A common trend in home building and renovation of the last 15 years has been to make our comfy abodes as energy efficient as possible – a worthy goal for homeowners who want to save on fuel costs and lower the impact of pollutants on the environment. But did you know there's a downside? Yes, these “tight” homes (so called because the door and window seals plus high grade insulation contribute to making a home air tight) trap many pollutants, spores and bacteria, making the indoor air quality poor and sometimes hazardous to you and your family.
The solution may seem counterintuitive but among the best ways to solve this problem is to actually bring more outside air in to your house. Another step to take is filtering the air to remove particles and illness-causing agents from the air you breathe.
Pressed wood in furniture and new carpeting go through a process called outgassing, which can release volatile organic compounds – or VOCs. Simply put, VOCs make indoor air “sick.” Also contributing to a “sick” home are the obvious sources: family members who bring home the flu virus from the outside world.
One solution that's impressed us comes from the folks over at Trane who have a solution for removing allergens and up to 99 percent of the influenza virus from a home's air. Their CleanEffects system works in homes with a central forced air system, essentially scrubbing the air of particulates.
The obvious quick solution is, of course, to remind everyone in your family to wash their hands and to keep surfaces clean, especially during flu season, but that may not be enough. The extra step could be to get that air as clean as possible, too.
The Home Ventilating Institute has some excellent guidelines that can help any homeowner improve the quality of indoor air. They recommend having spot ventilation in kitchens, bathrooms and any other areas that produce lots of moisture, general ventilation for expelling stale air and pulling fresh air indoors, and proper attic and crawlspace ventilation to prevent build up of gasses and mold. (An attic mold problem can cost thousands of dollars to repair.)
So, we applaud everyone out there who is committed to having an energy efficient, tightly run home. But take a moment to consider the health of the air you may be trapping inside with you. Even though temperatures across the United States are warming up, don't assume that means cold and flu season is over for you. You could be prolonging your exposure right in your own home.
-- Will Safer
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
About Will Safer and the BehindTheBuy blog
Will has been writing about consumer products, electronics and technology trends for more than 10 years. His first editorial home was technology trade magazine of record, TWICE (This Week In Consumer Electronics) where he was the first dedicated Web editor. His latest articles can be found in Conde Nast Portfolio and online at AOL News and Switched.com. Now he's happy to be a part of the team at BehindTheBuy.
This blog's goal is help you get the most out of your activity as a consumer. Whether it's shopping for electronics, seeking the best airline passenger experience, or even just choosing a few smart items to make your morning commute more bearable, enjoyable and safe, the BehindTheBuy blog is here to serve up information of real value.
If your goal is to make smart choices about the products and services you make a part of your life, then the BehindTheBuy blog should be one of your favorite destinations on the Web. We're open to suggestions, comments and questions. Let us know what you think!
BehindTheBuy.com is currently in Beta