Fight Sickness & Stay Healthy with These Indoor Air Quality Tips

Another email. Yes, another email about the diseases going around your kids’ school. Whooping Cough. Strep. Flu. RSV - Respiratory syncytial virus. Just reading the words is enough to send mamas and dadas into a panic. The CDC said that RSV causes an average of 57,527 hospitalizations among children under five each year in the United States. So what do you do to help make sure your family is safe?

Understand Indoor Air Pollution

The CDC warns that poor indoor air quality can advance lung diseases such as asthma and also cause headaches, dry eyes, and lethargy. Additionally, the American College of Allergists report that 50% of all sicknesses are either caused or worsened by polluted indoor air. The Texas DSHS said that air within homes and buildings can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, and in dire cases, 1000 times more polluted. There are two main causes of poor indoor air quality:

• Pollutant substances (cleaning solutions, inadequately maintained or unclean heating and cooling or humidification systems, smoke, etc)

• Poor ventilation

So all this info – so what? What do you do? How can you make sure you and your kiddos aren’t breathing contaminated, virus-inducing air?

Luckily, we have options.

Get Proactive On Air Filtration

Have you ever been angry and had to bite your tongue to keep from saying something regrettable ? That’s a filter. Have you ever used water from the refrigerator dispenser and had your thirst immediately relieved? That’s the filter. Filters keep toxicity in check and avoid troublesome outcomes. You filter your words for harmony, you filter your water for health, why shouldn’t you filter your air?

Several hospitals use a high-efficiency air filtration system called HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air), which you can invest in for your home if you have someone living there with a low immune system or someone who’s highly susceptible to sickness. Even if there aren’t any respiratory issues in your home, you’ll be very surprised by the almost instant change from a basic air filter to a High Efficiency system.

If you’re not interested in such a high-grade air filtration system, there are many other options to help clean your family’s air. From standard air cleaners to electronic air cleaners, read below to help choose which air filtration and purification system is right for your family.

 

Help Control Germs With Germicidal Systems

Germi-what? Germicidal UV Light Systems help decrease airborne biological contaminants – germs – by safely emitting high intensity UV light from within your home’s air flow system. These bacteria-destroying appliances can kill germs and even assist in stopping further germs from accruing in your home. According to one study, nearly one of five people with allergies suffer from exposure to fungi and bacteria in their air systems. A UV light system will help cleanse and disinfect indoor air to help you reach the highest air quality possible.

Optimize Moisture with Humidifiers or Dehumidifiers

Um, don’t those two machines do precisely the opposite of each other? Why would I choose one rather than the other? For home comfort, humidity levels should be between 35% and 50%. Too much humidity can cause microbes, condensation and even wood damage. Not enough humidity can result in itchy skin, sinus illness, cracking wood and sore throats. Depending on where you live, you probably have too much or too little humidity.

Humidifiers add the ideal amount of moisture to your home, helping with sickess, itchy skin, and deformed wood furniture and instruments. Dehumidifiers pull out moisture from your home, helping to eliminate bacteria growth, and improving indoor comfort immensely.

Don’t Dismiss Duct Cleaning

It’s practically spring and that means spring cleaning! Don’t neglect your ducts during this refreshing time. Since most of our in-home air enters through our duct system, it’s vital to keep it from getting dirty with bacteria, mold, and dust. When you have your ducts cleaned, ask the company to check for duct leaks, too. Leaks in the duct system can cause extra contaminants to enter your air and circulate throughout your home. Making sure they are clean and maintained will help keep your air clean and your loved ones safe.

Increase Ventilation

With the move to become more energy-efficient, homes are often sealed tighter and insulated more thoroughly to make sure air isn’t escaping while our heating and cooling systems work to keep our home enjoyable. Energy-efficiency is a wonderful thing, but it also means a decreased amount of airflow, less circulation, and reduced movement. This can cause the air to become static and contaminants (indoor air pollution) are remaining inside your home’s air – the air you and your family breathe. An air ventilation system observes indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidity and continuously brings the required air replacement. This can add 5% to 10% more fresh air each hour, lowering the concentration of airborne contaminants.

Get A Home Health Report

During your next Precision tune-up, ask for a complete indoor air quality report from your HVAC contractor. An expert A/C system company like Service Experts will provide a copy of your report with professional suggestions to address these and other air issues in your home.

So, yes, it’s troubling to know that your kids are being exposed to scary respiratory diseases but next time you get that message from your little ones’ school, wash their hands, cover their cough, and invest in a system to help your indoor air quality be as strong as possible.