5 Maintenance Tips for Pet Owners in Plantation, FL

January 31, 2025

Many houses in Plantation, FL are home to pets as well as people. While pets are important family members, they also add dander and allergens to your home’s indoor air, requiring additional maintenance. To keep your HVAC systems working properly, follow these tips to maintain a healthy home for you and your furry family members.

1. Clean and Vacuum Regularly

All pets, regardless of whether they have fur, will shed skin cells inside your home and lower your indoor air quality (IAQ). These skin cells, also known as dander, cause breathing issues for people as well as pets themselves. Dander may settle on surfaces or circulate in your home’s air, so it takes multiple steps to remove it.

Vacuuming is an effective way to remove dander from carpeted surfaces and rugs. To clean dander from hard flooring, invest in a quality mop. Dusting all other surfaces with safe cleaning products will remove most of the leftover dander without releasing unwanted chemicals into the air.

2. Change Air Filters Monthly

Any dander that you do not clean will be picked up by your home’s air filter. This means that you may need to change the filter more often than you would if pets were not in your home, usually every 1-2 months.

3. Keep Pets Away From Equipment

Pet owners often don’t realize that their animals can physically damage their HVAC systems by clawing or chewing on wires and other pieces of equipment. Always make sure that your pets cannot access any parts of your HVAC unit, both inside and outside. You should also consider using fencing or barriers as needed.

4. Brush Furry Animals

Pets with fur need daily brushing to minimize hair particles in the air, which are picked up in your air filter. When possible, brushing outdoors is best because it keeps shedding fur from getting on furniture or the floor.

5. Schedule Semiannual Maintenance Checks

Experts recommend that pet owners schedule HVAC maintenance appointments more frequently than pet-less households. This means that you need two checks a year to ensure that your systems run efficiently with the extra strain pets put on them.

Signing up for an HVAC maintenance plan is a smart way to extend the life of your system and lower the need for future repairs. Get a peak performance maintenance agreement with HI-VAC Air Conditioning Service to schedule your next maintenance check.

Image provided by iStock