Investing in Your Air

Consumers spend hundreds of dollars every year on cleaning products- sanitizing wipes, window cleaners, floor mops- you name it. The average household spends more than $600 a year on these products.

It’s time to think about cleaning our air the same way we obsess over cleaning our floors, our windows, our countertop surfaces. The largest space in any room to clean is the air; and often the most overlooked.

We are so worried about making contact with germs on hard surfaces, but what happens every time we walk into a room and breathe in that air?

Let’s say you walk into a public library. Do you know if the last person who sat in that same chair you just sat down in was recovering from a virus?

Do you know if the students who left the school gymnasium before your child entered were coughing and sneezing releasing millions of contaminated particles into the air?

Cleaning our air has been encouraged by the CDC as an effective way to help mitigate virus spread. We take meticulous measures to wash our hands and sanitize high touch areas, but what about the areas we can’t touch?

There are plenty of reasons to consider cleaning your air regularly beyond the current virus transmission:

· Allergies: there are a number of reasons you might be sniffing and sneezing throughout the year- pet dander, dust, pollen, to name a few- and removing these tiny particles form the air is exactly what purifiers are designed to do. Those who suffer from pet and seasonal allergies frequently report a significant difference in their breathing when they are in a room that’s been purified vs. one that hasn’t if the primary offender is present.

· Odor Removal: the newest technologies in air purification allow devices not only to rid the air of harmful pollutants, but also foul odors. Adding an air purifier with this enhanced technology to a space that tends to generate foul smells- like a school gymnasium or nursing home- will not only clean the air but remove the odors.

· Sick Building Syndrome: SBS is a very real medical issue in which patients experience acute chronic health effects with no specific diagnosis. The only common thread is often linked to a period of time spent in a specific building. More often than not SBS is caused by lack of ventilation, and chemical contaminants in the air. Often SBS is linked to schools and offices that were built decades ago.

The simplest way to clean your air is to open a window and let the fresh air flow through, but oftentimes this isn’t practical. Air purification devices are an easy way to keep your space clean 24/7 without worrying about the weather. There are plenty on the market but be sure to look for the system that fits the size of the space you need to clean, not to mention offers the features you need most (such as odor reducing abilities, noiseless fans, etc). Some purifiers work by passing air through filters to reduce particulate while others create cleansing agents that go out into your space, continuously clean the air around you — and some do both. A little research can go a long way towards making sure you find the perfect air purifier for your specific needs.