In addition to “dirty” air, indoor air quality is influenced by the temperature and relative humidity of the air. For our indoor environment to be considered comfortable and healthy, the relative humidity of the air should be 45% to 55%.

During the winter months, heating systems and dry winter air often combine to reduce indoor humidity levels to below 25%. This is often the case when using additional heating to keep nursery and childrens rooms at a constant temperature.

Dry air has three noticeable effects on human beings:

• It dries out your skin and mucous membranes. If your home has low humidity, you
  will notice things like chapped lips, dry and itchy skin, and a dry sore throat when you wake up in the morning. (Low humidity also dries out plants and furniture.)


• It increases static electricity. Most people dislike getting sparked every time they touch something metallic.


• It makes it seem colder than it actually is. In the summer, high humidity makes it seem warmer than it is because sweat cannot evaporate from your body. In the winter, low humidity has the opposite effect.

Another symptom of dry air which is harder to quantify is feeling tired and lethargic. Restoring your indoor air to the recommended humidity levels, can have very positive effects.

It is a common misconception that the quality of air inside our homes is better than the air outside. This is often not the case. We spend approximately 90% of our time spent indoors where it has been reported that the quality of air is between 2 and 100 times worse than outside*. This is a cause for concern.

Modern homes are built with comfort in mind and have been designed to keep the warmth within our homes; they also have the negative effect of trapping stale and polluted air inside. Double glazing, fitted carpets, draft excluders and insulation all contribute to a build up of pollutants.

In addition, the prevalence of allergies which are aggravated by poor indoor air is increasingevery year. Today, around 30% of children and young adults are affected by an allergy of some kind and the number is set to rise. Britain has one of the highest rates of allergies in the world. Four people a day are reported to die from Asthma alone. **

Allergies and respiratory conditions can be aggravated by airborne particles including dust, dust mites, pet dander, pollen etc. all of which are known pollutants.

Air Cleaners ensure we can improve the quality of the air we & our children breathe.

*US Environmental protection agency
** BBC News