we advocate water changes, but what about the air..

[SnakeIce]

in our houses? I have noticed that with the cold temperatures the house stays closed up and not much air gets exchanged with the outside. I can't say any particular thing is bad, but it seems like the air in here is getting worse over time. No exhost fans in the place so there has not been a gradual change over.

I know places that are high density use like offices and school rooms sometimes suffer from what has been called sick office syndrome where everyone's abilities suffer. I have seen statements that say haveing a good number of plants somewhat relieve that.

we work so hard on making our fish's lives healthy, here is to a thought towards our own health.

the last place I lived had an exhost fan in the bathroom and it stayed fine in that place, but here... I've got to do something.

 

[TKOS]

My last apartment had no exhaust at all int eh bathroom and that meant mold problems which can lead to heatlth problem. Since i wasn't staying too long I started using occilating fans. I placed one in my bathroom and left it there when I wasn't taking a shower or something. That moved the moist air out nicely and into the rest of the rather dry apartment. And by all means open a window every so often.

 

[125gJoe]

The Ionic Breeze is a good product for the home.
Best prices are on E-Bay.

Link: Ionic Breeze Quadra

 

[OrionGirl]

I watch for warmer days and open a window for a few hours--turning off the heat, and letting the house change over. My office isn't a problem--they run the heat so much that people have to leave windows and doors open to prevent heat exhaustion--indoor temps of 85+ are ridiculous (and it's way too cold in the summer--drops below 60!). I also have lots of plants, both in my office and at home.

 

[dwayne]

The ionic breeze is a wonderful invention!!! I want to get a few for our house -- our friends have them (3 on the bottom floor, one in each bedroom!) and they're amazing. I was over helping her clean on Christmas eve day, and she cleaned it out - YIKES it's amazing what it catches in the air!

Tomorrow it's supposed to be a record 55 degrees, so I will turn the thermostat all the way down before I leave the house, and open a window in every room. I try to open the windows at least once every 2 or 3 weeks for a couple of hours, during the cold weather months. Usually this is done while we're out doing Saturday errands - so that we're not home to freeze, but we're also not at work and out of the house for 10 hours causing the fish heater to have to work OT or to waste our own heat (the thermostat kicks on automatically once it hits 50 degrees).

Over new year's I was deathly ill with a head cold that turned into a fever then a stomach bug. My son caught it from me. Hubby stayed his distance from us - we slept in my bed (and pretty much were banished into the bedroom, haha) and he slept out on the couch... during the day when hubby went to work, I kept the windows cracked in my bedroom, and my son and I hung out in the living room or his room.

~Tara

~Tara

 

[Timmain42]

We do regular "air dumps" at our house: open a door/window on one side of the house, and open and close a door on the opposite side of the house for about a minute. It gets cold, but the air is fresh.

 

[geoffgarcia]

I leave my windows open 10-15% always, in the AM before work or on days when its >freezing I open them 100%, I have ceiling fans which I usually leave on to stir the air.
At my parents house they have vents between rooms and into the attic and they have central air + baseboard heat which forces air movement. They leave their windows (all) open 25% of the way regardless of the outside weather.

I know many people that do nothing (no vents, no central air, no fans, no plants, no open windows) and its oppressive in their living environments...

if your a temperature nazi I see how this could become an issue...
personally in the winter I keep my place between 58-62 (not because I'm cheap or poor or anything, just cuz I like it cooler in the winter)
and in the summer I like it between 75-85 (again, not because I dont have AC or am to cheap to put it on, but because I like humidity and the heat and being "aware" of seasons rather than oblivious to them - which I am while at work in a window free 68.5degree environment)

 

[geoffgarcia]

ps, I know what you mean about "sick" buildings.
the majority of the DuPont buildings in Wilmington, DE are scheduled for demolition because these 20-40 story units have such poor ventilation and are now "diseased"
I worked in the Nemours building for about a year and never had a problem although it was flagged for demolition. At the time I thought it was a joke or something, that it was labeled a "sick" building.

 

[dwayne]

if your a temperature nazi I see how this could become an issue...
personally in the winter I keep my place between 58-62 (not because I'm cheap or poor or anything, just cuz I like it cooler in the winter)
and in the summer I like it between 75-85 (again, not because I dont have AC or am to cheap to put it on, but because I like humidity and the heat and being "aware" of seasons rather than oblivious to them - which I am while at work in a window free 68.5degree environment)

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
I call my husband the heat nazi!!! He is SO STINGY with our oil (and not because we're poor and can't afford to fill the tank!!!)... our house is set at 66 during the day, and 64 at nite. I can deal with the 64 at nite, but 66 during the day is downright chilly. I'd prefer 68 or 70. We fight SO much about it - he says "it's only 2 degrees difference, you can't really feel the difference between 66 and 68" - to which I reply "well if it's only 2 degrees, then crank the heat up to 68 because 2 degrees won't use up all that much more oil then"

MISER!!!!!!!

~Tara

 

[Slappy*McFish]

I keep my house at a comfy 70-74F year round. I'll open windows and turn off the heat/AC when the weather is nice outside....between 60-80F.