Improving Indoor Air Quality at Home

To understand how to measure IAQ, you must first understand the measurement units required for each air contaminant or gas:⁶

•VOC (safe levels are less than 500 ug/m³)

•Carbon dioxide (safe levels are less than 700 ppm)

•Humidity (optimum levels are 30%-60%)

•Formaldehyde (safe levels are below 27 ppb)

•Carbon monoxide (safe levels are less than 9 ppm)

From there, you can place sensors around your home to measure the pollution levels mentioned above.⁷

Some modern sensors also have mobile app companions that you can download so you can monitor home air quality with the tap of a button.

After gauging your home’s air quality, and depending on the measurements, there are several ways to improve the situation to ensure consistent healthy readings.

1. Ventilation is key

In terms of what you want to be breathing into your lungs every day, nothing beats fresh, clean air.

A study discovered that indoor air may contain up to five times more organic pollutants than outdoor air, meaning that your indoor air quality can be much worse than the air outdoors.⁸

Therefore, ensuring that there’s proper air at home can greatly help in minimising pollutants floating in the air while removing odor at the same time.

There are two ways to go about improving ventilations:

• Natural ventilation

◦ Not only is this method free, but it’s also effective. When you are away, crack open a window so that fresh air can enter throughout the day, even if it rains; if you’re at home, feel free to bust them wide open.
◦ If it’s a viable option for you, keeping your doors open in every room at home can help greatly as well.

• Mechanical ventilation

Nowadays, keeping the windows open looks unlikely due to the rising levels of pollution like haze and PM2.5.

◦ To help fresh air better circulate in your home, you can install items such as fans and air purifiers in your bedroom or living area.
◦ You can also opt to use air conditioners that come with air-purifying technology, such as Panasonic’s nanoe™ X, which is able to eliminate up to 99% of airborne pollutants.
◦ Vents and ducts are also great options to get rid of humid, stale air in damp places such as the bathroom and kitchen.

2. Removing pollutants at the source

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, source control -  the process of eliminating contaminants at the source, is the most effective way of improving IAQ.⁹

A variety of items or places in the house can be pollutant source:¹⁰

• Tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, and vapes)

• Poorly maintained cleaning products (bleach, detergents, and aerosol sprays)

• Excess moisture, which leads to mold

• Leaky gas stoves

• Air conditioners or heaters

3. Plants are your friends

A study conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has found that indoor plants are great at not just absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, but some species of greenery can also remove VOCs, formaldehyde, and benzene.

• Chinese evergreen

• Peace lily

• English ivy

• Weeping fig

• Florist’s chrysanthemum

In addition to the above, you can also take advantage of new technologies such as the unique nanoe™ X to improve and maintain your home's indoor air quality.

Hydroxyl radicals occur naturally and are well-known for their ability to inhibit pollutants, but they have a limited lifespan.

Panasonic air conditioners with nanoe™ X can generate huge quantities of hydroxyl radicals enveloped in water, increasing the molecules’ lifespan for up to 600 seconds. This greatly enhances their capability to inhibit bacteria and viruses, molds, allergens, pollens, and hazardous substances, as well as deodorising the surrounding area.

nanoe™ X penetrates deep inside tightly woven materials such as curtains, blinds, carpets and furniture – reaching pollutants on hard surfaces, and aids in air purification, thus improving indoor air quality with cleaner and fresher air.

Selected nanoe™ X air conditioners can be linked with Panasonic's own ventilation and IAQ controller, creating a complete air management system that is able to improve overall indoor air quality, promising cleaner and fresher air.

Learn more about nanoe™ X here