This post is all about Poor Indoor Air Quality (Maintain That Air Conditioner!). I know last year, it was pretty warm around here. We do have central air, but getting the air to circulate really well, like in the living room, is not an easy task.
I think we can’t really feel the central air in our living room because we have such high, vaulted ceilings. I am not sure, but that living room gets warm! I have to turn on the ceiling fan and still it is warm! Too warm for comfort that is for sure.
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Poor Indoor Air Quality (Maintain That Air Conditioner!)
I also feel, that because the air gets so warm in our living room, we are just breathing in each other’s air! I need open windows, but then the warm air comes in, defeating the whole purpose of central air and the air conditioner. I feel like we have poor indoor air quality.
I do know that by simply maintaining your air conditioner, we can avoid the warm air in our living room and the quality of our indoor air. I think we need some air ducts cleaned. Maybe we will do that before the real heat starts up.
Poor Indoor Air Quality (Maintain That Air Conditioner!)
Another thing I have noticed in our home is mold. Yep, mold. I see it in our window frames and around the sliding glass door.
I have to constantly clean my windows, because of this. It worries me because I don’t like to think that my family is breathing this ‘mold‘ into their little lungs. Ugh.
So, that is another thing I will be doing this spring (I have already cleaned all of the bedroom windows), is cleaning the living room windows and getting that mold outta there. It may be worth checking for mold or other toxins. You just can never be too sure.
So, I recommend doing your research when looking for a good air conditioning unit for your house, this summer. Talk to people, read reviews and shop around.
Hopefully this year, we will get our central air conditioner figured out and our air quality will improve. If not, we will be pulling out our portable air conditioner, once again, and using that again this summer!
How do you maintain your air conditioner, if you have one? Do you deal with mold in your home too?
Faythe A @GrammyMouseTails says
we, unfortunately do not have any type of air conditioning so it can get very uncomfortable. We do use oscillating fans to move the air, and a dehumidifier to keep excess moisture down esp. in our lower level to fight off mold.
CHRISTINA DUTRA says
we have filters in our vents, and we change them often. another way to keep the air clean and moisturized is to keep a small bowl of water in each room.
Maryann D. says
We did update our central A/C a few years ago and I feel it was so worth it. I know our house is cooler now. I have so many allergies and I need the central a/c for sure.
Chelsea says
Yuck, mold in the house is the worst. And one thing I hate about A/C is how drying the air can be!
Mommy2jam says
I try to clean my filters every 6 months. I think that its so important for allergies and overall health. THis is such a good reminder.
Marcie W. says
We have not one, but two, central a/c units. Thankfully they work quite well and we have yet to experience any problems in the six years we’ve lived in our home. A good friend of my husband’s owns an a/c company, so we get trusted inspections, and if we ever need them, trusted repairs!
Tiffany Cruz says
Luckily we don’t have mold, but my husband maintains it for us. He knows all about the stuff. And when there is a problem with it he knows AC guys who can cut us a deal, it’s nice to “know people” sometimes. But I totally agree, so important to maintain your system.
Mina Slater says
We have central air so we have a service to get the air ducts cleaned & filters replaced. I have bad allergies and asthma so it’s a must!
Chrysa says
I always get worried about mold too – so scary!! Our new house is very small and we just use window air conditioners. It’s fairly easy to change the filters in those, which I do to try to avoid mold.
Toni says
Our AC is pretty good but we have window units. Even they get build up pretty quickly though.
Ashley says
We were actually just having this conversation! It’s amazing how gross the tops of ceiling fans can get and how quickly! We use our air conditioner a ton here in Texas, so maintenance is definitely important.
jan says
It is amazing how quickly the bathroom fan gets built up with dust and crud
April says
Air quality is so important to our health! I always replace our air filters regularly and use purifiers.
Dina says
I just had to replace my roof (without insurance) because of a leak that was causing mold. So not fun!!
Krissy says
I hope it works out! It’s hard at our house because we have 3 stories, and the higher up you go – the hotter it gets! My girls rooms are in the very top, and when it’s REALLY hot in the summer, they have to sleep in their brothers room or the living room because it’s so miserable, so I feel your pain. =/
Keikilani says
We don’t have central air. A few of our rooms have window units. I make sure to clean out the filters and replace as necessary.
Lindsey @ Redhead Baby Mama says
2 years ago, we rplaced our whole unit when it went kaput – in May, right before the summer nonsense. We have a lifetime parts and labor warranty as long as we have a checkup once a year!
Rosey says
I hope it all works out for you!! We’ve been lucky with our system so far (knock on wood!).
Elizabeth Norton says
Arghhhh mold must be terrible. I hope that you have a very cool summer. I mean that in every sense of the word.
Liz Mays says
I try to make sure the outside unit is free of debris and not clogged. I also change the filters inside regularly but it’s still hard to keep this house cool.
melinda says
we have a service that comes out to maintain our unit but I feel the same way about it just feeling stale. I keep my ceiling fans running to keep the air moving.
Christie says
Spring is a great time to do this. we already have cleaning on our minds anyway!
Amy Desrosiers says
I usually wash my air conditioners slats, and clean the filter each year before use.
Tracey says
I have an air filter and make sure to clean my ducts regularly.
Jenn @ The Rebel Chick says
We don’t have mold but I know people that do. So important the air works in the summer here, it get so hot.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
We have central air also. I don’t do anything with it. I ask my Dad if there’s a problem.
Veronica Spriggs says
oh my i certainly hope there is no mold. i dont know anything about maintaining an airconditioner
Rachael says
I share a house with my roommate. It’s her house, so I haven’t done anything with the maintenance. I’ll have to look into it.
Kathleen B says
I am sad to say I have not done much to maintain mine. I really need to look into having it taken care of.
Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? says
Our doctor just suggested having us look into getting our ducts cleaned out. I need to find somebody to do that.
Melissa says
Yikes! We don’t do much to maintain ours. I am going to make sure we do something before summer.
Jennifer Bullock {MommyBKnowsBest} says
We don’t have mold thank God, but we change out our air filters pretty regularly and had to have a new part installed last summer, it was $$$. Maintenance is so important.
April @ My Real Food Family says
My husband maintains our A/C units and makes sure they are running properly. It’s nice having someone that knows about this stuff so I don’t have to worry about it!
Karen says
We clean our filters once a month. Usually in the spring we have our unit serviced and everything checked.
Felicia says
This post makes me shudder! Thank you for sharing all of this info.
Demetra says
Maintaining your air conditioner is an important thing for you and your family. Here in the south it gets dangerously hot and a functioning air conditioner is a necessity.
Brett says
Well… I live with safety man. So he’s got a strict routine for cleaning filters and stuff. Mold terrifies me too.
Krystal says
I just had my husband change the air filter today! We also spring cleaned and made sure to dust our fan blades!
Meagan says
Living in Arizona, it is hot year round! Changing our filters on a regular basis certainly helps with our air quality!
Kecia says
We change the air filters monthly, but don’t really do anything else. I need to start looking into what exactly we should be doing — I don’t want my little ones breathing in horrible air either!!
Kendra says
I’m a big believer in cleaning the air ducts regularly but don’t always schedule it as I should. I don’t have mold at least I hope not.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
We clean the filters on our air conditioners every year, but we have window units, so I think it’s a little easier than central air.