Is Your Air Conditioner Making Your Allergies Worse?

When you think about potential asthma triggers in your home, your home’s air conditioner is usually the last thing to come to mind. But the fact is that the air quality inside your home could be even worse for your asthma than the air outside.

Dirty Air Filters Spread Allergens

This is the case when you have dirty air conditioner filters. The air in your home is contaminated with dust, pollen, dander, mold spores, and other particles. Consequently, about 60% of asthma cases are caused by those particles. A good-quality air conditioner filter can help reduce these air contaminants. However, a dirty air conditioner filter has the opposite effect. Air conditioners filter harmful airborne particles from the air before blowing it around your house, yet when your air conditioner’s filter fills up, its efficiency decreases. Thus, air contaminants and asthma triggers are pushed with the air conditioner’s cooled air throughout your house, causing asthma flare-ups.

How Your Air Conditioner Can Reduce Asthma Symptoms

To prevent asthma attacks caused by particles in the air, there are a few precautions you can take.

Keep Your Windows and Doors Closed

Open doors and windows allow more harmful particles to enter your home. Your air conditioner will have to work harder to keep all the particles out of the air, and it may not be as efficient. Even for those who don’t have asthma, dirty air filters can cause unwanted symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, sneezing, red eyes, and respiratory tract infections.

Change Your Air Conditioner Filter Regularly

The more contaminants that are in the filter, the less efficient your filter becomes. Changing your air conditioner’s filter regularly will reduce the number of particles in your home’s air, reducing asthma flare-ups.

Get a High-Quality Pre-filter and Secondary filter

The pre-filter is the filter you change monthly. For families with a member who suffers from asthma, a secondary filter is usually attached. When looking for an air conditioner filter or a filter replacement, you should look for a filter that removes smaller particles from the air. HEPA filters are best for allergy sufferers as they filter out much smaller particles.

Regular air conditioner maintenance is essential for your family’s health, especially for those with asthma and respiratory problems. By using high-quality filters and changing them regularly, you can reduce symptoms and live healthier.

At Getzschman Heating and Air Conditioning, we provide a variety of indoor air solutions, including air filters, air scrubbers, and UV germicidal lamps. Need help? Give us a call at (402) 554-1110 and we’ll be happy to show you your options.