How to Keep Your Home HVAC from Spreading the Flu

Coughing—it’s the worst thing to hear in the dead of winter. Illness is an unfortunate reality of colder months, but when you or a loved one brings home COVID-19, the flu, or even just a common cold, you might wonder how you can protect the rest of your household. The best defense is good indoor air quality. Beyond regularly scheduled HVAC maintenance, there are many ways to keep your air clean. From installing advanced air filters to increasing the humidity of your home, here is how you can best prepare your residential HVAC system for flu season.

Coughing—it’s the worst thing to hear in the dead of winter. Illness is an unfortunate reality of colder months, but when you or a loved one brings home COVID-19, the flu, or even just a common cold, you might wonder how you can protect the rest of your household. The best defense is good indoor air quality. Beyond regularly scheduled HVAC maintenance, there are many ways to keep your air clean. From installing advanced air filters to increasing the humidity of your home, here is how you can best prepare your residential HVAC system for flu season.

1. Regular HVAC Maintenance
   Are your air ducts clean? This is the first question you should ask heading into winter. Clean air ducts reduce the amount of particulate matter circulating throughout the household, and allow your residential HVAC system to move air more efficiently. Get a head start by scheduling maintenance with one of our HVAC technicians.
2. Efficient Filters
   If sickness is already in your home, how can you keep it from spreading? Regularly replacing air filters is a simple way to ensure better indoor air quality. As an alternative to disposable HVAC filters, consider installing a synthetic filter such as the QuikBox^™ Media Cabinet from Trane. The QuikBox^™ is 25 times more effective at removing dust, pet hair, and viruses than disposable filters. It’s also budget-friendly and quick to install.
3. Whole Home Cleaners
   Take your indoor air quality a step further with a whole home air cleaner. These work at a microscopic level to reduce viruses like Influenza A by up to 99.98%, as well as bacteria and mold. Systems like the Trane CleanEffects^® Whole Home Air Cleaner use an electrical charge to trap particles and remove them from the flow of air. Even if you have a sick loved one in another room, you can breathe easy knowing your HVAC system is working hard to eliminate microscopic threats.
4. Humidifiers for a More Comfortable Home Environment
   After using your home HVAC to maximize indoor air quality, what else can you do to take care of your household during flu season? Humidity control is key. Dry air often worsens the symptoms of cold and flu viruses, causing chapped lips and dry skin. Dry air also shrinks virus particles, causing them to stay suspended in the air longer. Raise the humidity in your home with a Trane Fan-Powered Humidifier. By increasing household humidity, you’ll ease cold and flu symptoms and help prevent the spread of viruses.

This winter, stay ahead of sickness by bolstering your residential HVAC system. Install advanced filters, integrate a whole home cleaning system, and introduce a fan-powered humidifier to comfort those who are ill. These simple upgrades can make a big difference in the health of your household. Call True Blue today to schedule routine HVAC maintenance, or to ask us about installing a system to improve indoor air quality.