How to Reduce Flu/Colds

The winter cold and flu season is well underway. What home defenses have you set up to protect your family? While clearing clutter and vacuuming can make your home appear neat and tidy, cold and flu particles remain unseen, lingering in the air and on surfaces you and your family touch. How can you defend yourselves, reducing the prevalence of cold and flu particles in your home?

Reduce Viruses in Your Home with these Tips

While the flu shot is a great first line of defense, learning how to improve indoor air quality in your home is crucial to avoiding winter cold and flu bugs.

1. Keep humidity levels in check.
   More than your skin is affected by the dry climate of the winter months when humidity levels can plummet as low as 10%. At this time, people spend far more time indoors, and in this dry climate, particles remain airborne far longer than at moderate humidity levels. Studies show, by keeping your home in the optimal relative humidity range of 35-50% with the help of a whole house humidifier, you can reduce the incidence of cold and flu viruses lingering in the air by up to 30%. This is an easy way to thwart the spread of germs and other debris to hard surfaces throughout your home, such as countertops, furnishings, faucets, and door handles.
2. Outfit your HVAC with an air purifier.
   Though disinfecting the surfaces throughout your home can help you remove particulates on hard surfaces, it is essential to consider the air you and your family are breathing within your home. Incorporating a whole-house air purification system into your HVAC equipment ensures clean air throughout your home, providing fresh, clean air. Air purifiers circulate the air in your home several times per hour. The most effective systems include a HEPA home air filter. Doctors and allergists recommend these because they remove the smallest microbes from the air, including dust, pollen, mold, dander, and cold and flu viruses.
3.  Use UV light technology.
   The best indoor air quality systems for your heating system not only utilize HEPA filtration, but incorporate germicidal UV air purifier technology as well. How does UV light improve the air quality in your home? Exposure to UV light inactivates or kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
4. Regularly disinfect hard surfaces.
   Regularly disinfecting hard surfaces throughout your home remains one of the most effective methods of battling cold and flu within the home. In addition to the usual surfaces such as countertops and doorknobs, don’t forget high-touch items such as cell phones, tablets, and TV remotes. Remove germs with simple soap and water, or look for products labeled as effective against Influenza A.
5. Wash linens frequently.
   Viruses live longer on porous surfaces, so don’t neglect the regular washing of linens.
6. Ensure a healthy, happy home and family. Learn more about improving the indoor air quality in your home with the help of your local air conditioning company. Contact H & H Heating & Air Conditioning today.

This blog was originally posted on https://www.delcohvac.com/how-to-reduce-flu-colds/