Allergens & Indoor Air Quality

Why Indoor Air Matters More Than You Think

Back to HVAC 101

TL;DR - ​What You'll Learn
✔ Outdoor and indoor allergens can both affect your home's air quality.
✔ Better indoor air quality starts with source control before upgrading your HVAC filter.
✔ Filtration, humidity control, ventilation, and airflow all work together to create healthier indoor air.

​Living in Central Texas means moving from one allergy season to another. Mountain cedar may finally fade, but oak, elm, ash, grasses, ragweed, and mold spores ensure that allergens are a year-round reality.

​If you're new to the Austin area, you've probably heard the saying, "If you don't have allergies yet, just wait."

The AirNow widget above updates automatically with current local air quality conditions.

Before diving into indoor air quality, it's helpful to understand what's happening outside. 
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Airnow.gov is a great resource for tracking local air quality, and the  Austin Regional Clinic Allergy Calendar provides a helpful overview of what allergens are common throughout the year.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) often plays an even bigger role in how you feel.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, and indoor air can be 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air.

That means what’s happening inside your home matters just as much — or more — than what’s happening outside.

Outdoor Allergens Don't Stay Outdoors

Pollen and other outdoor allergens make their way inside more easily than most people realize. They enter through:

• Open doors and windows
• Clothing and shoes
• Pets
• Air leaks around the home
• Fresh air entering the house

Once inside, these particles settle on furniture, flooring, bedding, and other surfaces before becoming airborne again through normal daily activity.

Indoor allergens can also come from sources already inside the house, including:

• Dust mites
• Pet dander
• Mold
• Household dust
• Pests

Start With Source Control

One of the most effective ways to improve indoor air quality is simply reducing the amount of allergens entering your home. Simple habits include:

• Removing shoes at the door
• Wiping pets' paws after they've been outside
• Keeping windows closed during high pollen days
• Washing bedding regularly
• Vacuuming and dusting routinely
• Addressing moisture problems promptly

Sometimes the simplest solutions make the biggest difference.

Before Upgrading Your Filter

When homeowners think about improving indoor air quality, one of the first questions is usually: "Should I install a better air filter?"

Sometimes the answer is yes. But before making changes to your HVAC system, it's helpful to understand an important concept: Your home is a system. Your HVAC equipment, ductwork, airflow, insulation, ventilation, and filtration all work together. Changing one part of the system can affect how the rest performs.

For example, installing a higher-efficiency filter may capture more airborne particles, but if the system wasn't designed for the additional airflow resistance, it can reduce airflow and negatively affect comfort and equipment performance.

Before making filtration upgrades, we recommend understanding how your home's systems work together.

Choosing the Right Filter

HVAC filters help remove airborne particles as air passes through your system, but there isn't one filter that's right for every home.

A higher MERV rating isn't automatically better. The best filter is one that provides effective filtration while still allowing your HVAC system to move the airflow it was designed to deliver.

Filter selection depends on your equipment, ductwork, and overall HVAC system.

Higher filtration is great if your HVAC system is set-up for it, meaning:

• it is well-sealed to prevent dirty attic air from leaking into your system, and
• it is designed so the extra strain from having to pull air through a finer filter is offset by having a larger area to pull air through (i.e. more filter area),

then absolutely! Better filtration is a good start! 

Higher filtration can cause headaches if your HVAC system isn't set-up for it. For example:

• If your ducts aren't sealed, your system could begin pulling more air from dirty spaces like your attic bringing dust, insulation particles, and other contaminants into your home.
• Filters that are too restrictive can also put added strain on your fan. This could lead to reduced efficiency, higher energy bills, and contribute to unnecessary wear on system components.

Bottom line for filters?

• If you don't know what type of filter your system was designed for or your system has the standard 1" filters,  good rule of thumb is to go with MERV 8 for basic filtration. 
• If you want a higher filtration and you're not sure if your system can handle it, ask your HVAC tech to see if your system can handle it.

Humidity Matters Too

Indoor air quality isn't only about allergens. Excess humidity can encourage mold growth and dust mites, while air that's too dry can also affect comfort. 
Maintaining proper indoor humidity is an important part of creating a healthier indoor environment.

A Whole-Home Approach

There is no single product that solves every indoor air quality concern. For many Austin homes, a good strategy includes:

1. Reducing the amount of allergens entering the home.
2. Keeping the home clean.
3. Using the right HVAC filter for your system.
4. Controlling indoor humidity.
5. Addressing airflow or duct issues when necessary.
6. Considering additional indoor air quality products only after understanding the problem you're trying to solve.

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Breathe Easier

Austin's allergy seasons aren't going away, but improving your home's indoor environment can help reduce your exposure to allergens and other airborne particles.

At Bluebonnet A/C Services, we believe the best indoor air quality solutions start with understanding the home as a whole—not simply recommending a product. By looking at how your HVAC system, airflow, filtration, humidity, and home all work together, we can recommend solutions that make sense for your specific home.

If allergies, dust, or indoor air quality concerns are affecting your comfort, Bluebonnet A/C Services can evaluate your home's filtration, airflow, humidity, and ventilation to recommend the right solution. Call 512-470-6240 or book online to schedule an evaluation.