How to Keep Your Home Healthier in the Winter

I have year-round allergies. I take a decongestant every day and I use a rotating variety of nasal sprays and sinus rinses to stay comfortable throughout the year.

Far more concerning than my own health, however, is the health of my children. Haiden had asthma symptoms until he was just over two years old, and I'm relieved that he hasn't shown any symptoms in several months.

I'd never really given much thought to the role my home's air quality played in my own health. Although we changed our furnace air filter fairly regularly, we didn't do it on a schedule and I only paid attention to the air filter's price, not the brand or attributes. I only recently started thinking that the air inside our home might help keep Haiden as healthy as he's been.

Jodi Marks offers these tips on keeping a healthier home:

1. Use a good furnace air filter: According to the EPA, indoor air quality can be 2 to 5 times worse than outdoor air. A high-performance furnace filter, like the Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction filter from 3M. This filter captures 94% of large particles like dander, mold spores and dust mite debris.
2. Change your furnace filter regularly: The EPA recommends changing your furnace air filter every 3 months. Marks suggests changing it at the start of each season, making the schedule easy to remember.
3. Weatherproofing: Install weatherproofing materials around doors, windows, dryer vents, and other areas can reduce air leakage in your home and save on your heating bill. You should also check more unusual places like the around the kitchen exhaust hood vent and even the water bib for your outdoor hose.
4. Program your thermostat: Use a programmable thermostat to keep your home warm when you're scheduled to be there and cooler when you're not at home.
5. Clean your gutters: Gutters that are weighed down from leaves and water can pull them away from the house, which might lead to structural problems down the road.
6. Have your roof inspected: Small leaks can lead to large roof problems.Having shingles in place doesn't mean that they're not damaged, so Jodi Marks suggests having a a licensed professional inspect your roof for any potential problems.

All those tips will not only keep your home in good shape, they'll help you save money! Keeping your home maintained is a great way to avoid unexpected repairs and plan for any impending issues that might come up.

For my family personally, keeping our home's air quality at the best level it can possibly be will hopefully save us on health care and quality of life! Anything I can do to keep the asthmatic symptoms at bay and my allergy issues alleviated works for me! Using the Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction Filter by 3M is a quick fix that could possibly improve our entire family's overall health!

Interested in learning more about the Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction Filter? Head to 3M's product page to see all the rave customer reviews and find all the details about the features and benefits!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Filtrete and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.