Inversion season: a home comfort checklist

From December to February, cold air often gets trapped under warmer air along the Wasatch Front, and the valley can sit under gray, hazy skies for days. Those are the weeks when home comfort matters most.

Warm the rooms you use

• A small ceramic or thermostat-controlled heater lets you warm a home office or bedroom without raising the whole-house thermostat.
• Choose heaters with tip-over and overheat shutoff, and keep them three feet from curtains and bedding.
• Layer the bed with breathable cotton sheets and a weighted blanket for cold nights.

Keep the air comfortable

• On red air days, check the Utah Division of Air Quality forecast before opening windows.
• Replace the furnace filter at the start of the season and again midwinter.
• Dust vents and electronics with a reusable electric duster so less dust circulates.

Check your safety basics

Heating season is also the busiest time for home fires. Test every smoke alarm, make sure the kitchen extinguisher gauge reads in the green, and keep a fire blanket near the stove. It takes ten minutes and gives you a calmer winter.