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Cold weather keeps windows shut and forces heating systems to run longer, trapping dust, dander, and other irritants inside your home. Poor indoor air quality can lead to sore throats, headaches, and restless nights.
In winter, when pollen and outdoor pollutants drop, indoor contaminants take center stage and demand attention. At A/C Plus Heating & Cooling in Murfreesboro, TN, we help families understand and tackle their unique air challenges during this season.
How Winter Weather Impacts Your Home’s Air
When chilly winds sweep through Tennessee, you close windows and seal gaps to lock in warmth. Your furnace or heat pump kicks in, circulating air through the same ducts day and night. That constant cycling stirs up dust in your ductwork and pulls pet dander from carpets into living spaces. Reduced ventilation means stale air stays trapped, raising levels of carbon dioxide and airborne particles.
Kitchens and bathrooms generate moisture and odors that linger longer, and fireplace soot can further contribute. Since indoor heating lowers humidity, dry air can aggravate sinuses and make small particles feel more irritating. Recognizing that winter forces a different approach to managing your indoor air quality can help you plan practical steps to refresh what you breathe.
Common Winter Pollutants Lurking Indoors
Indoor air carries more than just dust. In winter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) rise from paints, cleaning sprays, and scented products. Gas furnaces or fireplaces can release carbon monoxide (CO) or nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) if they’re malfunctioning — serious hazards that require detection and monitoring. Household mold may grow behind drywall or beneath carpets, feeding on excess moisture from showers or cooking.
Pet hair and dander circulate more when heating systems run often. These contaminants can worsen allergies, asthma, or other respiratory conditions. Identifying the pollutants in your home helps you choose the right filters, cleaners, and maintenance steps.
Signs Your Indoor Air Needs Attention
You might notice poor air quality even without a monitor. Scratchy throats, frequent headaches, or sinus congestion that worsen indoors but ease outside may signal high dust or chemical levels.
If family members cough or sneeze more near heating vents, filters or ducts may need cleaning. Musty odors in closets or basements suggest moisture and mold. Static shocks when touching doorknobs in winter signal low humidity, which makes airborne particles more mobile and irritating.
Observing these clues helps you decide when to boost ventilation, upgrade filtration, or call professionals to uncover hidden issues.
Effective Filtration and Ventilation Strategies
Upgrading to a high-efficiency filter captures more particles than standard fiberglass filters. MERV-rated filters between 8 and 13 strike a good balance between airflow and filtration for most homes. Paired with regular filter changes every three months — or sooner with pets or allergies — they keep your system efficient and your air cleaner.
Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) or energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) bring in fresh outdoor air while retaining most of the heat or humidity. Whole-house air purifiers installed in your ductwork can remove bacteria, viruses, and fine particles.
Spot-venting in bathrooms and kitchens with exhaust fans prevents excess moisture where mold thrives. Together, these strategies reduce winter pollutants while keeping your home comfortable.
Humidification and Temperature Balance
Winter heating dries out indoor air, often dropping humidity below healthy levels. Connecting a whole-house humidifier to your furnace adds moisture evenly across rooms.
That extra humidity makes the air feel warmer, allowing you to lower your thermostat a degree or two and save energy. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends keeping indoor humidity between 30% and 50%. Higher levels invite mold and dust mites, while lower levels cause dry skin and irritation.
Regular Maintenance for Cleaner Air
Your HVAC system needs seasonal checkups to stay healthy. Call a professional in the fall to prepare your furnace or heat pump for colder weather. They’ll ensure components are clean, filters are fresh, and the system is operating safely.
Have ductwork inspected and sealed to prevent attic or crawlspace air from mixing into your system. Regular maintenance prevents small issues from becoming costly repairs, ensures efficiency, and keeps your air as healthy as possible through winter.
Professional IAQ Services and Solutions
Sometimes deeper issues require expert solutions. Indoor air quality professionals measure particle counts, humidity, and gas levels to pinpoint problems. They can perform duct cleaning with specialized vacuums and antimicrobial treatments to remove settled dust and mold.
Options like UV-C lamps in ductwork neutralize airborne pathogens, while carbon filters remove chemical vapors from cleaners or paints. For stubborn issues, zoning or customized ventilation systems let you manage airflow and freshness room by room.
Simple Air Quality Boosters
Alongside professional help, you can take everyday steps to improve air:
- Place washable vent covers in high-traffic rooms to catch fibers before they spread.
- Replace scented candles and plug-ins with odor absorbers that don’t emit chemicals.
- Use baking soda to neutralize odors naturally.
- Add air-cleaning plants like spider plants or peace lilies (though their impact is modest compared to filters).
- Run a portable HEPA purifier in bedrooms to improve sleep quality.
- Empty and clean vacuum attachments regularly to avoid redistributing dust.
Managing Wood-Burning Stoves and Fireplaces Safely
A crackling fire adds warmth and ambiance, but wood stoves and fireplaces release fine soot and smoke if not maintained properly. Inspect chimney flues each fall to remove creosote buildup, which blocks airflow and increases fire risk.
A professional chimney sweep ensures chimney caps and spark arrestors are intact to keep animals and debris out. When burning, use seasoned hardwoods, which burn hotter and cleaner than softwoods or green logs.
Avoid smoldering fires, which create excessive smoke, and keep fireplace doors or screens closed to limit particle spread indoors. A small HEPA purifier placed nearby can capture stray ash. Regularly remove ash from the firebox and clean around the hearth to keep dust from spreading into your home.
Your Winter Air Quality Partner
Maintaining healthy air during Tennessee’s winter keeps your family comfortable and safe. We offer indoor air testing, filtration upgrades, and ventilation solutions to improve your air quality.
When you’re ready to breathe easier this season, contact A/C Plus Heating & Cooling to handle every detail.
