Impact of Indoor Air Quality During Quarantine days

We know with everyone’s social media accounts are exploding with COVID-19  content and news, this one may not even get viewed but with everyone spending a little more quality time than usual in their homes with the current condition of the environment our the team at BellaMyHome, best home management company in Kelowna, found it fitting to offer a bit of information on keeping healthy indoor air quality to keep your loved ones safe, keeping your sanity, on the other hand, is a topic we are not qualified to speak on.

The very initial, and probably the most effective step is to ensure your furnace, HRV, and humidifier filters are all clean. It’s always a good idea to have a quality filter, the type of furnace filter you choose to buy depends on the family members and their sensitivity to allergies. When buying a filter, you want to look for is the MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating, as it defines what kind of air particles a filter will pick up. For instance, hospitals will use filters with higher MERV ratings for better air purity.

The basic disposable filters with a MERV rating of 1-4 remove lint and debris from the air but are not fine enough to catch smaller particles. Whereas the folded filters made from folded cotton with a MERV rating of 5-8 will remove finer particles from the air as well as household lint and dust.If your purpose is to remove microscopic particles from the air, including smog, pollen, smoke, mold, spores, and dust, then a filter with a MERV rating of 9-12 is recommended.

If you or someone you live with suffer allergies have an autoimmune health problem or medical history or other health concerns that may be affected by your home’s air quality, it is more beneficial to use furnace filters with higher MERV ratings(11-12) or plus a HEPA filtration system. Another point is, you need to make sure the indoor humidity level is at a safe and comfortable level. It appears like a simple enough thing to manage, though, the answer can sometimes be tough to understand because there are several contributing factors as well as an ongoing dispute about the safety of the house vs the safety and comfort of the occupants.

High relative humidity levels can lead to problems with mold, corrosion, decay, and other moisture-related deterioration. When relative humidity approaches 100 percent, condensation can happen on surfaces leading to a whole host of additional difficulties. High relative humidity in carpet and inside fabrics can lead to dust mite infestation and mildew (mildew is mold growing on fabrics). Low relative humidity can begin to discomfort, shrinkage of wood floors and wood furniture, cracking of paint on wood trim and static-electricity discharges. When the air in our homes is too dry, it can allow viruses and other airborne toxins to increase. Individuals who live in homes without sufficient humidity tend to experience more sore throats, dry skin, and weaknesses. If your home’s humidity levels drop below 25%, you should use a humidifier to raise it. If you do use a humidifier at your homes, make sure that it is cleaned regularly and manage properly.

The main point is not to be too low and not to be too high. High enough to be easy comfortable, but low enough to avoid moisture problems associated with fungus, corrosion, decay, and condensation. Unfortunately, determining the correct range depends on how the home is built, the time of year and the sensitivity and lifestyle of the residents. We recommend to our homeowners that a safe and comfortable indoor humidity level in the winter months should be around 30-35% as most of our homes are equipped with HRV’s, triple pane windows and have an airtightness around 1.0ACH50.

Another good practice is to circulate new air throughout the home by running the ventilation fan. Most new homes are equipped with a whole-home ventilation system that has the ability the replace the indoor air with new filtered fresh air, the time it takes to do this depends on the size of the fan and the size of the home. 

For the long term safety of our families, it is best to have your home tested for Radon exposure. Radon is a radioactive gas that develops naturally when uranium, thorium, or radium, which are radioactive metals gets break down in rocks, soil, and groundwater. People can get encounter to radon majorly from breathing radon in air that originates through cracks and gaps in homes and buildings. As radon comes naturally from the earth, people are always exposed to it.

Our teams make sure all the mentioned factors before the actual construction starts and explain to our clients through home Blueprints in Kelowna. BellaMyHome, the best home contractors in Kelowna, wish you all the best at this time, please feel free to reach out with any questions.