There’s nothing quite like a breath of fresh air. A moment of clarity and calm comes simply from stepping outside and getting in a deep inhale and exhale. It’s important to have that same presence of clean air and proper ventilation inside your home, and it’s actually achievable in fairly easy ways.
1. Improved Air Quality
Indoor pollution can linger anywhere in your home, from dust accruing on a ceiling fan to a poorly operating exhaust fan in your kitchen. The fact of the matter is proper ventilation helps get the polluted air out of your home. All you have to do is simply open a window or door to get a cross-breeze to bring outdoor air inside and improve indoor air quality in your living space.
Natural ventilation is the quickest and simplest way to improve your indoor air quality rather than relying on air cleaners to do the job. If you have a ventilation system in your home, you’ll want to make sure to stay on top of any upkeep to prevent any allergens from continuing to circulate through your home that may aggravate asthma symptoms.
2. Health Benefits
Proper home ventilation is the best way to reduce the number of health issues like asthma, throat irritation, headaches, and allergies. Having a good ventilation system reduces dampness that triggers many common respiratory troubles. Removing these contaminants can be done by bringing outdoor air in, or investing in a proper air cleaner to give you freshly circulated air and a clean environment.
Indoor air problems can stem from home appliances like a clothes dryer that are not properly cleaned out after use, keeping irritants in their filtration, and clogged in their exhaust system. The use of a gas stove can also raise concern for the buildup of odorless carbon monoxide that is linked to severe illness, even the potential for death from prolonged exposure.
3. Low Humidity Levels
With proper indoor ventilation, you’ll be able to avoid the buildup of humidity within your household. Humid climates are a breeding ground for mold, viruses, and other dangerous spores that can have real-life health implications. Relative humidity in a household should be anywhere from 40 to 50 percent, going lower than 40 during the winter months to prevent condensation.
The buildup of mildew could lead to dangerous respiratory infections. Be sure to use disinfectants and mold-killing cleaning products regularly to prevent this growth. It’s important to maintain a proper cleaning regimen, and that includes proper ventilation while scrubbing to avoid inhaling dangerous irritants within those products.
4. Less Wasted Energy
If you invest in a proper home HVAC system, you can use ventilation to your advantage. With proper maintenance, an HVAC unit can operate successfully for air conditioning and heating. Some units come with vent control that allows users to control just how much of that power comes through a household. This does require regular cleaning for filters and vents to keep mites from making their way through a household.
5. Home Comfort
The most important quality of your indoor environment is the level of comfort you feel just sitting on your couch. Outdoor air is an easy way to cool off on a warmer day rather than put pressure on your air conditioner. The amount of outdoor air you bring in can help to eliminate high levels of pollutants without even realizing it.
Proper cleaning habits and cross ventilation are the easiest ways to improve your indoor air quality. Keep your family members in mind, and take the best steps to eliminate any potential health hazards, and keep your airflow clean as can be.