Disease Prevention: Ways To Improve Indoor Air Quality

Disease Prevention: Ways To Improve Indoor Air Quality

Image Credit: jeanvdmeulen

Many of us are accustomed to blaming the appearance of problems with our own health, the harmful influence of the environment. Nevertheless, the danger sometimes lies in wait for a person in an apartment, even if all the rules of hygiene are observed.

What is the prevention of diseases in the apartment?

Factors that have an adverse effect on human health include:

  • microclimate of an apartment or house;
  • materials from which windows are made, pieces of furniture and so on (fortunately, such cases are quite rare);
  • The presence of mold and other pathogens of allergies.

All this sometimes leads to the development of such pathologies as:

  • disturbance of body thermoregulation;
  • decreased appetite;
  • sleep disorders – insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness;
  • problems with breathing.

In addition, the unhealthy microclimate of the apartment in some cases can cause the spread of colds and infectious diseases. The likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases is also increasing. Tell about what preventive measures must be followed to make the climate in your own apartment more healthy – the purpose of our article.

Microclimate apartments and preventive measures

Not the least role in the prevention of human diseases is the microclimate of the apartment. According to experts, the polluted air of apartments and offices is no less dangerous to health than the atmosphere of city streets, because microbes, dust, dust mites and other pathogens of allergy are added to harmful substances of street air.

There is an opinion that indoor plants that can absorb substances harmful to human health can help improve the microclimate in a residential area. Undoubtedly, they purify the air in the room and saturate it with oxygen. However, such prevention is unlikely to give a good result. To feel in relative safety, one or two pots will not be enough. Here you need a real garden. Do not provide an influx of this fresh air, even popular in our time, air conditioners. Therefore, in order to prevent disease, it is better to use the old proven method, namely – often do the ventilation of the room regardless of the season and the weather outside the window. In winter, you can open the windows for ten minutes. This is quite enough to update the air in the rooms, and this is a good prevention of diseases.

To refresh the air indoors and not catch cold, you must follow the following recommendations:

  • When airing, you need to open two windows – no more, no less. If it’s cold outside, then it’s better to get dressed to avoid colds at this time. Do not ventilate the apartment too long;
  • in hot weather it is better not to open the windows during the day, but to move the curtains or lower the blinds. And the room will be ventilated towards evening, when the heat will drop a little;
  • it is not advisable to leave several windows open at night;
  • another important component of the optimal microclimate in the room is normal humidity. If the apartment is too dry air, you can correct the situation with the help of humidifiers.

Caution, mold: prevention of allergies

As you know, mold is a powerful allergen. When entering the human body, its spores help to weaken the immune system, the appearance of allergy symptoms – coughing, runny nose, sneezing, tearing, difficulty breathing.

The common places of “living” of mold are the first and last floors of apartment buildings, especially if the building is old and there are leaks. The mold appears on the surface of cold, as well as damp walls, especially if they are located on the north side. Mold fungus can also appear on the filters of air conditioners in the event that they are not regularly cleaned. Therefore, the best prevention of diseases caused by mold spores is the fight against dampness.

Caution, mold: prevention of allergies

Image Credit: Oliur Rahman

To ensure that this multi-colored coating does not appear on the walls of the apartment, attention should be paid to observing such preventive measures:

  • Do not put furniture directly against the walls. This can lead to condensation, which in turn creates a favorable environment for mold growth;
  • more often to air the rooms, especially the bathroom. During the repair it is desirable to take care of the good ventilation of this room;
  • Do not overdo it with the moistening of air masses – the wet clothes hung in the living room and leaking faucets can create an ideal environment for the appearance of mold. It is recommended to thoroughly dry things before putting them on the shelf;
  • Reduce humidity by using an air conditioner. Nevertheless, he sometimes can cause mold. Therefore, when purchasing an air conditioner, you should pay attention to the presence in the filters of special impregnation, which prevents the appearance of this mold;
  • to abandon the habit of storing dried flowers;
  • during cleaning, try to wipe everything dry;
  • to prevent the appearance of mold fungus on the balcony, it is desirable to lay a dense polyurethane or epoxy coating on the floor.
  • It is recommended to make a slight slope so that the water can flow freely downward.

And to destroy the already appeared mold it is desirable to conduct deep processing of walls with subsequent waterproofing. Especially relevant is the prevention in the kitchen and bathroom.

The next object worthy of special attention is the bed. In linen, on bookshelves among old newspapers and magazines, in soft toys and in a long pile of carpeting another unpleasant character can be hiding – a dust mite that can become the causative agent of three types of allergy – contact, respiratory and food. In addition, the constant inhalation of dust in living areas contributes to the development of inflammation, respiratory system diseases, the appearance of headaches, as well as eye irritation. Therefore, if a person is not ready to get rid of carpets and other objects so beloved by dust mites, then the best prevention of their appearance is regular cleaning from dust.

Prevent the emergence of such problems will help preventive measures, such as daily wet cleaning and careful processing of bed linen.