Pets, HVAC and Air Quality: Brushing and Filter Tips for Tempe Clients

We all love the pets we keep in our homes and the joy they bring us, but there are just a few minor accommodations we have to make for many of them — a slight drop in air quality sometimes being one of them. Particularly if your home has anyone with allergies or asthma, but even if not, pet hair, dander and other shedding themes can introduce a few more contaminants and blockers into the air and the HVAC system, and being prepared for this is important.

At Accurate Air, we’re here to help with a wide range of home HVAC services for our Tempe clients, including indoor air quality services like air duct cleaning, air purification and more. What are some of the top tips we often provide to clients who have pets in their home with regard to both keeping air quality high and maintaining their HVAC system? This two-part blog series will look at a number of concepts.

Regular Brushing

One pet-specific theme to regularly address is shedding. All pets shed to some degree, but some drop far more fur, dander and other particles than others. If you have a pet that falls into this category, regular brushing can make a major difference in the amount of these materials that end up in your home’s air supply.

This is particularly true if you’re able to brush your pet outside – though depending on the temperature, this may not always be possible or practical. If you do brush your pet indoors, however, make sure to do so in an area with good ventilation so that particles don’t become trapped there. Fur and dander can also clinging to your clothes, so it’s a good idea to change into different clothes during the brushing process.

Filter Quality

There are a couple areas to think about with regard to your HVAC filters and pets. First, you’ll want to make sure you’re using filters that are high quality and designed to trap smaller particles – especially if you have a pet that sheds frequently. There’s no need to go overboard with the most expensive filter on the market, but do make sure it’s doing its job.

You should also be aware that some pets may be attracted to the smell of certain filters, and will try to eat them if given the chance. This can obviously cause a big problem, both for your pet’s health and for your HVAC system. If you have a pet that seems interested in your filters, keep them out of reach or explore alternative filter options.

Filter Changing

Not only is using the right filter vital, but changing your filter on a regular basis is also key. How often you need to change your filter will depend on both the quality of the filter and the shedding habits of your pet, but it’s generally a good idea to check and possibly change your filter every one to three months.

In part two of our series, we’ll go over some additional tips to consider in this area. For more on how to manage your HVAC system and indoor air quality with pets in the home, or to learn about any of our Tempe HVAC services, contact the pros at Accurate Air today.