A healthier home or workplace starts with the air you breathe
The problem
We spend around 90% of our time indoors, yet most of us never think about the air inside our buildings. Research shows the air inside our homes and workplaces can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside. When a room is closed up, air goes stale without us noticing. It can leave you tired, give you headaches, disturb your sleep or make allergies and asthma worse. You can’t see it or smell it, so the only way to know is to measure it.
What I can measure
Fresh air (carbon dioxide, or CO2). This tells me how well a room is being refreshed with outside air. It rises when people are in a closed room, especially a bedroom at night.
Humidity. This is how damp or dry the air is.
Temperature. This tells me whether rooms are too hot, too cold, or change too much through the day.
Fine dust and particles. These are tiny particles from cooking, traffic, smoke and outdoor pollution that you breathe in without noticing.
Chemical fumes (total volatile organic compounds, or TVOCs). These are gases given off by paint, new furniture, cleaning products and air fresheners.
Formaldehyde. This is a gas released by some pressed-wood furniture, cupboards, glues and new building materials, and it can irritate your eyes, nose and throat.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2). This comes mainly from gas stoves, gas heaters and traffic outside, and it can irritate your airways.
Why it matters to you
High CO2 at night can leave you feeling foggy and slow in the morning. A bit more fresh air in the bedroom can mean better sleep and a clearer head.
In an office or classroom, stale air makes it harder to concentrate by mid-morning. Fresher air helps people stay alert and productive.
Air that is too damp encourages mould and dust mites, which can trigger asthma and allergies. Air that is too dry can irritate your eyes, skin and throat.
Once we know what is happening, the fixes are often simple and inexpensive, such as opening a window at the right time, improving ventilation or dealing with a source of damp.
My advice is based on your own measurements and on trusted research, such as guidance from the World Health Organization, not on guesswork or sales pitches, so you can act with confidence.
Want to know what the air in your home or business is really like? Get in touch
Let's talk
Call me on +27 76 901 4203 between 10am and 6pm, or email ashvinmanga@gmail.com. I'll get back to you within 24 hours.