Many people don’t think about what’s in the surrounding air. We may see dust or particles in the air but brush it away and don’t think twice, assuming it’s an unstoppable force. According to the EPA, Americans spend around 90% of their time indoors, but indoor levels of pollutants can be up to five times higher than outdoor pollutants.

Paying attention to the air quality in your home is vital for the health and safety of your family. Good cleaning practices will help alleviate air quality concerns, eliminate volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and keep you breathing comfortably!

The dust in your home is made of skin cells, pollen, pet dander, and more. It gets kicked up, enters the surrounding air, and viruses, bacteria, and allergens enter your respiratory system. When pet dander enters the air, it can flare up allergies, causing sneezing and itchy eyes, without having touched your pet. 1 in 12 Americans have symptoms of asthma, an inflammatory condition affecting the airway. Dusting surfaces and vacuuming often can pick up dust and keep it from harming the air quality in your home.

Read More: 10 Things to Check Your Air For

Dust doesn’t just settle in the carpet; your air vents are the primary way air moves through your home and they could be spreading contaminated air or even creating it. If odors plague your home from old pet stains, they will be picked up by your HVAC and spread over the house. Dust and pet dander can build up in vents, spreading quickly from room to room. Thus, it’s important every room is given equal care and cleaning.

Certain pests, like mice, might use your vents and leave behind oils, skin cells, and waste that stays in your vents and festers. The results of an infestation could blow harmful bacteria into the surrounding air. Mold spores can also spread through air ducts and some mold may even grow in the ducts themselves. If you have water damage anywhere in your home that leads to mold, this could spread to the air and damage other parts of your house.

Read More: What Lives in Dirty Air Ducts

Cleaning is an easy solution to the problem of bad air quality in your home. Vacuuming carpets regularly will keep dust, skin cells, hair, dander, and dirt out of the house and out of your air. Don’t forget to clean upholstery surfaces that can release allergens in an invisible cloud every time you sit down. Switch out your heating and cooling filters for HEPA rated filters to reduce the spread of the tiniest particles, like pollen.

Read More: Keeping Pollen Out of Your Home

Air duct cleaning will remove contaminants, dust, debris, and mold spores from your home, leaving you with cleaner circulating air. You will be breathing easy when you call Sears for a carpet, upholstery, or air duct cleaning today. Get your family back to good health with better air quality.

If you want to learn more about what you can do to improve your indoor air quality and products Sears Clean offers including HEPA Filtration Systems and Ultraviolet (UV) Air Cleaners, CLICK HERE!