The ventilation of your home is vital to ensuring that the air you breathe is minimally polluted. If you find yourself breathing in poor quality air, it leaves a detrimental effect on your mentality, negatively impacting your concentration. Furthermore, rooms that produce a lot of moisture, such as the kitchen and bathroom, require more ventilation in order to prevent condensation, and consequently, mold.
Additionally, all rooms containing gas appliances require proper ventilation as, without enough oxygen to burn, the appliance can produce carbon monoxide. Finally, ventilation is more important than ever in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, preventing us from breathing in harmful germs. But how do you ensure that your home is properly ventilated?
1. Open the Windows
It is important to open your kitchen windows whilst cooking, the bathroom windows whilst bathing or showering, and the windows of rooms where you are hanging clothes to dry. As you do this, you should keep the doors to the room closed, in order to prevent condensation from spreading throughout the house. Furthermore, you should regularly air out your home, ensuring to open your windows three times a day during the winter months.
2. Open the Doors
When you are not cooking, bathing/showering, or drying clothes, you should keep all the internal doors of your home open. This allows for a freer airflow.
3. Use Fans
The airflow can also be encouraged by desk, floor, or ceiling fans. You may also want to run the fan whilst boiling the kettle in order to decrease the humidity of your kitchen. Fans are also extremely cost-effective, as ceiling fans will blow warm air from the top of the room back down to ground level, allowing you to adjust the temperature of the central heating.
4. Get Some House Plants
House plants reduce carbon dioxide levels and remove harmful airborne toxins. When paired with good airflow and an indoor fan, house plants will drastically improve your home’s ventilation.
5. Get an Air Purifier
Air purifiers will assist the ventilation of your home and significantly improve your air quality. This is because they are designed to trap pollutants and allergens, leaving you with the purest air.
6. Install Roof Vents
Ventilated roof tiles and air vents are available for purchase from many different retailers and allow for ventilation of lofts and attics. Without the proper means of circulation, the temperature of the loft/attic will rise, causing damage to roof tiles. Additionally, poorly ventilated roofs result in damp problems since moisture is unable to escape. If untreated, this can cause severe structural issues in your home.
7. Install Extractor Fans
Extractor fans should be installed above your kitchen hob, as well as in your bathroom and these need to be used whenever cooking, bathing, or showering. If your bathroom is particularly steamy, after showering, keep the extractor fan running for another half an hour after you leave the room. When installing, you must ensure that the extractor fans are linked up to an exterior vent, in order to prevent the recycling of air that has been sucked in.
8. Install An Air Conditioner
Air conditioning systems keep the air fresh, preventing the breathing of stale air. They contain a filter that removes particles and allergens from the air, cleaning the air that you breathe. Similarly, they draw moisture from the air, preventing damp and mold.
Conclusion
There is no denying that ventilation is vital to maintaining your own health and the wellbeing of your home. By taking these steps, you can be sure that you and your home are in the safest position possible.