Home air quality isn’t just for comfort – the effects on your health may surprise you.
As winter approaches, it’s important to understand what home air quality means for your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 90% of our lives are spent indoors. The key factors to home air quality include managing indoor relative humidity, which, when too low, can lead to people having coughing or sneezing spells during cold and flu season.
As home humidity levels are an important factor for indoor air quality during cold and flu season, it’s also helpful to keep home humidity between 30-50%. You can reduce allergens by investing in an air purifier. Depending on the size of your home, you might need to invest in more than one air cleaning device.
Another way to improve home air quality is by reducing the number of dust mites. Dust mites are tiny creatures that thrive in humid environments, and they are a leading cause of asthma and allergy symptoms. You can reduce the number of dust mites by using allergen-proof bedding covers; removing carpets from your home; not allowing pets in the bedroom; and regularly cleaning floors, furniture, and bedding.
Colds and the flu, although caused by different viruses, spread in the same way: when an ill person coughs or sneezes near you, or if you touch a person or a surface with the virus and then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes.
As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following tips to help decrease your risk by managing indoor relative humidity; using an air purifier; reducing the number of dust mites in your home; and regularly cleaning floors, furniture, bedding and other surfaces.
At Indoor Quality Air Medics Heating and Air Conditioning we offer a variety of systems, from humidifiers to UV light systems to air cleaners, to improve your indoor air quality at home. Contact us for all your HVAC needs in Northern Virginia and we’ll address all your air quality concerns!
