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Imagine visiting your friend and discovering that their house is stuffy and smelly. You would be reluctant to visit again, right? Well, the same thing goes for your house. Good ventilation is crucial to keep your home fresh and healthy. But what exactly is ventilation?
Ventilation involves letting fresh air into your house and expelling dirt and humid air. It is like having an air filter for your entire home that constantly works to keep the air you breathe clean and healthy.
Without proper ventilation, the air in your house becomes stale. Also, air contains pollutants like dust, mold, and even dangerous gasses that can cause serious health problems, especially for people with allergies or asthma.
Stale air poses a threat to your health. A stuffy room can give you nausea, headaches, and nasal irritation. Apart from your home environment, think about the air at work. Most people spend the majority of their day in the office environment.
Most buildings today have HVAC systems to manage their heating and air conditioning. However, if the system is faulty, the building may still be poorly ventilated. It is important to get your ventilation systems checked and serviced regularly.
There are many HVAC repair companies online that are ready to help you. Some even offer air duct cleaning as part of their HVAC repair package. Remember, your home and office spaces must be well-ventilated to help you stay healthy and productive throughout your day.
Some symptoms can help you identify if the air you’re breathing is not of good quality. These include regular headaches, dry eyes, and low energy levels. However, people often do not link the symptoms to poor air quality. They blame these symptoms on other illnesses and age factors.
On the other hand, with good ventilation, the air in your home will be clean, fresh, and healthy. You will breathe easier and have a more comfortable environment. You can even take things further and introduce scents to your environment.
According to research, scents have the power to alter your mood. The study also highlights that smells can impact your performance. If you work from home, this could be the difference between meeting and missing deadlines. Therefore, ensure your home has a proper ventilation system and scents of your choice.
Now, the question is, how can you improve the ventilation in your home? Well, do not worry! There are several easy ways to go about it, but first, let us look at your ventilation options.
Types of Ventilation
There have been several innovations to improve airflow in homes. Some have become obsolete, while others have stood the test of time. Let us have a look at the best types of ventilation:
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Spot Ventilation
This type of ventilation system improves the air quality in a specific area or spot of a building. It removes stale or contaminated air and replaces it with fresh outdoor air. You can use spot ventilation for bathrooms, kitchens, or laundry rooms.
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Dilution Ventilation
This type of ventilation improves the overall air quality of a building by introducing fresh outdoor air. The outdoor air dilutes the concentration of pollutants or contaminated indoor air.
The system typically consists of an air handling unit that pulls fresh outdoor air, filters it, and distributes it. The distribution is done through a network of ducts and vents inside a building.
Fresh air gets into the building at a central location, such as a mechanical room. Afterward, the air is distributed to various rooms and spaces through the ductwork.
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Natural Ventilation
This type of ventilation occurs from natural forces such as wind and thermal buoyancy. In the past, you could rely on air leakage for ventilation, however, that is not the case today. Engineers now focus more on thermal efficiency in homes.
However, you can get natural ventilation by opening doors and windows. Natural ventilation is not reliable, especially in hot, calm weather. This is because there is not much difference between the house and outdoors to create a pressure difference.
How to Improve Your Ventilation?
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Get an Air Conditioner
Consider getting an air conditioner to improve ventilation at home. An air conditioner performs several roles in a home.
- Modern air conditioners come with air filters. These filters remove pollutants, allergens, and other particles from the air thereby improving its quality.
- ACs supply air from outdoors into the room while running. This function dilutes the air inside and expels stale air.
- Installing an HVAC system offers more perks since you get a heating function that can come in handy during the winter.
Ensure that you have a schedule for your air conditioner repair or replacements. HVAC repair prices vary so ensure you get the best service available. You should also change the air filters as you get your system serviced.
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Keep Doors and Windows Open
This is the cheapest way to improve the ventilation in a room along with certain limitations. Open as many doors and windows as possible to let out the hot, toxic air. Also, focus on achieving cross ventilation. This is opening windows or doors across each other to let air into a room.
If you do not have enough windows, you can add vents or more windows if you plan to remodel your home. Meanwhile, you can rely on mechanical ventilation like fans and ACs.
However, keeping doors and windows open might not work in winter. Also, you may feel no difference if it is hot and humid outside.
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Get House Plants
You can improve the air quality in a room by introducing house plants to your home. During the day, plants photosynthesize. They absorb carbon dioxide and let out oxygen-rich air into a room. Therefore, you can use plants to freshen the air in a room.
Also, some plants can help you get rid of odors in your home. Examples of such plants include the spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) and Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum). They break down toxins in the air and leave the air fresh.
You can also use plants to introduce scents to your home. The bathroom is one of the best rooms to put plants in. The plants will improve the aesthetics and improve ventilation.
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Get a House fan
Consider purchasing a fan to improve airflow in your house. There are different options to pick from with fans. You can get a ceiling, table fan, or freestanding fan for your home. The installation process varies depending on the fan, but they all achieve the same goal.
You can use fans to guide fresh air into your home, depending on how you position them. Also, fans pair well with houseplants. You can use a fan to distribute the fresh air from your plants.
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Get an Exhaust fan
Exhaust fans are more complicated than your normal fans. An exhaust fan system has a vent or duct that connects the fan to the outside of the building. The fan motor then pumps out the air in the room replacing it with fresh outdoor air.
You can install exhaust fans on walls, ceilings, or remotely. In the remote installation, the fan is away, but the vent system brings in the air. Exhaust fans are great for spot ventilation. Use them in areas like your kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room. These areas are likely to hold moisture and build up toxins.
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Install an Air Purifier
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You do not have to worry about air purifiers if you have an HVAC system in place. However, an additional air purifier will reduce the load on your HVAC system. This will help reduce the HVAC repair cost. Therefore, if you do not have one, you should get an air purifier.
An air purifier improves the quality of air in a room by drawing in dirty air and passing it through a filter or series of filters. These filters trap allergens such as dust, pollen, pet dander, and smoke. Some air purifiers also have activated carbon filters to help get rid of odors.
When purchasing an air filter, consider the size of the room you are getting it for. Also, you need to combine your air purifier with other forms of ventilation. This is because air purifiers do not facilitate air exchange.
Benefits of Good Ventilation
There are several benefits of having good ventilation in your house. The list of benefits of proper ventilation includes:
- Temperature Regulation – Good ventilation will keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. This is because proper ventilation will regulate the temperature and humidity levels.
- Reduced Wall Damage – Proper ventilation gets rid of moisture and humidity in rooms and keeps walls dry.
- Reduced Mold Growth – You do not have to worry about mold growing in your walls due to condensation in winter or dampness.
- Fewer Odors – Good ventilation gets rid of odors and stale air which may affect your health.
Conclusion
If you spend the majority of your day indoors, you should assess the quality of air that you take in. Good ventilation is vital because stale air impacts your health, and it is worse if you have allergies. Consider this information and invest in good ventilation in your home.
There are several easy ways to improve the ventilation in your home. You can open doors and windows, install fans, or get an HVAC system. You can also use house plants to generate fresh air and eliminate odors. And, do not be afraid to combine different methods to improve your home’s ventilation.
