If you suffer from warm-weather allergies, you know how important it is to have clean indoor air. When you can no longer breathe the outdoor air, you need a refuge. An electronic air cleaner can go a long way toward making your home comfortable during the height of pollen and mold seasons, when you just can’t be outside for a long time.

Installed in your ductwork, an electronic air cleaner charges particles in the air passing through the system. Collector plates with an opposite charge act like magnets and grab the charged particles, removing them from your air.

Electronic air cleaners can do a much more efficient job of removing particulate matter from your indoor air than regular fiberglass filters and are especially effective at removing smoke. In fact, an electronic air cleaner can remove as much as 94 percent of particulate matter and bioaerosols from the air, including mold spores, dust, pollen and bacteria.

Unlike the air filter in your furnace, an electronic air filter doesn’t have to be replaced routinely, but it’s a good idea to regularly clean the collector plates with soapy water. In addition, an electronic air cleaner may produce trace levels of lung-irritating ozone.

You can help the air cleaner do its job by taking some simple preventive measures. Remove your shoes at the door, and ask guests to do the same, so that pollen won’t get tracked into your house. Remove carpeting and area rugs, and if you can’t do that, vacuum often. Declutter your home, removing items that collect dust and attract pests. Keep your pets out of your bedroom, and wash your bedding regularly in hot water. Don’t line dry your clothes outside, as they will come in full of pollen.

Do you have any questions? Contact the home comfort experts at All Year Heating, Air & Solar. We’ve been serving greater Sacramento since 1969, and we’re always glad to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about electronic air cleaners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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