Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the measure of how healthy and comfortable the air inside a building is. Poor IAQ can affect your health, productivity, and well-being, especially if you spend a lot of time indoors. Fortunately, there are some sustainable design strategies that can help you improve your IAQ and breathe easier. Here are some tips to get you started.
One of the main sources of indoor air pollution is the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted by many building materials, such as paints, adhesives, carpets, and furniture. VOCs can cause headaches, irritation, allergies, and even cancer. To avoid exposure to VOCs, choose materials that are certified as low-emission by reputable standards, such as Green Seal, Greenguard, or Cradle to Cradle. These standards ensure that the materials meet strict criteria for reducing or eliminating harmful emissions.
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Air pollution in the home or living area of a complex, may be just as bad or worse than experienced outdoors if not regularly monitored. Keep your rugs and carpets at home and every living area, clean and free from dust. Constantly check the vent areas in the house/complex for clogs and dusts, making sure they are dust free. Use check cooking vents at home and in the office kitchen/dinning area. It's very important to use indoor plants and flowers to freshen the air naturally; nature has a lot to offer our health. Control humidity in the home/office area, as humidity conditions are known to breed molds and mildew. Check your AC filters and other household/office filters (Vacuum, Washing Machine/Dryer), and service them regularly.
It is so important to be aware of the VOCs and emissions from your building materials and furniture. Especially if you are considering passive house standard building. It is extremely important to specify and source sustainable natural materials. They are better for your health and better for your building long term.
An additional certification to consider is SCS Indoor Advantage, as well as transparent testing documentation that shows the product meets California’s CDPH test methodology and emissions thresholds. There are many natural materials, for example - wool or unfinished wood - which are inherently non emitting sources and can be safely incorporated into an indoor environment.
Avoiding volatile organic compounds in choice of building materials can't be overemphasized especially in elimination of harmful emissions. Hence the need to encourage the use of natural building materials that meets low emissions standard. Therefore, the need for conscious and deliberate choice of indoor building materials must be well considered to ensure an improved indoor air quality.
OKEO-TEX standard 100 textiles and materials are a way to ensure your indoor furniture is safe in your home, without the worry of harmful toxic chemicals.
Another way to improve your IAQ is to ensure that there is adequate ventilation and filtration of the air inside your building. Ventilation helps to dilute and remove contaminants, while filtration helps to capture and remove particles, such as dust, pollen, and mold. You can use natural ventilation, such as opening windows and doors, or mechanical ventilation, such as fans and ducts, depending on the climate and the design of your building. You can also use air filters, such as HEPA filters, that can trap up to 99.97% of airborne particles.
It is essential to find the balance between natural and mechanical ventilation. If you are in position to design your building from scratch, take advantage of natural air flow, look at the building orientation in detail and explore designs that support natural air flow that is then complemented by mechanical ventilation solutions. Bare in mind that mechanical ventilation is only as good as its installation so appoint competent contractor and installation team. Pay attention to designing your ducting as materials used and route will have an affect on the efficiency of the system.
Facilitating passive cross-ventilation is the most sustainable way to filter and clean the air. Understanding the local wind conditions and the urban forms is key to achieving that.
Regular Ventilation: For those of us living in the tropics, opening windows and doors daily, especially in the morning and evening, to allow fresh air to circulate and exchange with indoor air is important for healthy air quality. Air Purifiers: Investing in air purifiers with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters is most ideal because these filters can capture particles like dust, pollen, pet dander, and even some bacteria and viruses.
Additional notes: Having indoor plants is another important and easy way to improve your indoor air quality. There is an easy DIY air filter using fans and air filters as another affordable way to improve your air quality.
Natural ventilation is one of the best passive design strategies to a achieve a good IAQ. It is affordable for low income households which suffer energy poverty. It also prevents radon pollution where this issue occurs. Moreover crossed ventilation and stack effect are recommended to remove air pollutants in mild and warm climates by bringing fresh air indoors. Harmful bacteria and viruses proliferate in closed spaces making natural ventilation play such important role.
Plants are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they can also help to improve your IAQ by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, as well as removing some VOCs and other toxins from the air. Some of the best plants for improving IAQ are spider plants, snake plants, peace lilies, and aloe vera, according to a NASA study. However, be careful not to overwater your plants, as this can create mold and increase humidity. Also, avoid plants that may trigger allergies or asthma, such as ragweed or daisies.
Plants and natural materials have tremendous benefits and impact human well-being in a positive way. Integrate plants whenever you can into design and specify edible plants not just decorative ones. Be mindful of maintenance strategy and discuss with client what is physically possible so your scheme is set for success from the start.
I tried to grow snake plants and aloe vera in couple of corners at my home. They struggled to survive and I had to move them to a brighter location where they thrived well. One of the most critical requirements to grow plants indoors is light. Plants thrive under sunlight, do moderately well under artificial lighting conditions, but most plants eventually die out in dark corners.
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So true and very important as this will also freshen the air, improving the indoor air quality naturally, and also beautify the space.
Snake plants are a fantastic way to remove carbon out of your bedroom at night as you sleep. This will improve the air quality in your bedroom as you rest.
Humidity and temperature are also important factors that affect your IAQ and comfort. High humidity can promote the growth of mold, bacteria, and dust mites, while low humidity can cause dryness and irritation of the skin, eyes, and throat. Temperature can also affect your thermal comfort and energy consumption. Ideally, you should maintain a relative humidity level between 30% and 50%, and a temperature between 68°F and 78°F, depending on your personal preference and the season.
This is challenging in the Northeast with hot, humid summers and dry cold winters. Use a hygrometer to monitor the RH and temperature. Close shades in summer on south and west facing windows. Humidifiers in winter are controversial. Too much added moisture can cause mold.
They best way to control humidity in a building or home is through air sealing. Homes in the Northeast are dry in the winter, because of air infiltration that is bringing in cold, dry outdoor air into the living space (it is not from the furnace drying out the air). Don't let the dry air enter in the winter and the humid air in the summer. Still need ventilation air, but this should be provided mechanically through a system that can pre-condition the ventilation air, like an energy recovery ventilator.
This is one of the biggest problems that Golf countries face, especially in summer, when temperatures rise to 550C and humidity keeps rising with temperatures. One solution found is central air conditioning systems, which control the humidity and temperature of the air. The other one is Brise Soleil, to stop the direct and hot sun rays from penetrating inside spaces. Whereas during winter, with lower humidity levels, the air conditioning systems regulate the temperature alone.
One of the most obvious and harmful sources of indoor air pollution is smoking and burning. Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic and can affect not only the smoker, but also the people around them. Burning candles, incense, or wood can also produce smoke, soot, and carbon monoxide, which can reduce the oxygen level and increase the fire risk. To improve your IAQ, avoid smoking and burning inside your building, or use smoke-free alternatives, such as electric candles or diffusers.
like that air freshener, candle, or incense stick...remember the section above about VOCs...that's right, might smell nice, but doesn't promote a healthy building.
Placing the fresh air intake grills away from such activities will help reduce the concentration of PM, CO2, CO etc in the fresh air stream. We often see poorly designed air intake grills which are right outside smoking areas or parking. In order to improve the air quality, these locations should be avoided while designing the air distribution system in conditioned spaces.
Finally, one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve your IAQ is to clean and maintain your building regularly. Cleaning helps to remove dust, dirt, and allergens from the surfaces and the air, while maintaining helps to prevent leaks, cracks, and malfunctions that can affect the ventilation and filtration systems. You can use natural or eco-friendly cleaning products, such as vinegar, baking soda, or lemon, to avoid adding more chemicals to the air. You can also use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, and change or wash your air filters, bedding, and curtains frequently.
Another way to keep things clean is to use entry mats that reduce the amount of dirt being tracked indoors. LBC certification requires entry mats to be installed at every entrance. It also requires VOC monitoring, low VOC specification and declared ingredients to ensure healthy materials for people and planet.
Textiles are omnipresent. The material selection is important to reduce microfiber release happening in indoors. For example, the low-pill polyester fibers are designed to break the pills during washing. Technically it is the pill wear-off stage. A recent study found that tumble dryers contribute to microfiber pollution in the air. It is appropriate to handle the tumble dryer. A good filter in the dryer and drying sheets will help to reduce the overall microfiber release.
Certainly, here are a few additional points to consider for improving indoor air quality: Regular Testing: Consider periodic indoor air quality testing to identify specific pollutants and determine if your efforts are effective. Professional testing services can provide insights into potential issues. Proper Storage: Store chemicals, paints, solvents, and other potentially harmful substances in well-ventilated areas or outside the living space to prevent their fumes from affecting indoor air quality. Natural Sunlight: Allow natural sunlight into your home, as ultraviolet (UV) rays have a natural sanitizing effect and can help reduce mold and bacterial growth.
Few things that would be helpful other than filters, low VOC materials and products would be awareness and changing behaviour of the users. We often see activities such as eating, waste stored and kept for longer duration in the enclosed conditioned areas which can cause foul smell, bacterial growth in the spaces and can affect the IAQ.