Today, thanks to the pandemic, working from home has become a very common choice for many people, but is the air inside your home clean enough to do so?
The indoor air quality in the houses appears to be much lower than in the offices. And the reason seems to be that, in companies, HVAC air systems are usually installed very different from that of homes, which allows to clean air particles trapped inside, and consequently, provide healthier spaces while working.
About this, Dr. Genny Carrillo, associate professor at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, said, "Air conditioning has a very different HVAC system that we have in an office building than in our homes. This allows us to clean the air more often so that we have much healthier air here while we are in the office".
One solution to this could be to use air purifiers, which are very useful for improving air quality in spaces, and also protecting children from asthma, allergy, and VOCID.
Other suggestions include opening windows when the outside air is pleasant, limiting the cleaners you use in your home, and maintaining your air conditioning system and filters.
Ventilation as a mechanism for purifying indoor air
While it is true that working from home prevents us from interacting with too many people in the same room, it is necessary to ensure that our only workspace is safe. For this, it is necessary to maintain a certain level of ventilation that allows the entry of clean air to dilute possible contaminants. Here are some steps you can take to achieve this:
Increase the introduction of outside air
Open outdoor air regulators beyond the minimum setting to reduce or eliminate air recirculation from the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. If the climate is temperate, this will not affect thermal comfort or humidity.
On the other hand, opening doors and windows, when weather conditions permit, is important to increase the flow of air from the outside. Do not open doors and windows if doing so poses a health or safety risk.
