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Maintaining Healthy Indoor Air Quality

AcuRite Team |

It's no secret that part of a healthy and comfortable home is maintaining indoor air quality. An appropriate temperature, healthy indoor humidity levels, and knowledge of what’s going on outdoors can help. Following is an overview of steps you can take to maintain comfortable and healthy indoor conditions, as well as solutions for easy home environment monitoring for healthier, safer indoor air quality. You can easily monitor home conditions and set up phone and email alerts with AcuRite sensors and the My AcuRite smart home app, so you can stay one step ahead of environmental problems before they occur.

Indoor Air Quality Tips When It's Hot & Humid Outside

  • Monitor and maintain ideal home humidity and temperature: The EPA recommends indoor humidity stays between 30% and 60%. Comfortable room temperatures are generally considered to be around 68° Fahrenheit. At night, some sleep experts recommend keeping a bedroom around 65°F. Infants may require slightly higher heat and humidity levels than adults, so consult a family doctor before setting levels in a baby's room.
  • Use dehumidifiers: These are effective tools for adjusting indoor humidity levels. A home's air conditioner also removes moisture from the air. Use these devices as needed when humidity and/or temperature rises above recommended levels.
  • Keep your home clean: Many recommend using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, as well as mopping hard floors, and placing floor mats by doors to minimize dirt that enters the house. This will, in turn, help minimize allergens.
  • Make sure your home is well ventilated: When the temperature and humidity outdoors are conducive to proper indoor conditions, bringing in fresh outdoor air can reduce the concentration of indoor pollutants.
  • Identify and mitigate potential sources of indoor air pollution: For example, regularly replace central heat/air filters, inspect stoves, etc.
  • Grow indoor plants: Plants can serve as natural air purifiers, helping you breathe easier.
  • Regularly wash bedding: This is a prime place where dust mites can flourish. Hot water and a hot dryer are generally recommended for best results.

Benefits of Monitoring Indoor Environmental Conditions

  • Preventing mold: Summer's high humidity levels risk making your house a breeding ground for mold. Mold not only causes damage, it's associated with a variety of health problems. Therefore, keeping your home environment within the EPA's recommended indoor humidity levels is incredibly important.
  • Reducing summertime allergens: In the summer, allergens can thrive in hot and humid conditions. Dust mites are a common cause of allergic reactions. Mold is another big one.
  • Improving sleep conditions: Comfortable sleep conditions are highly dependent on humidity and temperature. And if you have an infant child, proper sleep conditions for him or her may be different than yours. Therefore, it's important to educate yourself on optimum levels, then monitor and maintain ideal conditions throughout your home, paying particular attention to bedrooms and nurseries.

Hot & Humid Air Quality Problems

  • Respiratory Issues: Too much humidity can cause mold, increase allergens, and lead to potential illness.
  • Damage to Property: In addition to an unpleasant musty odor, mold can potentially cause structural damage to the house and/or valuable possessions.
  • Discomfort and Heat Stroke: High heat combined with high humidity can make it difficult for the body to cool itself, and even lead to heat stroke if conditions are extreme enough.
  • Poor Cooling Efficiency and High Energy Bills: Your air conditioner is working overtime, but your home never seems to stay cool.

Indoor Air Quality Solutions

Monitor Indoor Conditions with Humidity and Temperature Sensors: For home environment monitoring, and healthy indoor air quality, it's best to strategically place sensors in key rooms, as well as traditional humidity problem areas like basements and attics. As an added option you can check the air coming out of vents, check for leaks and drafts, as well as compare indoor conditions to outdoor temperature and humidity.  If relative humidity rises above the EPA's recommended range of 30-60%, take action by making home repairs (such as replacing weather stripping), utilizing a dehumidifier, and/or air conditioner as needed. In addition, try to maintain an indoor temperature around 68° Fahrenheit.

Note: If you've taken corrective action and symptoms of high humidity and heat persist, professional care may be necessary. This could include seeing a doctor, having a home inspected for mold, having your home's cooling system serviced, etc.

AcuRite Solutions & Tips

  • Monitor Home Conditions Online with My AcuRite: My AcuRite remote monitoring software allows you to remotely view data from AcuRite sensors and set programmable phone and email alerts for when sensor data falls outside of your desired ranges. You can view your home environment conditions online with the My AcuRite iOS app, Android app, or on the website.
  • View Temperature Conditions Around the Home: Place AcuRite Room Monitors away from sources of treated air (ex. vents) to measure ambient room conditions.
  • Position Spot Check Temperature & Humidity Sensors in Strategic Locations: The Spot Check Sensor can serve a wide variety of purposes, depending on your needs. Here are some examples:
    • Check for Inefficient Cooling Near Vents: The Spot Check Sensor can be placed near a vent or air conditioner to measure air coming out of the cooling system. This may be useful in determining if your air conditioner is pumping sufficiently cool air.
    • Monitor Outdoor Conditions: The Spot Check Sensor can be placed on the outside of a window with the Room Monitor positioned indoors to measure both outdoor and indoor conditions. This can help identify times when air conditioning is needed, or when you should open windows.
    • Check for Leaks or Drafts: The Spot Check Sensor can be placed near common problem areas like doors and windows. This can help identify spots where weather stripping needs to be replaced, or other maintenance is required.
  • Use a Home Environment Display: Conveniently view conditions measured by home temperature monitors and home humditiy monitors in multiple rooms around the house.
    • Set Alarms: The alarm function on the Home Environment Display can alert you of undesirable conditions. These can include:
      • Undesirably high or low temperatures
      • Undesirably high or low humidity
    • Monitor Daily High and Low Records: Daily records can help gauge conditions when you’re at work, asleep, etc. Use this information to adjust your thermostat for maximum energy savings, or potentially to know what times to run a dehumidifier.

Further Reading

  • The American Lung Association offers a wide variety of articles to help you create a Health House
  • The EPA offers some common sense measures for improving air quality, including proper temperature and humidity comfort levels
  • WebMD offers five simple steps you can take to improve indoor air quality, such as managing indoor humidity levels
  • WebMD also offers helpful information on sleep and temperature