With temperatures finally dropping and the recent surge in the seemingly endless COVID pandemic, it is more important now than ever to ensure the quality of the air in your home. Luckily, Top Notch offers a wide variety of indoor air quality (IAQ) products to improve the safety and comfort of your home. Read about their benefits below!
Air Filters
Air purifying systems have been around for a long time as a mechanism for reducing the amount of pollen, mold, dust and harmful contaminants that collect in the air in homes and businesses. If an air purifier can remove tiny particles from the air, it could possibly reduce the concentration of the virus in a room, and in turn reduce the potential for exposure.
The virus that causes COVID-19 is approximately 0.125 micron in diameter. HEPA filters with higher MERV ratings are highly effective in capturing 99.97 percent of particles that are 0.3 micron in diameter.
The droplets that travel through the air containing the novel coronavirus can be as large as 1 micron, a size easily captured by HEPA filters.
If someone is sick with COVID-19, using an air purifier in a quarantine area may help protect other family members or caregivers. An air purifier can also be advantageous to healthcare workers self-isolating when at home.
Air Scrubbers / UV Lights
Throughout the course of the day, we open our houses to a large number of harmful particles that can linger in the air or on surfaces within our home and workplace. Mold, dust, pollen, and other pollutants irritate the sinuses and lead to extreme discomfort. Not only does an air scrubber protect against these irritants, but can save you from more harmful particles that can attack your body and bring sickness into your home or business.
Air scrubbers can also protect you and your family from COVID-19. Air scrubbers’ purification process removes harmful airborne contaminants, including viruses. On September 30, 2020, the manufacturer of the Air Scrubber released results from a FDA-compliant, independent third-party lab proving that the Aerus Hydroxyl Blaster with ActivePure Technology kills COVID-19 on surfaces, and this same patented ActivePure Technology in the Hydroxyl Blaster is available in the Air Scrubber.
These Air Scrubbers can lead to far safer work environments as well, and have been FDA approved to fight the Sars-COV-2 virus in the air within business buildings.
Ventilation
Proper ventilation is a critical component to your HVAC system. If used as recommended and in conjunction with your HVAC service provider, it can be an important factor in virus prevention and spreading unhealthy air indoors. Since March 2020, studies reported in news articles and on television talk about the benefits of enhanced ventilation in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses like influenza.
In order to ensure your ventilation is the best it can be, we recommend regular checking and cleaning your ductwork of any debris or dust that has built up with use over time.
Humidifiers
Believe it or not, one way that you can better protect your home from transmission is to install a central humidifier.
Viruses actually thrive in low humidity environments. Dry indoor air allows small particles, such as dust, debris, bacteria, and viruses, to hang in the air and recirculate through your home. By adding moisture into the air through a humidifier, you can increase the size and weight of air droplets and force airborne particles to surfaces much quicker, significantly reducing your risk of inhalation.
Humidity control also helps increase your body’s immune response. The immune system protects your body against pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, fine dust and other aggressive substances. One way which your body does this is through mucous membranes: sticky secretions in your body which catch harmful particles before they enter your body. When humidity is low, these vital components of your immune system are too dry to function, allowing these harmful particles to pass; however, keeping a humid environment keeps them functioning at their best, better protecting you and your family from harmful dust, debris, bacteria, and viruses.
Dehumidifiers
Ultimately, it’s about striking the right balance. Dry air allows small particles to spread more easily, but excessively damp air allows dust mites, mold, and mildew to thrive. Humidity allows mold in your home to develop and proliferate, bringing poor air, unpleasant odor, and potentially dangerous hazards of breathing. Utilizing a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the air, this development can be stopped, protecting you from all of the risks and annoyances that mold can bring to your home and its air.
We truly believe that controlling and regulating the quality of the air we breathe is a vital component to bringing this pandemic to an end. So often we fail to recognize some of the small measures we can take to make drastic improvements to the air we breathe, and recognizing and implementing these ideas can protect yourself and your family in a major way. To schedule a consultation to see which of these IAQ products can benefit you and your home, call Top Notch at (913) 535-8002 or schedule online using the button on our home page.
