Can a Whole House Air Cleaner Help Protect Against COVID-19?

With winter in full swing, many Montgomery, AL, area residents are increasingly worried about the spread of COVID-19 as well as the flu and other viruses. Social distancing and wearing masks can help keep the virus out of your home, but how can you prevent it from spreading once someone brings it in? 

Along with following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whole house air cleaners can play a role in preventing COVID-19 and other viruses in your home to keep your family healthy this winter.

What Are Whole House Air Cleaners?

Whole house air cleaners are devices that work with your home’s heating and cooling system to filter contaminants from the indoor air supply, improving the indoor air quality of your living spaces. Because they are installed alongside your home’s HVAC system, all air that passes through your ducts receives powerful filtration. Portable air cleaners are only capable of filtering air in a small area of your home, while whole house air cleaners filter the entire volume of air inside the home.

Whole house air cleaners use powerful filters to capture airborne particles circulating in the air supply. The air cleaner’s filter is used in addition to your furnace filter. The primary role of a furnace air filter is to remove contaminants from the air to protect the inner components of your HVAC equipment, whereas the primary function of an air cleaner is to remove contaminants so they don’t travel back into your living areas for you to breathe in.

Can a Whole Home Air Cleaner Protect You From COVID?

Whole house air cleaners and air purifiers cannot provide total protection from COVID, but when used in addition to other preventative best practices, they can help protect you and your loved ones from contracting the virus inside your home.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread by droplets produced by coughing, sneezing, breathing, and even talking. Many that are expelled fall right to the ground, but some can remain suspended in the air. These airborne particles have the potential to spread through the home from room to room as air circulates for heating.

While there have not been any direct studies that prove the efficacy of whole house air cleaners in the fight against the coronavirus, how these systems work does suggest their filtration could be helpful in reducing viral spread and transmission. 

The SARS-CoV-2 virus particles that cause COVID-19 are very tiny at just 0.125 microns in size. However, the droplets they travel within are larger in size – typically about 1 micron. For whole house air cleaners to be effective against the virus, they must use filters with the power to capture particles of this size.

What to Look for in a Whole House Air Cleaner

When shopping for whole house air cleaners or air purifiers to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your home, look for products that use MERV 13 or higher filters. MERV 13 to 16 filters are capable of removing particles down to 0.3 microns in size, including droplets produced by sneezes and respiration. The higher the filter’s MERV rating, the more efficient it is at removing these particles from your home’s air supply.

Improve Air Quality with Hans

Reduce the risk of COVID-19 and other viruses and airborne contaminants by contacting Hans Heating and Air to install a whole house air cleaner to protect your Montgomery family. Get the help you need to stay healthier this winter – contact us today to learn more.