Airing out your home may not seem like such an important task but with the potential side effects that can come from poor ventilation such as increased levels of moisture/damp for the house or respiratory issues for the homeowner, it is important to understand how completing this everyday task will benefit both you and your house in the long run.
In today’s world, people are spending more and more time indoors, with the worldwide average rising to 22 hours a day. Over the recent past, the restrictions implemented due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing digitalisation of everyday activities have made staying at home a much more regular occurrence than it had been previously. This means people are breathing in the same polluted air for longer periods of time which can have negative impacts on both the health of themselves and their homes.
If you are not airing out your home, the build-up of dangerous pollutants can lead to a wide range of respiratory health benefits with the WHO estimating that there are approximately 3.8 million deaths resulting from poor air quality in homes. Indoor air is found to be 2-5 more polluted than the air outside and even small items found inside the house such as scented candles, nail polish, cleaning products, cosmetics, and even new furniture are found to pollute the air and have negative effects on our health.
The health of our homes is also put in danger if clean air isn’t finding its way through all of the rooms. Three of the most common signs that your home is poorly ventilated include condensation running down your windows, smells persisting in rooms for hours, and mold finding its way into your rooms onto everything from the walls to your furniture.
With this in mind, here are our:
Top 5 tips for airing out your home
1. Let the air in
One of the easiest ways of airing out your home is by opening up the windows and letting the fresh air circulate throughout the house. The government of Denmark recommends airing out your homes up to 2 or 3 times a day. This is also encouraged at all times throughout the year with some months requiring more air circulation than others. For winter months opening the windows for between 4-6 minutes is considered ideal whereas for the summer months upwards of 30 minutes is the target for all households.
2. Blow the air out
In contrast with our previous point, it is also important to move the stale and contaminated air out of your home. One healthy way of improving this air circulation is through the use of ceiling fans. Fans help to push away the stale air and fumes within a room and are an energy-efficient method of maintaining the temperature within your home.
3. Keep it clean
Dust particles and harmful pollutants tend to latch onto almost every part of our homes, and a deep clean is a great method of removing the threat posed by these contaminants. It is recommended to thoroughly clean each room in your home 2/3 times a year and the use of natural/green products is recommended and even spraying vinegar is proven to help remove these harmful contaminants.
4. Use more greenery
Plants are natural air cleaners and the addition of more greenery throughout your home will help to limit the negative effects of poor air circulation and help cleanse the air around you. Plants are known to remove up to 87% of air toxins in just 24 hours, making them a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly method of airing out your home.
5. Open the doors
Lastly, while as previously mentioned it is important to let the air into your home, it is equally important that the clean air has a chance to circulate throughout all the rooms of the house. Keeping the doors of your home open will help to optimise airflow and energy efficiency, no matter if you are leaving fresh air in from outside or if your HVAC system is running in the background.
5 key benefits of airing out your home
1. Reduces air pollution
Keeping your home properly aerated will help to reduce the levels of harmful contaminants in the air and make it safer for those living within. Chemicals are emitted from a wide range of appliances and substances throughout the home and opening your windows and leaving the air through will help to reduce the levels of harmful pollutants by up to 70%.
2. Gets rid of bad odors
One of the major benefits of airing out your home is it helps to get rid of the smells and odours that are lingering throughout the rooms of the house. No matter if you are cooking food, bringing the dog for a walk, or coming back from a run, smells will cling onto each and every surface and it is important for the health of our homes to let the air in to help neutralise them.
3. Improves mood & wellbeing
Studies have shown that increasing the level of fresh air moving throughout the house helps to boost serotonin levels which ultimately leads to better moods for all those living inside. Your brain also needs fresh air to function properly and given the level of people who are currently spending the majority of their days working from home, airing out your home at some point throughout the day will become an important part of your daily routine.
4. Saves money
If your home is fitted with an air conditioner, furnace, etc. it costs money to have them working to bring filtered air into your home and it would be a far more economical option to make use of airing out your home naturally when you can. Ireland continues to see rising energy costs and this could be one method of helping your home reduce its energy usage.
5. Reduces mold
A key benefit of airing out your home is reducing mold levels caused by condensation which can have many negative implications for your lungs. Currently, around 70% of houses possess some form of a mold problem, with 28% of people now being predisposed to some form of mold-related health problem. Mold is prevented from keeping the humidity levels within the house below 50%.
We hope that you have enjoyed our article on the tips and benefits of airing out your home. If you enjoyed this article, why not read some of our previous articles or keep up to date with our latest news on LinkedIn?
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