Whole-House Air Quality Strategy

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Individual tactics — one purifier in one room, one door sealed — are a starting point. But the most effective protection comes from thinking about your whole home as a pressurized envelope with defined infiltration pathways and targeted filtration at each stage. This guide shows you how to build that layered system.

The Three-Layer Model

Think of whole-house air quality in three nested layers:

1. Envelope defense: Reduce how much polluted air gets in (sealing, HVAC filtration)
2. Active purification: Clean air that does get in (standalone purifiers)
3. Exposure reduction: Manage where and when you spend time (bedroom priority, timing)

Most people focus on layer 2 and skip layers 1 and 3 — which is why they feel like they're fighting an uphill battle. A properly sealed and filtered home requires far less active purification to maintain good air quality.

Prioritizing Rooms

You sleep 7–9 hours a night. Your bedroom represents your single highest-leverage intervention point. Before buying a purifier for the living room, make sure your bedroom is optimally protected:

• Dedicated air purifier sized for 1.5× your bedroom square footage
• HVAC register adjusted to ensure good air circulation into bedroom
• Door and window sealing complete
• Monitor on the nightstand tracking overnight levels

Only after the bedroom is optimized should you expand to other high-use rooms (home office, living room, kitchen).

HVAC as Your Distribution System

With a MERV 13 filter installed and the HVAC fan running continuously (not just when heating/cooling), your central system becomes a whole-house air cleaner. The recirculating fan setting (usually labeled "On" vs "Auto") runs the blower without heating or cooling — continuously cycling and filtering your air.

This costs approximately $15–$25/month in additional electricity but delivers continuous filtration across all rooms simultaneously. For many homes, this is the most cost-effective whole-house air quality upgrade available.

Positive Pressure Strategy

Air flows from high-pressure zones to low-pressure zones. If your home's interior pressure is slightly higher than outdoors, air infiltrates less readily through cracks and gaps. You can create mild positive pressure by running the HVAC fan on "On" with a sealed home and fresh air intake filtered through your MERV 13 filter.

Don't overdo this — significant positive pressure can push conditioned air out through other undesirable pathways. The goal is slight positive pressure, not pressurizing the home like a submarine.

Monitoring Your Results

A multi-room monitoring approach gives you the full picture. Place one monitor in your bedroom, one in your main living space, and — if you can — one near the entry/infiltration point most exposed to the landfill direction. Compare readings to identify which rooms have the most infiltration and prioritize sealing efforts accordingly.

Realistic Expectations

Even a well-executed whole-house strategy won't make your air identical to a home 20 miles from any landfill. The goal is meaningful, measurable reduction — typically 50–80% reduction in PM2.5 and significant VOC reduction — achieved consistently and sustainably. Track your monitor readings before and after each major intervention. Celebrate the real wins, and don't let perfect be the enemy of very good.