The Weekly Gazette

AIR CONDITIONING ELIMINATES DUST
Housekeeping Lightened by Modern Types of Heating, Cooling Plants.

STREAKS and smudges on the walls adjacent to the warm air grilles through which warm air heating systems deliver heat into rooms are unwarranted, says the Holland Institute of Thermology of Holland, Mich., and there is no need for unsightliness in this particular, for modern air-conditioning systems humidify the home air and by washing, eliminate practically all of the dust that may be in it.

Home owners should understand, says the Institute, that it is impossible for dust, smoke, or grime of any sort to find its way into the living quarters of a home through the heat or cold-air ducts of a well constructed warm-air heating system.

Likewise, it is impossible for smoke or dirt from the heater itself to get into the heating chamber and thence into the house.

About 50 per cent of the winter household dust filters into the cracks around doors and windows. As it floats in the air it is caught by air currents. The strongest currents are immediately at the face of the grille, and the dust is impacted against and adheres to the wall, continually contributing to the density of smudges.

Were basements frequently cleaned, there would be little dust from this source entering upstairs rooms. Ordinarily, about 25 per cent of the household dirt comes from unclean basements and careless firing. Chimney drafts should be open and checks closed when coal is placed in furnace, to prevent smoke and gases belching into basement. Register box and frame of the grille should be tightly sealed into the wall to overcome smudging from this source.

The best means of eliminating basement dust lies in keeping basement clean, and more care in firing.

Another way of keeping down household dust, aside from the constant use of the dust cloth or dust mop, lies in keeping the house air adequately moistened during the heating season.

Dust is increased in the average home because the home air is too dry. If the air is suitably moistened, linty dust accumulations from household effects are reduced to a minimum, and any dust that may be in the air becomes moisture laden, and sinks to the floor. Adequate moisture is economically and automatically supplied by home air-conditioning systems of the vapor air type. These are equipped with a humidifier which receives a continual water supply direct from the house main, thus assuring the evaporation of sufficient water each day to overcome the moisture deficiency of winter air. Housewives will find that adequately moistened home air will contribute largely to reducing the burden of housework, and preserve the cleanliness of walls and woodwork.