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4 Tips for Choosing the Right Air Filters for Your Home

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Air filters play a significant role in keeping particulate matter, including dust, debris, viruses, and bacteria, out of your home’s air. This keeps you from contracting respiratory diseases and allergies while prolonging the life of your HVAC system. Read on for four tips for choosing suitable air filters for your home.

1. Determine the right size

Air filters come in different sizes and shapes. Ensure that you choose the right filter size and shape to prevent dirt, dust, pet danders, and debris from slipping into the air conditioner, as this could compromise the indoor air quality. To determine the correct filter size, you could consider carrying the existing filter with you when buying a new one. Other ways to determine the correct filter size include;

  • Checking the manufacturer’s instructions
  • Measuring the opening or filter
  • Referring to printed dimensions

2. Figure out the correct MERV rating

MERV ratings determine the efficiency of your filter unit. The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) ratings dictate the size of particulates a filter can keep out of your house’s airflow, how long the unit can last and how well air flows inside the HVAC. The higher the ratings, the smaller the contaminants the air filter can trap. With that being said, do not go for an air filter with the highest MERV rating, as this could increase your home’s energy consumption. An ideal rating should be between MERV 8 and 10 to help you balance energy efficiency, airflow, and air purification.

3. Consider the filter’s maintenance

Continued use of an air filter causes particulate matter to accumulate in the unit. You have to clean or replace the filters every three months to prevent an HVAC malfunction and increased energy bills. If you are working on a tight budget and do not want to purchase a new filter once the existing one becomes clogged, consider choosing a reusable or washable unit. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions about the proper cleaning procedure.

4. Consider the material

Your filter’s material plays a crucial role in the performance of your air conditioner and the type of particulate matter it captures. The different air filter materials include;

a) Electrostatic Polypropylene filters

Electrostatic filters use a combination of triboelectric charge and airflow to remove air pollutants. These filters are perfect for removing small-sized pollutants such as dust. However, this filter material is expensive to purchase and maintain and could strain your AC as it reduces airflow.

b) Pleated air filters

Pleated air filters are the most common filters in most homes as they trap particulate matter as small as 0.3 microns, such as bacteria and viruses. They also have pleats that increase the filter’s surface area for maximum air purification,

c) Fiberglass air filters

This is the cheapest air filter material, so it is perfect under a tight budget. However, fiberglass filters only trap large particulates, which means that it may not be ideal when looking to improve your indoor air quality.

d) Carbon filters

Carbon air filters prevent odor and fume build-up in recirculated air through adsorption. However, carbon filters do not trap smaller particles such as bacteria and dust from the air.

Endnote

Air filters are crucial in improving indoor air quality. Keep the above tips in mind to help you select the right air filter for a healthy home environment.

Michelle has been a part of the journey ever since Bigtime Daily started. As a strong learner and passionate writer, she contributes her editing skills for the news agency. She also jots down intellectual pieces from categories such as science and health.

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Lifestyle

The Missing Piece in Self-Help? Why This Book is Changing the Wellness Game

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Self-help shelves are full of advice — some of it helpful, some of it recycled, and most of it focused on “mindset.” But Rebecca Kase, LCSW and founder of the Trauma Therapist Institute, is offering something different: a science-backed, body-first approach that explains why so many people feel struck, overwhelmed, or burned out — and what they can actually do about it.

A seasoned therapist and business leader, Kase has spent nearly two decades teaching others how to navigate life through the lens of the nervous system. Her newest book, “The Polyvagal Solution,” set to release in May 2025, aims to shake up the wellness space by shifting the focus away from willpower and onto biology. If success has felt out of reach — or if healing has always seemed like a vague concept — this book may be the missing link.

A new way to understand stress and healing

At the heart of Kase’s approach is polyvagal theory, a neuroscience-based framework that helps explain how our bodies respond to safety and threat. Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, polyvagal theory has transformed the way many therapists understand trauma, but Kase is bringing this knowledge to a much wider audience.

“The body always tells the truth,” Kase says. “If you’re anxious, exhausted, or always in overdrive, your nervous system is asking for support, not more discipline.”

“The Polyvagal Solution” makes this complex theory digestible and actionable. Instead of promising quick fixes, Kase offers strategies for regulating the nervous system over time, including breathwork, movement, boundaries, and daily practices that better align with how the human body functions. It’s less about pushing through discomfort and more about learning to tune in to what the body needs.

From clinical expertise to business insight

What sets Kase apart isn’t just her deep understanding of trauma but how she blends that knowledge with real-world experience as a business owner and leader. As the founder of the Trauma Therapist Institute, she scaled her work into a thriving company, all while staying rooted in the values she teaches.

Kase has coached therapists, executives, and entrepreneurs who struggle with burnout, anxiety, or feeling disconnected from their work. Regardless of who she works with, though, her message remains consistent: the problem isn’t always mindset — it’s often regulation.

“Success that drains you isn’t success. It’s survival mode in disguise,” Kase explains. Her coaching programs go beyond traditional leadership training by teaching high achievers how to calm their nervous systems, enabling them to lead from a grounded place, not just grit.

Making the science personal

For all her clinical knowledge, Kase keeps things human. Her work doesn’t sound like a lecture but rather like a conversation with someone who gets it. That’s because she’s been through it herself: the long hours as a therapist, the emotional toll of supporting others, the realities of building a business while managing her own well-being.

That lived experience informs everything she does. Whether she’s speaking on stage, running a retreat, or sharing an anecdote on her podcast, Kase has a way of weaving humor and honesty into even the heaviest topics. Her ability to balance evidence-based practice with practical advice is part of what makes her voice so compelling.

Kase’s previous book, “Polyvagal-Informed EMDR,” earned respect from clinicians across the country. But “The Polyvagal Solution” reaches beyond the therapy community to anyone ready to understand how their body is shaping their behavior and how to create real, sustainable change.

Why this message matters

We’re in a moment where burnout is common and overwhelm feels normal. People are looking for answers, but many of the tools out there don’t address the deeper cause of those feelings.

That’s where Kase’s work lands differently. Instead of telling people to “think positive” or “try harder,” she teaches them how to regulate their own biology. And in doing so, she opens the door for deeper connection, better decision-making, and more energy for the things that matter.

As more workplaces begin to embrace trauma-informed leadership, more individuals are seeking solutions that go beyond talk therapy and motivational content. Kase meets that need with clarity, compassion, and a toolkit rooted in both science and humanity.

A grounded approach to lasting change

What makes “The Polyvagal Solution” stand out is its realism. It doesn’t ask readers to overhaul their lives but instead asks them to listen — to pay attention to how their bodies feel, how their stress patterns manifest, and how even small shifts in awareness can lead to significant results over time. Whether you’re a therapist, a team leader, or someone trying to feel more at ease in your own skin, this book offers a way forward that feels both grounded and achievable.

Rebecca Kase isn’t just adding another title to the self-help genre. She’s redefining it by reminding us that we don’t have to muscle our way through life. We just have to learn how to work with, not against, ourselves.

And maybe that’s the real game-changer we’ve been waiting for.

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