During the winter, we spend most of the time indoors. With the recent developments in society over the past years, our indoor spaces have taken an even more important role in our everyday life. So much so, that we now conduct a series of activities from home that were once done outside of the home, such as work, studies, conviviality and even exercise. This way of life makes it essential to breathe in pure and healthy air free of toxic elements to protect our health and create a healthy balance between body and mind.
Indoor pollution —An insidious enemy
Not long ago, we were mostly concerned with smog and car pollution, whereas we have now learned that pollution is not only found outdoors, but also inside our homes. A concrete threat that has been confirmed in a recent study by the World Health Organisation, which showed that pollution levels indoors can be up to 5 times higher than those outdoors.
Polluting agents are attributable to bad smells, gases, leftover particles from cooking and chemical agents contained in cleaning products. In addition, you run the risk of accumulating pollen, dust, fungal spores, pet hairs, bacteria, viruses and volatile organic compounds (known as VOC) derived from chemical substances from painting, varnish and furniture.
Let’s take a look at how we can deal with this explosive blend of pollution and ensure a healthier air.
The remedies for indoor pollution
Without going into the diseases associated with indoor pollution, suffice to say that breathing clean air in your home is highly beneficial to our general well-being—improved skin, improved emotional balance, improved sleep and fewer symptoms of allergies or asthma.
We have gathered some of the remedies most commonly recommended to deal with indoor pollution.
Supervising the sources of pollution
The Italian National Institute of Health (L’Istituto Superiore di Sanità) has published a brochure that aims to improve the air quality in our homes, which outlines a series of actions to try to control the spread of pollution. Among others:
- Do not smoke at home. The polluting chemicals contained in cigarette smoke remain “attached” to furniture and wallpaper for a long time.
- Do not mix chemical products that cause dangerous toxic fumes.
- Use safe materials that have the lowest levels of polluting chemicals when renovating your home or undertaking DIY projects.
- Wash curtains and wallpapers regularly. This can prevent the formation of mold, mites and other biological pollutants.
- Remember to clean air-conditioner filters to avoid the air flux from spreading pollutants.
Dilution and pollutants
Dilution of pollutants is among the instant cures that exist to limit the presence of toxic substances and avoid the proliferation of them in confined spaces. It consists of creating adequate air renewal to dilute the harmful substances and instead emitting a cleaner air flux coming from outside. This is a healthy habit, but unfortunately difficult to practice in winter, when temperatures outside are significantly lower than inside our homes. By opening the windows, we run the risk of causing a significant loss of warmth and wasting energy. For those who live in the city, this also means letting in dust, smog and pollen.
Plants and smog
Other strategies to reduce the levels of toxic substances indoors include anti-smog plants. They help to purify the air by absorbing part of the carbon anhydride and harmful substances. It is a good habit, but this alternative is a far cry from solving the issue at hand. Plants are only able to eradicate a very low percentage of volatile substances (in terms of micrograms), while when we talk about the presence of pollutants per square metre, we are talking about milligrams (i.e. quantities a thousand times bigger).
Why using an air purifier is the right choice
Among the possible solutions that exist to improve the air in your home is an air purifier (or a purifier). This is a tool that has acquired increased credibility in recent years due to both the recent interest in creating better air quality at home and due to technological progress that continues to create more evolved purifiers. Air purifiers are available on the market with different characteristics—with mechanical sterilisation or filtration, active carbons or electrical polarisation and ionisation. You can find purifiers to fix onto the wall, to place on the floor or a shelf or even portable purifiers that are small and easy to move with a handle or wheels. There are dozens of options with different technical characteristics and features.
The best air purifiers
The majority of air purifiers are artificial ventilators that are limited to absorbing fumes and bad smells, but do not remove harmful viruses and bacteria from the air. The best air purifiers do a lot more, however. These purifiers suck in the air, clean the air of impurities, and then let it out again completely purified. To counteract the different polluted particles that spread throughout the home, these purifiers use at least two filtering systems, of which the superior one is HEPA filters. This system can block 99.97% of particulates that are not visible to the human eye and therefore are very efficient at combatting the before-mentioned VOC. A carbon filter eliminates even the most enduring bad smells.
Faber has included all these characteristics in its Air Hub range that includes the most recommended products for optimal indoor air quality.
Air Hub Portable is the jewel of the crown in our range and uses 4x4 Tech that combines 4 filtering stages and 4 UV-C lamps. This is technological excellence unlike any other seen on the market, which eliminates not only fumes and bad smells, but also combats bacteria, mold and viruses without producing ozone. Complete purification of the air is assured without sacrificing an elegant, practical and discrete aesthetic.
