Staying Healthy Indoors and Improving Your Indoor Air Quality
How healthy is your home?
Health and well being are increasingly hot topics in Australia – but while there’s plenty of talk about diet and exercise, there is one aspect that’s often overlooked: indoor air quality and the health of our home environments. When you consider that we spend as much as 90% of our lives indoors, it makes sense that we should pay attention to the factors that contribute to a healthy home – and one of the most important is the air we breathe.
Understanding the indoor air pollution problem
So, why is the air in a home such a big deal? Well, mainly because pollutants can lurk there, unseen, for you and your family to inhale. These can cause all sorts of health issues, from headaches and tiredness to more severe conditions like asthma, cancer and even kidney failure. The long and short is – you really need to keep an eye on the quality of the air in your home.
The tricky thing about indoor air quality (IAQ) is that there’s no simple way to keep it healthy. Every home is different, and the air pollutants in each one are equally varied. At the most dangerous end of the scale are air pollutants such as asbestos and formaldehyde, which should be treated by a professional. However, there also are many ‘everyday’ pollutants that can have an impact, such as tobacco, mould, mildew, bacteria, dust mites, house paint, carpet fumes, cleaning products and disinfectants. Even household appliances can contribute to our indoor air quality – things like stoves, heaters and fireplaces, which emit carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide without us even realising.
So, what can you do to improve your home’s IAQ?
No matter what home you live in, there are a few simple steps you can take to minimise pollution, including:
– Limiting soft furnishings like carpets, curtains and rugs (these are traps for dust and bacteria!).
– Keeping your house as dust free as possible, and vacuuming regularly.
– Limiting the burning of candles and wood fires.
– Making sure you use exhaust fans when cooking.
– Never smoking inside.
– Using cleaning products with low VOCs
If you’re concerned about the products and appliances you’re using, programs like Sensitive Choice can provide more information on what are the safest options to use in your home.
The second step to healthy IAQ is increasing ventilation to ensure you have enough fresh, clean air coming in. While sometimes it’s as simple as opening a window, this isn’t always possible. In these cases, you can use a humidifier, dehumidifier, or air purifier.
State-of-the-art air purifying solutions
Thankfully, these days, Daikin air conditioners come with some innovative and intuitive features that specifically target indoor air pollutants. These units include functions that decompose bacteria and mould, and remove carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and other allergens from indoor air.
Some of the newer Daikin models that come with advanced air purifying technology are:
The Zena Designer Series and US7 has a flash streamer technology which decomposes bacteria and mould that gets stuck in the filter. It also has an inbuilt filter that traps microscopic particles, decomposes odours and deactivates bacteria.
Cora and Floor Standing models include an advanced deodorising air purification filter, with titanium apatite allowing it to trap microscopic particles, decompose odours and deactivate bacteria.
If asthma or allergies are a problem for you or someone in your family, you might want to consider a Daikin Split System. They’re the only units to have received approval from the National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice program.
Interested in addressing the air pollution in your home?
If this article has made you think twice, enlist the help of a professional. Why not book a consultation with Rapid Cold your Local Daikin Specialist Dealer. They’ll visit and assess your home, before recommending a solution that’s right for you. Helping you breathe easier on all fronts.
