home heating system.

That’s right: one possible source of excess dust in your home could be your forced-air heating equipment. The good news is, if that’s the case, is that there are some easy ways to fix the problem.

Reducing Dust In Your Home

Here are five ways you can minimize dust in your home:

1. Clean thoroughly. Vacuum floors using a HEPA filter vacuum once a week, and mop hardwood floors with white vinegar and water. This isn’t just to remove dust from your floors – it’s also to reduce the burden on your furnace air filters (see #2).
2. Change air filters regularly. Furnace air filters are designed to remove dust and debris from the air – and they do a really good job of it. The problem is that they do their job so well that if you don’t change your filters regularly, you could end up needing a heating repair – the consequence of your furnace overworking to push air through a clogged filter. Check your air filter a minimum of once per month during peak heating season, replacing it when necessary.
3. Maintain your equipment. With proper care, your equipment will keep the air clear and moving throughout your Hudson Valley home.
4. Consider sealing your ducts. Holes or cracks in your ductwork can draw dust into your home – unfortunately, many of those cracks and holes can’t be easily seen. To solve the problem and reduce the amount of dust circulating in your house, you need professional duct sealing – an investment that could be worthwhile, considering that anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the air you pay to cool or heat also gets lost via duct leaks.
5. Maintain healthy humidity levels. Dust flows freely through dry air – which means it will travel much farther in an over-dry home. Properly humidified air – produced with the help of a high-quality whole house humidifier – can reduce the movement of dust in your ducts, and throughout your home.

Keep your home comfortable throughout heating season with reliable heating oil deliveries in Dutchess, Columbia, Orange, Sullivan, Delaware, Greene, and Ulster counties from the pros at Economy Oil. Contact us today to become an Economy Oil customer!