Protect Your Furnace Against Pet Hair With These Tips

As a pet owner, one of the most common problems you'll likely encounter with your furnace is the accumulation of pet hair and dander. Just like ordinary dirt and debris, pet hair can find its way in parts of your furnace you wouldn't expect. Not only can it drag down your home's indoor air quality and increase the likelihood of allergies, but it could even become a fire hazard. Here are a few tips you can use to keep pet hair out of your furnace.

Vacuum Regularly

Vacuuming your carpets and upholstery is a great way of keeping your furnace and rest your home hair-free, since these are the places where pet hair is most likely to accumulate. You shouldn't forget about vacuuming your supply and return air vents, either, since these locations are also attractive to pet hair and dust.

Any vacuum can get the job done, but it's best to use one that offers HEPA filtration. HEPA filters are highly effective at trapping a broad range of airborne debris, including pet hair, which could help improve your home's indoor air quality.

Practice Good Grooming

Keeping your pets well-groomed is also another effective way of keeping pet hair out of your furnace. Regular baths, frequent combing and other good grooming habits will help reduce shedding and curtail the spread of pet dander by a sizable margin.

Use a HEPA Air Purifier

True HEPA air purifiers are also effective at removing pet hair and dander, along with other common allergens and airborne pollutants, from the air. Unlike the HEPA filter in your vacuum, the filter inside of the air purifier is specifically intended for purifying entire rooms or, in the case of a whole-house air purifier, the entire home.

Break Out the Cheese Cloth

For a cheap and surprisingly effective way of stopping pet hair in its tracks, drape a piece of cheese cloth tightly over your furnace's intake air vent. Use painter's tape to keep it in place without ruining your wallpaper or wall paint. The cheese cloth acts as a second air filter, capturing most strands of pet hair before they even have a chance to enter your furnace.

Change Your Filters Regularly

Last but not least, you should have your furnace air filter changed on a regular basis. Monthly air filter changes can help remove pet hair from your indoor environment while ensuring your furnace's performance isn't compromised by a clogged-up filter.

For more information, contact companies like Liberty Comfort Systems.


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