Did you know the average person breathes nearly 11,000 liters of air per day? It's important we create the best indoor environment for every single one of our breaths. While mold remediation is important when mold levels are elevated in your home, it's only one part of resetting your indoor environment and bettering your air. Many times, you can increase the air quality in your home with some very easy to do steps.
1. Create Great Air Flow.
Most of the time, we think of our HVAC systems, ceiling fans and windows as temperature control devices forgetting the other benefit they create; Airflow. Airflow is important as it eliminates dead spots of air movement that our in home filtration devices don't get to. It refreshes the air that is stagnant in our homes. Remember, a dehumidifier and furnace filter only work on the air that passes through them, so if your home has poor air flow or circulation, the same air is getting filtered over and over again. Make sure to move your air around with ceiling fans, oscillating fans and open up some windows to get fresh air in throughout the year!
2. Change Your Pillows and Mattresses
As humans, we are constantly shedding dead skin cells and detoxing our bodies through perspiration. This means that our bed clothes, pillows and mattresses collect an enormous amount of our bodily wastes. Studies show a mattress weight increase of 10-20% over ten years. In fact, publishings by Ohio State University claim that a used mattress could have up to 10,000,000 mites inside and around 10% of the weight of a two year old pillow could simply be from from dust mite droppings (Gross). Since dust mites love damp dark areas, hold off on making your bed in the morning, leaving your sheets to air/dry out for a while. Further manage all of these factors by having a regimen of changing out those old pillows and having a plan for how often your mattress gets changed.
3. De-Dust
Comprised of insect fragments, dead skin cells, soil, pollen bacteria and more, it's no surprise that mold loves dust and that our respiratory tract hates it. Dust is all around us and most of the time, we do a pretty good job of getting the obvious stuff. Changing the furnace filter is a given, but my advice to clients is to make a calendar alert to get those out of sight, out of mind areas on a regular basis. For instance, make the first weekend of every month "ceiling fan day" and the second weekend "behind the dresser day". By having a plan in place, you'll be removing all of that nasty particulate on a regular basis, preventing bigger problems down the road.
4. Dehumidify PROPERLY
Nearly every basement in the northwest US and much of the world has high humidity and most have some sort of dehumidifier in them to prevent mold growth. If you don't, get one and start removing moisture from your home. It truly is easy and affordable (not to mention it would prevent me from being needed in the majority of houses we treat for mold). In most cases, I recommend grabbing a dehumidifier sized appropriately for your space that has a small pump in it so that you never have to remember to empty it. Simply set the device at 45 or 50% relative humidity and let it work! Removing moisture is important, but remember to never dehumidify below 30% relative humidity as this can create it's own breathing issues.
Remember, prevention is key and by planning and properly keeping your space healthy, you can count on breathing healthier, cleaner air. If you would like a consultation on better indoor air quality for your home, reach out to us today at info@alphaairquality.com
John is an ACAC Board Certified Indoor Environmentalist that has helped thousands of people dealing with mold and air quality issues in the Greater Pittsburgh & Tri-State area. At Alpha Air Quality, we ensure that families are receiving accurate information, factual testing & assessments, as well as proper mold removal and remediation. John is a top mold expert in the area and serves the community with excellence and experience!
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