Improve air quality and heating in the home for a better quality of life

The air and heating quality in your home can greatly impact your quality of life. Read on for tips and tricks to keeping your space lung-friendly.

Too much moisture creates a breeding ground for mildew. In living areas you may find mildew on wood, carpets, wallpaper, drywall or masonry. Improper ventilation is usually the cause.

• Air out the room immediately if steam rises while you're cooking or bathing. Just open a window or turn on a fan.
• Keep doors closed to prevent moist air from spreading to other rooms.
• Open the windows when drying laundry inside your house, to allow damp air to escape.
• Leave about two to five centimetres (one to two inches) clearance, if possible, between big pieces of furniture, such as wardrobes or bookcases, and outer walls. Mildew can easily develop behind the furniture without being noticed.
• Regular ventilation is especially important if you have newer insulated glass windows — these are so airtight that fresh air can hardly enter the home through the frames or windows.
• Most people will feel comfortable in a room with an average temperature of between 18°C to 22°C (64°F to 72°F). Different areas of every house will require specific temperatures to ensure comfort and prevent mildew.

• A temperature of around 18°C to 20°C (64°F to 68°F) is usually sufficient in the bedroom, where you will mostly be snuggled under the blankets.
• Keep the bathroom well-heated. At least for mornings and evenings, the bathroom should be pleasantly warm; stepping out of the bathtub or shower, you might find temperatures around 18°C (64°F) a bit too cool.
• Never let rooms cool off too much: the energy expended to warm up cold walls again is comparatively high.
• Floor heating can offer an added element of comfort, while adequately heating the entire home.
• Save energy by keeping the doors that connect to uninsulated rooms (such as the garage or a cellar door) closed.

• For quick air circulation, open two windows that face each other to create a draft.
• Open your windows three times a day for about three to 10 minutes for the most effective circulation without cooling your home down excessively. Experts all recommend short, periodic bursts of ventilation to maintain air quality.
• Air your house out for longer periods during the warm seasons of the year. The exception: if you suffer from hay fever, you should stick with short periods of ventilating, even in the summer.