Which air cleaner to choose? Is quartzing useful? And indoor plants?

Important questions about the air in the house

The colder on the street, the dry the air at home. Animals and clothes beat the current, the lips begin to crack, and it becomes more difficult to experience SARS. And this is not the only thing you need to know about the air in the apartment. "Medusa" tells how to monitor the state of air so that there is no hazard of health.

It seems that the apartment has normal air. Do you have to somehow check it out?

If it seems to you that everything is in order, no special analysis should be carried out, but still there are indicators that are important to follow.

Moisture level. In the cold season, too dry air is a common problem . This leads to the fact that the mucous membrane of the nose is drying up, it can even go blood, the lips crack, itching your eyes, it is more difficult to experience SARS and (theoretically) it is easier to pick it up.

If the relative humidity of the air is high (60% are still considered permissible, no longer ), then in such conditions dust mites, which cause allergies, are well propagated, mold is bred, and formaldehyde spreads . Humidity is measured using a hygrometer - such analyzers are often sold as part of home weather stations, which also measure the air temperature.

The level of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide has no color and smell, and it can be very dangerous. This gas is released during the burning of various types of fuel. If in a closed room with poorly working ventilation, for example, to heat up with a gas stove, smoke a hookah or use a faulty gas water heater, you can be poisoned by carbon monoxide. With poisoning, a person has a headache, he feels weak, he is sick, shortness of breath occurs, everything becomes muddy and in the end you can even lose consciousness and die. So you need to install carbon monoxide detectors in the apartment (they are easy to buy on the Internet).

The level of Radon. This header applies only to those who live on the first or second floor . Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the ground and, apparently, increases the risk of developing lung cancer with constant inhalation. On the street, its concentration is less than in the room. Not in all regions in the soil there are a lot of Radon - for example, as Medusa was informed in Rospotrebnazdor, for Moscow it is uncharacteristic.

According to some reports , such a threat should be more attentive to residents of the Altai Republic, the Jewish Autonomous Region, the Stavropol Territory, the Irkutsk Region and the Trans -Baikal Territory. Rospotrebnadzor adds that, in addition to these regions, the increased level of radon in the premises was found in Bashkiria, Yakutia, Belgorod, Ivanovo, Kemerovo, Kirov, Ryazan and Sverdlovsk regions. For measurements, it is recommended to use track complexes or electrode detectors. But they are very expensive, so it may be better to use the services of a company that conducts such measurements.

If everything is fine, can you relax?

In general, yes - just try not to spoil anything. There are three main rules that need to be followed so that the air remains clean:

1. Do not pollute. Do not smoke in the house, do not buy furniture from chipboard (it emits harmful formaldehyde), do not use solvents, to get rid of carpets if possible (dust mites that cause allergies can live in them). And this, in fact, is the most effective measure in the struggle for the purity of air, because usually the main sources of pollution are inside, not outside.
2. Ventate more often. Unless, of course, the windows do not overlook the highway. A draft is, by the way, not as scary as it is customary to think. The pulmonologist of the Chaika clinic Vasily Staffnitsky believes that, if we consider it as a cause of serious hypothermia, then he can only increase the risk of acute respiratory viral infections or pneumonia for people with very poor health. According to the neurologist, the medical director of the family "Family" Pavel Brand, "to stand up" in this way is also unlikely.
3. Establish an air cleaner if it seems to you that the air could be better. The cleaner can remove dust and other particles from the air, as well as gas impurities.

What to do if not everything is in order with air humidity?

If the relative humidity of the air is too low - 30-50% below the set , you need to use a humidifier.

Moisturizers are different, and strict recommendations, which is better to choose. The only thing - if there are children in the house, you do not need to buy those devices that heat the water so that the child does not accidentally receive a burn. It is also important to ensure that the humidifier of the air itself does not harm you: bacteria or mold can grow in it. Therefore, in a good way it is necessary :

• pour distilled water or water there, cleaned of minerals in some other way;
• change the water every day, first letting the humidifier dry;
• wash it every three days with a three percent solution of hydrogen peroxide or other means indicated in the instructions, and then rinse;
• Change the filter with the frequency indicated in the instructions, or more often if it has become dirty.

Follow the instructions is generally a good idea. If there is a bed in the room, then the humidifier should stand two meters from it. The windows and doors when moisturizing, of course, should not be openly open - otherwise there will be no benefit.

If the relative humidity of the air is increased, you can often open the windows if there is normal humidity on the street, or buy an air drainage (they are as part of more complex devices for air manipulations). The usual air conditioner will also cope here.

And if I have a lot of radon?

There will be serious measures here and you can’t do it alone. Vitrition in this case helps, but not for long: after 12 hours, Radon can return to the previous level. Air purifiers are also not recommended : there is no convincing data that there will be benefits from them. Therefore, it is better not to allow Radon to get into an apartment or house. For this, as reported in Rospotrebnadzor, “in some cases, special events are used: for example, seal the basements or cover the walls (if radon emit walls, for example, from concrete) paint, wallpaper - this also delays its discharge.”

If I just feel that the air is dirty, is it worth buying a cleaner?

Maybe. But still it is better to first do two things :

1. Get rid of sources of pollution.
2. Start more often ventilate the apartment or house.

The problem is that air purifiers cannot cope with all pollutants. For example, parts of dust ticks quickly settle and can simply not fly to the cleaner. Therefore, it is impossible to rely solely on these devices.

Pulmonologist Vasily Staffnitsky believes that you should not expect protection from some serious diseases from the purifiers of protection. At least in Moscow. There are not very many studies here, and those that indicate some effect cannot be called reliable .

Which air cleaner to choose?

It depends on what exactly the air is polluted. Cleaners are different in both the method, and, accordingly, in the effect.

• Mechanical is just a physical barrier. Most often, HEPA filters are used-they should not pass large particles like dust, pollen and dandruff of animals.
• Adsorbents (for example, activated carbon), in theory, should delay harmful gas impurities. True, not all. For example, from the same Radon not to protect himself.
• Electrostatic filters give even small particles a charge, due to which they are attracted to a special “collecting” section. On the same principle, ionizers work, only they release ions outward, where they are attached to the particles that eventually settle on the surfaces in the room, and, I must say, leave a raid. But in both cases, this is fraught with the formation of ozone, which is harmful in itself and can also enter into reaction and provoke the formation of other hazardous substances. There are still ozoners that supposedly neutralize the particles polluting air, but this is not so .
• The photocatalytic filter works as follows: the ultraviolet lamp affects the catalyst (usually the titanium dioxide) and as a result, some gases turn into safer connections. But such filters do not fight unwanted particles in the air (except with microorganisms).

How efficiently an electric (not mechanical) cleaner relieves air of tobacco smoke, pollen or dust, Cadr shows. This is an assessment system that measures not only the effectiveness of the filter, but also how much air it can pass through itself for a certain period.

If possible, the device should be quiet, at least so that you do not want to turn it off quickly. On the other hand, the cleaner with a weak fan or without it usually drives away much less air through itself, which affects the effect.

To make the benefits of the cleaner more, it must be put in the right place - closer to the source of pollution (for example, a cell with an animal). If there is no such place, then you need to put the device so that it supplies clean air to where the person is mainly located. The entrance and output, of course, should not be blocked by furniture or walls.

Cleaners, of course, themselves need cleaning, as well as the replacement of filters: otherwise they can work worse or generally return to the air everything that they have accumulated. And here it is better to follow the instructions.

How to combine airing and purification of air?

There are no specific recommendations here, but manufacturers of air cleaners are advised to ventilate the room when you become stuffy. In principle, 15–20 minutes a couple of times a day may be enough. When the windows are closed, you can use the air cleaner. Be sure to ventilate the room if you, for example, paint something.

If there is no way to ventilate, because the air outside cannot be called clean, then in the apartment you can install a compact supply ventilation with a filter (this is a device that “suits” the room from the street from the street, simultaneously cleansing it).

Indoor plants help to clean the air?

According to the American Environmental Protection Agency, "at the moment there is no evidence that home plants (in reasonable quantities) purify the air of a significant number of pollutants in houses and offices." And if there are many plants and they are actively watered, because of this, microorganisms unpleasant for people with allergies can multiply.

If a person with asthma or allergies lives in the apartment, do you need any special measures?

In this case, in addition to the main measures (get rid of the pollutant and ventilate), air purifiers may be useful, but it cannot be said that they all help a lot. Especially if the room has a carpet or upholstered furniture that accumulates allergens. The American Academy of Allergies, Astma and Immunology believes that it is best to use the HEPA filter and make clean air go to the sleeping head.

Do I need to clean the usual ventilation in the apartment?

No. In most apartment buildings in central ventilation, the air goes away, but does not come. It is important that the ventilation is not clogged and worked, but cleaning it is not your business.

If the ventilation works poorly, then the room is too wet, poor smells can not leave for a long time, it often becomes stuffy. The ventilation operation needs to be checked in a good way if the difference in air temperature on the street is at least 13 degrees. To do this, you need to open the window in the living room, open the door so that there are no barriers between the kitchen or bathroom. Then you need to bring a piece of paper to the ventilation hole - the paper should be tightened. It is fraught with a burning match: explosive gases can accumulate in ventilation. If ventilation does not work, then this is a violation, and you can always complain to the state bodies. Or first, contact the management organization so that everyone is corrected, and they should do it for free.

When does someone at home with SARS, quartzing will protect the rest?

Most likely not. When quartzing, a quartz bactericidal lamp is used, which radiates ultraviolet. This type of cleaner is not the most obvious choice if you want to protect yourself from SARS. And that's why:

1. Quartzing can kill viruses, bacteria and mold, but there is no evidence that as a result, people in residential buildings (not hospitals) are less sick.
2. Those lamps that can be used at home are not as effective as those used in hospitals.
3. The lamps need to be regularly wiped and changed, while they are quite expensive.
4. Such lamps cannot be a complete replacement of air purifiers.

In other words, if someone is sick at home, you just need to stay away from him during the first days of illness , wash your hands correctly and teach it or sneeze and cough in a bend of the elbow or paper scarf.

What air temperature should be in the room?

There is no consensus here, but the American safety department and labor hygiene recommends maintaining a temperature of 20–24 ° C. The American Ashrae Society, which creates standards for living conditions and work in the room, also believes that there should be such a temperature, but only in winter, but in the summer - 22–27 ° C.

If you want to harden , then you can always make it colder.

Is the air conditioner safe?

According to Vasily Staffnitsky, it is unlikely that the air conditioner, like a draft, will bring to acute respiratory viral infections or pneumonia. But allergens and various microorganisms can accumulate in the filter. And if you do not change it on time, then all this may be in the air again and provoke unpleasant symptoms.

Daria Sargsyan

The editors thank for help in preparing the material of the PHILIPS marketing manager Elin Pavlova and Technical Director of Tion Mikhail Amelkin.