Good air quality is important to our general health. Pollution and smoke in the air can run us down, harm our throats and lungs, and compromise our immune systems. For children who are growing and maturing, air quality is all the more important. Studies have demonstrated that exposure to almost any level of contaminant will cause damage to developing lung tissue.
Your home’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is a powerful tool in the fight to keep your children healthy during periods of poor air quality and aridity. Not only is it useful for controlling the temperature, but modern HVAC systems can also be combined with humidifying and air purifying technology to keep your house comfortable, properly humidified, and germ-free. Here are four tips to keep your kids safe and healthy using your HVAC system:
Warmth to Protect from Common Cold
When your nose is warm and wet, it is at the top of its game in fighting off infection and contamination. In the winter, our immune systems are often run down by a combination of colder temperatures and drier air. The colder temperatures leech our energy reserves and the lack of moisture in the air dries out and cracks your mucous membranes while also stiffening and withering the nostrils’ cilia, thus handicapping our first line of defense against airborne illnesses.
Air Quality
During certain times of the year, the air can be filled with contaminants in the form of pollen and dust. Spring and fall are generally times of the year when allergies can be at their worst. That’s why it’s important to promote healthy indoor air quality in your home. Compounding the already particle-laden air with smoke from increasing wildfire activity can make breathing a painful and harmful experience. If at all possible, keep your children indoors on days when the air quality is poor. If you can’t avoid going out, consider wearing masks to filter out harmful air.
Whole-House Humidifier
Incorporating a whole-house humidifier into your existing HVAC system will help to bolster you and your children’s immune systems. By maintaining moisture in the air of your home, you help to keep the mucous membranes and cilia in the nose moist and pliable. When the nose is properly lubricated, it is a very effective tool for fighting airborne illness. The cilia in your nostril capture and redirect harmful viruses and bacteria so that they are ejected through the digestive system instead of being allowed to infiltrate the blood.
Air purifiers
Air purifiers are a good choice for filtering out harmful particles from your indoor air and keeping your children free from illness. You can purchase a smaller purifier for purifying the air in a single room, or an in-duct air purifier that can be configured to work with your home’s existing HVAC system. Modern air purifiers combine UV-light with a series of fine filters to eliminate over 99% of household germs and odor-carrying bacteria.
As a parent, bad air quality can give you and your family with distinct health challenges. Taking advantage of and upgrading your HVAC system can go a long way towards keeping your family safe and healthy.