Dust is inevitable. Over 90 percent of it comes from our bodies, furniture and clothes. Our skin sheds thousands of microscopic flakes every day. Our furniture and clothes shed tiny fibers every second. So what’s the good news? Getting rid of the dust and debris doesn’t have to be all that hard. Here are three tips that make it easy:

1. Change your furnace filter. A clogged filter loses its ability to trap dust. The dust finds its way into your furnace and back into your air. It also forces your furnace to work harder than it should. Ask your furnace service technician to recommend the MERV filter that’s best for your system and also ask him how often you should change it. A MERV 7 or 8 pleated filter is sufficient for most furnaces. These filters catch 80 to 95 percent of particulate matter that’s 5 microns or larger. If members of your family have respiratory problems, you may need a filter that’s MERV 11 or higher.

2. Don’t spread the dust. A feather duster just spreads the dust around your house. Use a damp rag or static-charged cleaning cloth to trap the dust. Also, use an agitator-type vacuum on carpets and a suction-type vacuum on hardwood. Shake area rugs outside.

3. Clean the air while you vacuum. If you have a good dust-trapping filter on your furnace, turn your fan on while you vacuum, and keep it on for 15 minutes after you’ve finished. Your vacuum inevitably kicks up some dust. Pulling it into your furnace filter traps it and keeps it from settling on another surface.

These are just a few of the smart ways to make cleaning up dust easy. If you have any questions, contact New River Heating and Air. We’ve served customers in the New River Valley since 1986. We can offer you information about air purifiers and filters, as well as heating and cooling systems. Give us a call. We’re happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

New River Heating and Air services the New River Valley area in Virginia. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!