Air purifiers, dehumidifiers and air quality testing to facilitate breathing

There are our houses our sanctuary – this past year many people made this event clear when all of a sudden they had to spend all their time there. Your indoor air can be dirtier than you think, which makes it uncomfortable at home and can even make you sick.

Some things you can do to help and the devices you can buy, such as an air purifier, dehumidifier, and humidifier. But they are not cheap, so you are not need wasting money on anything if you’re not struggling with indoor air quality. These are potential tools, not needs. Although the names are self-explanatory, it’s not so easy to know when each one is needed in your home. We talked to experts, read research reports, and tested some products. Below is what we found and what we recommend.

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What is the problem with indoor air?

The air, unfortunately, it’s dirty. It is generally filled with dust; pet skin; external pollutants, depending on where you live, can cause fire fumes; formaldehyde that can come from wooden furniture; and particles. Your indoor air can also have multiple inlets volatile organic compounds. However, VOCs are generally not health problems, they are just specific ones, and these will change from house to house.

World Health Organization It is estimated that nine out of 10 people suffer from air pollution, which increases the risk of various diseases, including stroke, heart disease and cancer.

“A lot of contaminants can be found in someone’s home based on many factors, such as geographic location or the age of the home and the materials used,” says Joe Heaney, president. Lotus Biosafety, a company in the business of improving indoor air quality. “If you have a house with a wood stove or fireplace, it is likely that particulate matter will enter the indoor air, which can cause respiratory symptoms and disease. Mold, dust or pet hair can be a source of allergies, and pathogens introduced into the home by friends and neighbors (though not contaminants) they can cause disease. “

At the basic level, when the indoor air is tight, too dry or too humid, it affects the way you feel, worsens cold and allergy symptoms, dries your sinuses and skin, and even grows moldy. But it can be much worse than that.

“Poor indoor air quality can affect even the healthiest lungs,” says President Kenneth Mendez American Asthma and Allergy Foundation. “Contaminants can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and cause headaches, dizziness and fatigue. This can lead to allergy symptoms such as chest tightness, coughing, wheezing, sneezing, shortness of breath and even asthma attacks. “

See section of the tests below about how to control the air in your home, but before you test the air or buy anything, try to deal with some of the biggest causes of dirty air first. “We like to focus on technology, but the process is much more important,” says Jeffrey Siegel University of Toronto which examines indoor air quality, filtration and air cleaning. Here are the recommended steps: