EcoAir expert shares ultimate season by season guide to improving indoor air quality.
Our homes are our sanctuaries; a place to decompress and relax at the end of a hard day at work or school. Whilst we understand the importance of cleanliness, hygiene and comfort at home to achieve wellbeing and calm, how often do we stop and consider air quality and its impact on our health?
Noel Fok, CEO and co-founder of EcoAir, leading manufacturer of air treatment products, says: “Poor air quality in the home can be a huge contributor to a number of health conditions or complaints, with key issues including humidity, allergens, airborne pathogens (bacteria and viruses) and smoke/particulate matter. That said, there are a number of quick fixes that we can make to optimise air quality as conditions change through the seasons.
“From considering how and where you dry bed sheets or home heating hacks to mitigate damp, to reducing the infiltration of allergens in the home or choosing useful appliances that can supercharge air quality, it’s simply a case of understanding what is affecting your indoor environment and when, so you understand how best to treat it.”
Read on for Noel’s season by season guide to improving air quality in the home…
Spring-Summer: March – August
Spring is a time we all look forward to – longer, brighter days and (we hope!) milder weather. However, with the onset of spring comes every allergy sufferer’s nightmare – pollen.
Tree pollen is the biggest culprit during the spring months, causing sneezing, itchy eyes, sinus issues, and irritating coughs, whilst grass and weed pollen are at their peak in the summer months.
And then there’s the issue of pets. A pet shedding its winter coat will contribute more fur, skin cells and dust to the home than at other times of the year, and can trigger allergy symptoms not only for those with pet allergies, but for those who are allergic to dust mites – which feed on pet dander – too.
To mitigate these issues and ensure better air quality inside the home through the spring-summer months, there are some simple rules to adhere to:
- Cleanliness – regularly cleaning your home (dusting, mopping and vacuum cleaning) using non-toxic products is key to reducing allergens in the home.
- Dry laundry inside – whilst spring and summer seems like the perfect time of year to dust off and set up the outdoor washing line, if you suffer from allergies, you’re best drying laundry indoors. Damp clothes and bedding attract pollen, so drying clothes outdoors where there is more of a risk of them coming into contact with seasonal pollen is a bad idea. Bed sheets and pillowcases – which are in close contact with bare skin and our faces – are best dried in a tumble dryer as the heat deactivates allergens.If you don’t have a tumble dryer, hang your laundry indoors on a clothes airer with a dehumidifier switched on close by. This is a great alternative to a tumble dryer as it is gentler on fabrics, costs much less to run, and removes excess moisture from the air in the process, eliminating the risk of a build-up of condensation, damp or mould.
- Close windows – It may seem counterintuitive in the warmer months, but for those that suffer badly with pollen allergies, keeping windows closed in spring and summertime can help reduce the infiltration of airborne allergens and particles into the home.
- Regular grooming – groom pets regularly during moulting season and be sure to do so outside so there’s less risk of errant fur and skin cells in the home.
- Purify the air – It’s well worth considering investing in an air purifier to capture any kind of allergy-triggering particles – dust, lint, pet dander, pollens. Removing these from your indoor environment will remove or minimise the risk of symptoms.
Autumn-Winter: September – February
Autumn marks the start of cold and flu season, with the return to the daily commute post-summer and kids back at nursery or school contributing to an onslaught of seasonal infections. But one sick family member shouldn’t mean that other household members are automatically brought down with the same bug…
Whilst maintaining solid hygiene practices (both personal hygiene and cleanliness of the home) can help minimise the spread of infection, one of the best ways to protect your household from colds, flu, and even Covid throughout autumn and winter, is by investing in an air steriliser.
An air steriliser significantly reduces the risk of contagion of seasonal bugs, providing protection for the whole household by instantly eliminating 99.925% of airborne viruses and bacteria, including COVID-19.
Autumn and winter also bring wetter weather and, as the heating is cranked up, contrasting indoor-outdoor temperatures, causing annual struggles with condensation, damp and mould in the home for many Brits during the colder months.
Condensation occurs when warm, moisture-laden indoor air collides with cold surfaces such as windowpanes and as the air is cooled down quickly, it releases the water it was holding, forming liquid droplets on windows and doors.
Whilst this may not seem hugely troublesome, if unaddressed, persistent condensation can lead to all sorts of damage, including damp, bubbling paint and plaster, and stained wallpaper. It can also contribute to the growth of harmful black mould.
Modern homes are designed to be energy efficient – they are well insulated, often trapping warm, moist air inside, creating an environment ripe for condensation, damp and mould. Period properties that have been modernised can also suffer from poor ventilation due to a number of factors including badly planned extensions or conversions, blocked fireplaces, removal or air vents, or sealed windows and doors.
Excess humidity, damp and mould can cause or exacerbate a number of health issues, triggering or aggravating conditions such as asthma, allergies, arthritis, and respiratory or sinus infections, with children and the elderly most at risk.
Ensuring your central heating stays at a more moderate temperature all day (e.g. 18 degrees Celsius) as opposed to setting it too high for a couple of hours in the mornings and evenings, is one way to try and tackle extreme temperature differences inside and outside the home.
But the most effective way to reduce excess moisture is to ventilate. Even though the thought of keeping windows and doors open is far less inviting in the colder months, it’s important to open windows for 5 minutes every day to allow for air flow and to let moisture laden air out. Especially if you enjoy long, hot baths, or live in a busy household with lots of people showering or cooking. Steam – from showers, baths, kettles, pans of boiling water – contributes to excess moisture in the air. As does the water evaporation from drying laundry on radiators in winter, so avoid that at all costs.
The most effective longer-term solution for persistent humidity in the home is to invest in a dehumidifier.
Dehumidifiers work by removing moisture from the air, making the environment drier and thus reducing instances of potentially harmful condensation, mould and damp. Drier air will also improve the efficiency of your central heating as humid air is harder to heat, meaning lower energy bills too!
The drop in temperature come winter also heralds the return to fireside living, with many Brits spending evenings cosying up in front of a roaring fire to keep warm. However, minimising particulate matter from fires in autumn and winter is key to better air quality in the home.
If you have an open fire, it’s worth switching to a closed wood burning stove, which contains the fire, produces less smoke, and as a bonus, is much more efficient at heating the living space.
If you aren’t able to upgrade to a wood burning stove, an air purifier with a HEPA Filter, will both capture the harmful chemical components of smoke in your living environment, and remove the odour.
For more information, please visit: www.ecoair.org
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Notes to editors:
- Please contact the EcoAir PR team at Rooster should you wish to test/review and EcoAir products
- Rooster can coordinate comment, interview and profile opportunities for EcoAir CEO & co-founder, Noel Fok
For further press information, please contact:
Anna Nyman | Elsa Findlay | Julie Aguilera
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About EcoAir:
Founded in 2006 by Noel (CEO) and Sally Fok (Managing Director), EcoAir manufactures and supplies a range of innovative and environmentally friendly air treatment products.
Designed for use in the home, workplace or commercial spaces, the EcoAir product range includes dehumidifiers (offering the largest range of desiccant dehumidifiers in the UK), portable air conditioners, fans, air purifiers, and this year sees the introduction of an all-new industry category with a world-first air steriliser: the EcoAir AVS.
EcoAir is a brand synonymous with cleaner, fresher air. Its mission is to improve indoor air quality to ensure that everyone feels comfortable in their home or work environment and that the climate of living or work spaces is optimised to foster good overall health & wellbeing.
EcoAir is continually innovating in both design and service, always striving to improve products, maximise the practical benefits they offer, and ensure a seamless and positive customer experience.
Consistently delivering both on quality and performance, EcoAir dehumidifiers are award-winning. Most recent accolades include Good Housekeeping Institute 2024, Which? Best Buy 2024 and Indy Best 2023.
EcoAir products are designed and engineered in Britain and rank amongst the highest for performance and reliability. They can be purchased direct via the EcoAir UK website or Amazon, online at Currys, and from over 100 leading independent retailers.
EcoAir operates primarily in the UK and Europe.
For more information, please visit: www.ecoair.org
