If you are a pet owner, you love your pet. They are part of the family. But unlike the rest of your family members, they have one feature that no one else in your family has. They are covered head to toe with hair – lots of hair. Short of completely shaving your cat or dog (not recommended!), there are number of ways that you can minimize pet hair traveling throughout your home.
No matter how frequently you wash, groom, and maintain your pet’s coat, pet hair and dander is an inevitable part of pet ownership. Fur, skin particles and outside contaminants travel easily throughout your home, settling not only on furniture and flat surfaces, but into your air ducts as well. The result? A negative effect on your indoor air quality, possible damage to or reduced efficiency of your HVAC system and impediments to your health.
Check out these top 5 HVAC tips for pet owners:
1. Replace Furnace Filters
It is recommended that you replace your filter once a month. This is the number one way to make sure that you maintain air quality in your home, and ensure your furnace is running smoothly and efficiently. A clogged air filter poses a danger in any home when dirt, hair, and dander build up so much they get sucked right into the system.
2. Regular Grooming
Grooming your pet on a regular basis is the best way to keep the hair from settling and spreading throughout your home. Bathe your pet occasionally, brush them often, and invest in a good de-shedding comb or brush, particularly if you have a pet that sheds excessively like a German Shepherd, Huskie, Labrador Retriever or Shetland Sheepdog. Just because your dog has short hair doesn’t mean they don’t shed a lot. Dogs like Boxers, for instance, may seem to be low maintenance but actually shed quite a bit, with short wiry hairs that stick to everything.
3. Clean Pet Hair Throughout Your Home
Vacuuming is the best way to remove pet hair. If you have a shedder, you may find that you need to vacuum daily. (Some dogs “blow their coat” once or twice a year and you may actually find yourself vacuuming more than once a day.) You may need to regularly vacuum other surfaces as well, such as the bottoms of curtains or drapes, the fabric skirts around chairs and sofas, corners that have carpet, and the tops of baseboards, etc. Cleaning pet hair is super important in maintaining your HVAC; hair that lands throughout your home gets blown about by moving air, people walking past it, every time your front door opens, ending up in your HVAC ducts.
4. Clean Your Air Ducts
Maintain your air ducts and registers regularly by cleaning them out with a vacume cleaner. Visually inspect them to remove all of the hair and debris, avoiding ongoing distribution every time your furnace or air conditioning turns on.
5. Professional maintenance
No matter how carefully you tend to your home, it’s always a good idea to have your HVAC system undergo a professional inspection. Learn how you can have an annual maintenance visit by our certified technicians to prevent unexpected breakdowns and keep your system running at its peak. Learn more about our affordable Comfort Plan here.
If you are concerned about the air quality in your home, contact Northern Heating and Air for more information. Regular HVAC maintenance for pet owners means keeping your home free from excessive hair, dander, and allergens. Call us today at (518) 745-0401.