By: Foley’s Heating & AC  

Last year at this time, we were talking about spring cleaning, including filter replacement options for your home’s HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system. 

Little did we know then how prudent that information would be given the year we have all experienced! 

With the virus still as relevant as ever, we’d like to offer some COVID-specific steps to take as you prepare your home for warmer weather, potential gatherings, and protecting your family.  

1) Improve Your Ventilation 

Improving the ventilation in your home is one of the most effective ways to minimize COVID contamination. This is especially important if you have visitors over. When safe and comfortable to do so, open windows and doors to allow for fresh air. Even a cracked window is better than keeping the house closed up.  

Another recommended practice is to set your HVAC fan to “on” versus “auto” when guests are over. Use portable fans to direct airflow outside of the home via open windows and doors.  

2) Replace Your Filters 

Regular filter replacement is more crucial than ever. Consider switching to a pleated filter, as they are more efficient than ordinary ones. 

Ideally, you should have your HVAC system regularly inspected by a professional to ensure it works properly. If your older home or apartment does not have a duct-based HVAC system, or you want additional filtration, consider purchasing a HEPA cleaner (high efficiency particulate air). It is essential to choose a cleaner that matches the area’s size where you are seeking to improve filtration.  

3) Run Your Exhaust Fans  

Another practice you can adopt in your home is regularly running the exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms. Although some kitchen fans do not route air directly to the outside, they still help disperse it. Be sure to leave exhaust fans on for about an hour after visitors have left your home.  

4) Maintain Safe Practices 

Finally, until widespread vaccine distribution has been achieved and health officials have indicated the risk of COVID spread has been reduced to an acceptable level, keep outside visitors to a minimum, and maintain safe practices of social distancing, hand washing, and wearing masks in your home when welcoming guests.