As we get further into the colder months, we’re spending more and more time inside. We’re also seeing a spike in cases of coronavirus and of flu. But did you know that by improving your indoor air quality, you can significantly improve the health of your family and prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses in your home or business? With the holiday season coming up, we wanted to be able to give you recommendations for gifts that can help keep your family healthier. While you might think these ideas aren’t exactly romantic, they do say “I care” strongly.

Indoor air quality improvement is made up of four key factors: Ventilation, Filtration, Humidity and purification. Each of the recommended products below help in at least one of these ways.

Ventilation

Humidity-Sensing Fans
We’re all spending more time at home these days, and at our house, that has also meant competition for the garden tub and a bit of peaceful alone time. With kids at home, that has also meant more people forgetting to turn on the exhaust fan in our bathroom, so we upgraded to a humidity-sensing exhaust fan. The fan turns itself on when it senses too much humidity in the bathroom, preventing fogged up mirrors as well as mold, mildew and damage to paint and walls. Even better, it’s much quieter than the previous fan which sounded like a jet engine.

There are many brands on the market, with prices ranging from $69 to $199

There are a wide variety of models out there, with and without lights. We would recommend one without a light, so you do not have to wire the light and fan separately and can leave the fan “on” so the sensors work 24 x 7.

Bathroom Fans with Built-in Wifi Speakers

Ever wished you could have a TV in your bathroom like they do at some fancy hotels? Sure, you can watch stuff on your phone, but often hearing the show or music is difficult if the water and fan are running. There are a number of bathroom exhaust fans on the market now that are not only super quiet, but they include bluetooth speakers, allowing you to get a much better experience than trying to use one of those cheap suction-cup backed shower speakers. Delta Breez and Broan-NuTone have several models, ranging in price from $72- $150, depending on whether you also want a light included.

Filtration and Purification

Air filtration is different from air purification. Air Filtration removes particles from the air, including dust, dander, pollen and more, usually using a replaceable filter of some type on your HVAC system. Because of the velocity and sheer quantity of air moving through your HVAC system, Air Filtration systems tend to be sized for a while house, or rely on replaceable filters specific for your existing system. Air purifiers, in contrast, sanitize the air by removing or “killing” particulates with negative ions, heat, or even UV light. Whole home systems from Aprilaire and others can be fitted onto your existing heating and air conditioning systems to add UV-C light purification on top of whatever filtration process you use. This addition will require contacting your local HVAC contractor for pricing and installation.

Warning:

I don’t know anyone, even during COVID, that would think a whole home filtration system or furnace filters makes a perfect gift. It’s a great long-term home upgrade, but it lacks romance aa a present. In fact, if you put a bow on an air filter and tried to pass it off as a gift, do not be surprised to find coal in your stocking next year.

Air Purification

However, there are air purification products that can be placed in individual rooms which might win you points with family members.

IQ Air has a number of desktop and car air purifiers available, that are modern, good looking and useful in removing particulates in the air. The Atem (video below) is good looking, prtable, and can even be used in the car. It’s modern design is by far the best looking air purifier we’ve seen, and it starts at $399.

https://youtu.be/yNygkY9CvvE

There are also things like UV-C light towers for sale on Amazon. While these are effective for killing airborne contaminants like bacteria and viruses from the air, they are also potentially harmful to human skin and eyes. This means you would need to leave the room while they are on, to prevent damage. While there are safer versions of this technology under development, they are not yet available commercially.

Smaller surface purification devices using UV-C technology can be helpful in disinfecting your electronics, keys, cash and other frequently used items without any spray chemicals. Phonesoap has high-quality UV-C light based cleaners that range in price for $79 for a single phone sized cleaner, to their $199 HomeSoap box which can fit tablets, masks, keys, and other items for a quick 5 minute disinfecting cycle.

Humidification 

The last indoor air quality improvement you may want to consider is humidity. If your home humidity is too high, mold and mildew can be a problem. Too low, and your sinuses and skin become dry and you can be more susceptible to pathogens in the air.

Particularly in Winter, humidification is more of a concern that dehumidification. There are lots of reasonably attractive looking humidifiers on the market, and they are very affordable. Click here to get a comprehensive list from Health.com on models and reviews. In a nutshell, cool mist humidifiers tend to be quieter and safer than the warm mist humidifiers, but they also take longer to bring a room to optimal humidity levels. They also require frequent cleaning. Warm mist humidifiers use bubbling hot water, and can be significantly noisier, which isn’t always great.

We hope this list of products that can help improve your home’s indoor air quality gives you ideas of things that might help keep your family healthier this winter, while maybe adding a little fun at the same time- especially if you add those fan/speakers to your master bath. Then again, the kids might never get out of the shower….

Happy Holidays!