Indoor air quality (IAQ) has a noticeable impact on home comfort as well as your family’s health. When you work from home, however, IAQ becomes even more important because you spend more of your time within the four walls of your Frederick, Maryland, house. Taking these steps to improve indoor air quality will make working from home safer and more comfortable.
Use Air Cleaners and Purifiers to Reduce the Potential for Illness
Poor indoor air quality can increase your chances of coming down with a cold or other illness. Germs can congregate in your air ducts and make their way around your home, eventually reaching you. Since you work from home, you’ll be more susceptible to any pathogens that might have found their way to your house.
Additionally, if you work from home because you’re self-employed, you likely don’t enjoy benefits like paid sick leave. If you use an air cleaner or purifier to remove harmful pathogens, you’ll reduce your chances of getting sick and missing out on work. Plus, everyone who lives in or visits your home will enjoy that same protection.
A whole-home air cleaner or purifier typically offers the best protection. While portable units exist, they can only trap pathogens in the immediate vicinity. While you might make your home office safer, for instance, the rest of your home can still foster contaminants in the air.
Open the Windows to Let Fresh Air In
Stale air can make your home office stuffy and uninviting, especially during the mild spring and early fall. If you open the windows during the afternoon, you’ll benefit from fresh air as well as exposure to sunlight. Since UV light can neutralize contaminants, it’s healthy to let it into your home.
Even if it’s too cool or warm outside to open the windows, consider pushing aside the curtains or opening the blinds. You can also take a break from work every few hours to step outside and enjoy the outdoors. Take the dog for a walk or spend a few minutes watering the plants on your patio.
Additionally, one of our trained HVAC technicians can install a UV lamp on the indoor coil of your air conditioning or heat pump unit. Just like the sun, a UV lamp neutralizes pathogens and other harmful particles so they don’t get distributed throughout your home.
Measure (and Control) Humidity Levels for Comfort and Safety
Humidity can also have an impact on your health and comfort when you work from home. If humidity levels rise, you might experience asthma or allergy symptoms because of the excess moisture in the air. A dehumidifier can not only remove some of the humidity, but also track the precise humidity levels in your home.
Maryland residents often don’t use their air conditioners or heaters during the spring and early summer because of the mild temperatures. Although your HVAC system naturally reduces humidity levels, you won’t benefit from that while neither unit is running. A dehumidifier, however, will run only when your home needs it. Ideal indoor humidity levels fall between 30 and 50 percent.
Use Fewer Chemicals to Prevent Odors and Health Issues
In addition to dust, dirt, and germs, chemicals can reduce IAQ in your home. When you clean the house, use chemical-free cleaners whenever possible because they don’t leave foul odors in the air or harm your health. While working from home, it’s important to reduce your exposure to chemicals as much as possible.
We’re happy to help you find solutions for poor IAQ if you work from home. Call Griffith Energy Services at 888-474-3391 to schedule an HVAC service appointment.
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