Q: I want to keep my family safe at home, since we are spending so much more time indoors than usual. Any ideas for what I can do to make my home a haven?

A: Health and safety should always be a top priority within your home, and indoor air quality is a major—and majorly overlooked—aspect of that. There are many efficient ways you can update your home’s HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) system to achieve an exceptional level of comfort and great indoor air quality.

Upgrade Your Air Filter

Do you know what MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating your home’s HVAC filter is? The higher the MERV rating, the more particles your filter will catch, making it more effective. Filter ratings can range from 1 to 20, but the most common ratings for in-home filters start at MERV 8, MERV 11, or MERV 13. Filters with MERV ratings higher than 13 are typically found in hospitals and other areas that require extensively filtered air. A MERV 8 will filter out basic household pollutants such as pollen, dust, and bacteria. A MERV 11 will filter the aforementioned, along with pet dander! Lastly, a MERV 13 is the “catch-all filter,” which catches the aforementioned, along with smoke, smog, and virus-carrying particles.

Change Your Air Filter Often

Keep your filter fresh and free of dirt, dust, pollen, and particles with routine maintenance. Depending on your filter size, it is recommended to change your filter every one to three months. If you have a four-inch filter in your home, go ahead and wait a full three months. If your filter is one inch, change it once per month. If you find dust particles settling on surfaces or floating around your indoor air more often than you’d like, consider changing your filter even more frequently. A dirty filter can cause extensive damage to your entire HVAC system, preventing it from efficiently filtering air.

Get Your Ducts Cleaned

When was the last time you had your ductwork cleaned? A thorough cleaning of your ductwork will improve your HVAC system’s air flow efficiency, remove settled allergens, and improve overall air quality and cleanliness. The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) recommends cleaning your ducts every two years. Be sure to hire a company that is NADCA-certified and follows NADCA cleaning protocols to ensure a quality job done right.

Consider Adding Air Conditioning (AC)

Do you like to sleep with the windows open to catch the cool night breezes? Consider having AC installed in your home instead. Having cool air filtered into your home eliminates the need to open windows, which helps prevent a number of airborne particles, allergens, and viruses from entering your home.

Run Your Furnace Fan 24/7

Continuously running your furnace fan on high will help ventilate and circulate the air in your home. Stagnant air causes dust and dander to settle, making for more irritable air quality. Constant airflow will help push unwanted particles into your filter and out of your home.

Invest in a Whole-Home Air Purifying System

Whole-home air purifiers work to remove more than what the eye can see. If you’re looking to remove harmful bacteria from surfaces, fight airborne viruses with a 99% kill rate, and eliminate odors from your home, a whole-home air purification system is a great option. These HVAC accessories are installed in your ductwork and can filter indoor air around 50 times better than standard air filters.

If You Don’t Have Ductwork, Consider a Portable Air Purifier (or Two)

A portable air purifier is a great option for homes that don’t have a ductwork system. These air purifying accessories work hard to keep pesky germs, allergens, viruses, and other harmful pollutants from spreading throughout your home. Because they aren’t in the ductwork, how big of an area they can purify is limited, so consider investing in more than one portable air purifier to use in rooms far away from each other.

There you have it. These seven HVAC hacks will help keep your family safe at home this summer, and beyond! Are you ready to get started?

Gabby Roppo is the marketing coordinator for Bob's Heating & Air Conditioning, a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS). If you have a home improvement, remodeling, or residential homebuilding question you’d like answered by one of MBAKS’ more than 2,600 members, write to homework@mbaks.com.

Q: We’re looking for an effective and inexpensive way to add some liveliness to our bare, boring walls. Any suggestions?

A: Nothing increases the appearance of size in your home like a mirror. Big or small, mirrors effectively double light and volume, increasing brightness and giving us a pleasant sense of openness.

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

In powder rooms or any bathroom that I wish to make feel bigger, I like to run the mirror from the backsplash all the way up to the ceiling. The larger the mirror, the bigger the impact. In bathrooms, mirrors provide both function and ambiance, brilliantly reflecting the scenes around them.

But don’t make the mistake of limiting mirrors to your bathrooms. Mirrors can be used like windows, creating the illusion that there is another room adjoining the one you are occupying. A mirror is also like a living painting, reflecting a changing picture every time the viewer moves. Always consider the view the mirror will be reflecting. Some views are great to accentuate. Others, not so much.

We recently added a mirror to our dining room where we had also hung a colorful piece of Italian artwork. Below the art, we splashed more color by resting flowers and glass decor on a buffet serving table. But this brilliant scene was only visible after entering the room. Once we added the mirror across from our scenic décor, the colors were carried back through the entrance, enabling us to enjoy it from our home’s entry and living room.

Proper Care

Mirrors are made by applying a thin layer of silver to glass. Yes, that’s real silver—and silver tarnishes easily when exposed to oxygen. Installation is important. Always choose professionals who specialize in this product. The mirror should be sealed after it is cut to fit your home, then well-secured for safety and so the highly reactive silver is well-protected from contact with other metals. A properly sealed edge and installation will help keep your mirror looking great indefinitely. Talk about a lasting impression!

Mirror Magic!

Other good places for a mirror? Aside from adding a decorative-window effect to your home, mirrors are great for your workout room or at a stair landing. And a full-length mirror at your closet is very helpful in providing a full picture of how you look. The same goes for having one at the entry for a last look before you leave.

Dollar for dollar, nothing punctuates and adds pizzazz quite like adding a plate-glass mirror to a room. Mirrors sparkle and brighten, adding dimension and multiplying surrounding features. Bright, brilliant, room-expanding, and easy to maintain, mirrors are a great way to add something special to your home.

Kevin and Terri Kartak, of AAA KARTAK Glass & Closet, are members of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS). If you have a home improvement, remodeling, or residential homebuilding question you’d like answered by one of MBAKS’s nearly 3,000 members, write to homework@mbaks.com.

Q: My guest bathroom is incredibly dated, especially the blandly beige shower. I’ve been looking to give it a DIY facelift. What do I need to know before I try this?

A: According to a recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders, bathrooms are the number one remodel for homeowners. One of the reasons bathroom remodels are so popular is there are so many great styles and options to choose from. But with so many choices, it can sometimes be tricky to know where to start or what to focus on. To keep things simple, we’ll focus on creating a stunning shower enclosure to tie the whole bathroom together.

Let’s start with five technical tips you’ll need to know before you begin.

1. When framing the shower surround, place stud backing behind the tile where the hinges will be mounted. This will ensure the heavy glass shower door will be stable and secure. We recommend two studs or a 4x4 post in the framing.
2. Make sure the shower threshold slopes 1/16”–1/4” inward towards the shower. This will help with water management and minimize splash outside the enclosure onto the bathroom floor.
3. Make sure the area where glass meets walls or pony walls is at a 90-degree angle. This allows more design options and a better finished product.
4. Place the shower head on the back wall away from the door and consider putting shower controls by the door opening; that way you can turn on the hot water without getting wet.
5. Consider proportions. If you have a high ceiling, you’ll need taller glass panels. Conversely, if you have a short ceiling, you will need a shorter panel. Also consider the door opening size. The average door opening width is 28” when finished. You can go bigger if you have a larger space. If you have a small space, you can go down to 24”, but anything under that is not recommended.

Now let’s take a look at three top design tips for creating a beautiful shower enclosure.

1. SPACE: Space is everything! When designing your new shower enclosure, the first step is evaluating your space. Is there enough room for a swing door that hinges inward and outward? Or does a frameless, sliding, barn door-style enclosure—a classic and timeless option—fit better? Another option is a free-standing glass panel; it has the advantage of making the bathroom feel expansively open, and it’s a smart choice for smaller spaces. Another consideration is aging in place. If you have the space, making your shower enclosure ADA-compliant will not only increase your home’s resale value but will also add practical longevity.
2. TYPE OF GLASS: Textured or clear, there are many types of glass to choose from. With textured glass, like rain- or satin-etched, the glass design becomes the feature and can also provide privacy. However, clear glass is beautiful, clean, and timeless. Clear glass is a great option, especially when featuring stone or tile work. If you’ve invested in a specific tile or stone, you’ll want to install clear glass to showcase it.
3. STYLE: First, consider framed, semi-frameless, or frameless heavy glass. If you’re on a tight budget, a framed enclosure can be a good solution. However, a heavy glass frameless door is always icing on the cake in any bathroom remodel. Secondly, consider glass thickness. A standard heavy glass door is 3/8” thick. On higher-end remodels, however, you may want to install 1/2” thick glass; it’s more substantial and luxurious. Lastly, hardware is important. Chrome, satin nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, matte black, and gold are just a few of many options. Hardware accents reinforce the bathroom’s character. Handles and hinges should be conscious choices, not throw-away details.

Your shower enclosure design choices will determine the budget and drive the design of the overall bathroom remodel. And no matter what style you choose, you’ll need to build the enclosure correctly with the right technical specifications.

Oh, and one last thing! Before starting demolition or construction, it’s always best to consult with shower door professionals to answer any questions and avoid costly mistakes. Professional design consultants can guide you through the process and help you select the right hardware color, glass style, door size, and even unique details like handles that make a statement. With their input, you’ll end up with a gorgeous, highly functional bathroom.

Jeremy Anderson is marketing director at AAA Kartak Glass & Closet, a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS). If you have a home improvement, remodeling, or residential homebuilding question you’d like answered by one of MBAKS’ more than 2,600 members, write to homework@mbaks.com.