Spring Clean the Air in Your South Jersey Shore Home

Indoor Air Quality Checklist

As the days warm and beach season inches closer, homeowners across the South Jersey Shore are busy prepping their beach getaways for another memorable summer, making rentals sparkling clean and deep cleaning year-round homes.

If you are involved in a spring spruce-up, shaking off winter’s dust and refreshing your living space in Galloway, home, remember to include indoor air quality (IAQ) in your cleaning routine.

Indoor air quality can make or break your home’s comfort. At Comfort Now by Bob McAllister, we believe true comfort goes beyond just the temperature on your thermostat. It is also about the quality of the air your family and guests breathe.

The air inside your home can easily become stale or even unhealthy after months of closed windows and a dormant AC system. Giving your HVAC system some TLC can make a difference, especially in shore towns like Cape May, Avalon, or Sea Isle City, where salt, sand, and moisture get indoors.

As you tackle spring cleaning to prepare for summer, let’s dive into a simple yet effective indoor air quality (IAQ) checklist to ensure your South Jersey Shore home smells fresh and feels comfortable.

Wash Your Condenser

Your AC’s outdoor unit contains a compressor and condenser vital to keeping your home cool and comfortable. The unit needs a cleaning after accumulating dirt and leaves over the fall and winter. Here is what you should do:

• Remove the cover and store it until next fall.
• Turn off the power to your AC.
• Clear out twigs and leaves from around the base and on the fins. For a deeper cleaning, remove the top and set it aside while you fish out debris from the bottom of the unit.
• Use a garden hose to spray debris off the condenser coil fins, taking care not to bend them. Clean both interior and exterior sides.
• Secure the top of the unit and turn the power on.

Replace Your Air Filter

Installing a clean air filter is an easy way to improve indoor air quality. Your HVAC system’s air filter defends your living space by catching dust, pollen, pet dander, and other airborne particles. Over time, filters can clog, reducing airflow and recirculating particles, diminishing indoor air quality.

Take a few minutes to look at your air filter every month. Replace it if it is dirty or clogged. Some HVAC systems need an air filter change every one to three months, but higher-efficiency filters can last six months to a year. Follow the advice in your manufacturer’s instructions on replacement frequency.

Clean Your Gutters

What do gutters have to do with indoor air? Gutters indirectly affect the air you breathe inside your home. Rainwater can overflow gutters clogged with dirt, leaves, and pine needles and pool near the foundation. The moisture can seep into your home and lead to mold or mildew growth inside walls and the crawl space.

Mold spores can travel through vents, settle in damp basements, or infiltrate your HVAC system. As spores circulate through your home, they compromise indoor air and can trigger allergies and respiratory issues. Unobstructed gutters keep water moving to the downspouts and away from your home.

Hire professionals to clean your gutters. You will save time and avoid safety risks.

Dirty Sock Syndrome

Mold and bacteria buildup on your AC system’s evaporator coil can cause a musty sock smell when the system starts working in the spring after being off all winter and fall. The buildup is from pollen, dust, and other debris that settle on the moist coil and feed bacterial and mold growth.

You can eliminate the odor and prevent microbial growth with these solutions:

• Evaporator Coil Cleaning: Schedule a professional coil cleaning with Comfort Now by Bob McAllister. We will kill the mold and bacteria that cause the musty smell.
• Ultraviolet (UV) Lamps: A UV light system installed near your evaporator coil will kill microorganisms.
• Drainage: Check the condensate drain line to ensure it is clear and functioning.

AC Maintenance

We cannot overstate the importance of maintaining your cooling system to enhance indoor air quality. A spring tune-up will help your air conditioner run more efficiently, extend its lifespan, and prevent simple issues from escalating and requiring costly repairs. A clean AC unit is less likely to circulate dust and pollen to your living space.

Typical maintenance tasks include checking refrigerant levels and voltage, lubricating parts, clearing the condensate drain, and cleaning the blower and coils. We recommend scheduling a spring tune-up before you begin using your AC regularly. Through May 31, you can get an AC tune-up for just $99—that is $80 off the regular price!

How Clean is Indoor Air?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor pollution levels may be two to five times higher than outdoor levels, making indoor air quality a concern because most people spend 90 percent of their time indoors.

Take our indoor air quiz to understand why you need an air quality upgrade.

Call the IAQ Experts

Whether you are a full-time resident or a seasonal homeowner in Galloway, NJ, prioritizing indoor air quality ensures a more comfortable, healthy home environment. When you need coil cleaning, an AC tune-up, or other HVAC system assistance, call us at 609-277-2065 or request service online.