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One approach to lowering the concentrations of indoor air
pollutants in your home is to increase the amount of outdoor
air coming indoors. Most heating and cooling systems do not
mechanically bring fresh air into the house. Opening windows
and doors, operating window or attic fans, when the weather
permits, or running a window air conditioner with the vent
control open increases the outdoor ventilation rate. Local
bathroom or kitchen fans that exhaust outdoors remove
contaminants directly from the room where the fan is located.
Mechanical systems that bring outdoor air into the home are
available. Some of these designs include energy-efficient
heat recovery ventilators (also known as air-to-air heat
exchangers).
There are many types and sizes of air cleaners on the market,
ranging from relatively inexpensive table-top models to
sophisticated and expensive whole-house systems. Some air
cleaners are highly effective at particle removal, while others,
including most table-top models, are much less so. Air cleaners
are generally not designed to remove gaseous pollutants.
The effectiveness of an air cleaner depends on how well it
collects pollutants from indoor air (expressed as a percentage
efficiency rate) and how much air it draws through the cleaning
or filtering element (expressed in cubic feet per minute). A
very efficient collector with a low air-circulation rate will
not be effective, nor will a cleaner with a high air-circulation
rate but a less efficient collector. Another important factor in
determining the effectiveness of an air cleaner is the strength
of the pollutant source. Table-top air cleaners, in particular,
may not remove satisfactory amounts of pollutants from strong
nearby sources.
The long-term performance of any air cleaner depends on
maintaining it according to the manufacturer’s directions.
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Healthy Homes
