Bad Air in the Cache Valley Winter is Hard on Your Breathing

Boy, it’s getting cold fast. Winter is on its way now and that means it’s time to prepare.  While everybody thinks about getting winter clothes and snow shovels, let’s not forget about the problem of bad air quality. The cold weather can be unpleasant, but the bad air makes it miserable. And that’s not the only problem, either.

Cold And Flu Season Make it Hard To Breathe Easy

People associate the cold with, well, getting a cold. That might even be the reason why we call certain symptoms “a cold” to begin with. In truth, the cold doesn’t have anything to do with it – at least not directly. The cold actually slows the spread of most bacteria. It does, however, make us stay indoors, leaving us cramped together in a confined space. If anyone gets sick in the winter, everybody will get sick because there’s just no getting away from them. If your home has poor circulation, that makes it even worse.

Pollution Skyrockets During Cache Valley Winters

The Cache Valley inversion is one of the biggest contributors to bad air in Cache Valley. It’s not accurate to say that air pollution actually goes up, though. What really happens is that cold air prevents the air pollution from leaving the valley, so it builds up. You can reduce this by cutting down on driving and car pooling as much as you can when you do need to drive. You can cut down on burning wood, if you have a wood burning stove. Even so, it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to avoid the bad air.

Bad air is just the beginning of winter troubles, though.

Winter is Fire Season

While most people think of wildfires in the summer, statistically speaking, winter is the most common season for house fires. Attempts to keep the house warm can often backfire if you aren’t careful.  Be sure to review the basic safety precautions.

Heating Costs Are On the Rise

Not only does heating increase the risks of fire, costs of heating are going to rise. All predictions are that we can expect the costs of natural gas we use in our heaters to increase dramatically this year. Keeping our houses warm is going to be expensive.

How Can Easy Breezy Help With the Bad Air?

We can absolutely give you a hand with some of these problems. Good air circulation is the key to keeping the air quality in your house up. Cleaning out your air ducts will help with that circulation, as will changing the air filters on your vents. While you’ll have to tend to the fire safety precautions on your own, we can help reduce the risk of fire by cleaning out your dryer vents. You should also get your HVAC and furnace cleaned out as well.

This will help with the cost of heating, too. Having clean ducts and a clean HVAC system means that the air flow becomes more efficient. Your system will have to do less work to heat the house up, meaning you’ll use less gas. Cleaning your dryer vents will also help cut down on energy costs, as the improved air flow will mean your clothes dry faster. Each of these will have only a small effect on your overall air quality and energy costs, but taken together they can lead to a big difference.

While cleaning your ducts won’t prevent you from getting sick, it can help with that in other ways. Bad air can aggravate your lungs and sinuses, especially if you have allergies. If the air in your home isn’t good, it can make a cold feel much worse and leave you with a sore throat or stuffy nose for days after the other symptoms are gone. So, anything that helps you get better quality air in your home will ease your troubles with sickness.

Bonus Tip: Check Your Vents For Toys

Kids love playing around vents. If they can get the vents open, they often love to put toys inside them. This can impede the air flow a bit, but it also means that your vents are being opened regularly. That means dust can get in. Before winter comes, give your vents a quick inspection to make sure this isn’t happening. If you find toys in your vents, then have a chat with your kids about why they shouldn’t be playing in the vents.

Give Us A Call

If you want to make sure you’ve got the best chance at good air quality in your home, give us a call. We’ll give you a full inspection and see what might cause issues for you over the winter. Then we’ll get your ducts cleaned out so that’s no longer a worry for you. While we’re at it, we can clean your dryer vents, too. You’ll still need to call in a professional to clean your furnace, but we can do a lot to make sure your air circulation is at its best for those few months where you’re stuck shut in the house.

So schedule an appointment with us today!