The cleanliness of the air inside of your home is a very important consideration all the time, but especially when you are bringing a new baby home. An infant’s respiratory system is very delicate and will not cope with air pollutants well, so it is essential to ensure that the air the baby is breathing is free of dirt, dust, and germs. This need for clean air has prompted various manufacturers to invent effective solutions to improve the efficiency of home air filters and provide cleaner air to their customers. Changing the air filter in your home can reduce the amount of air pollutants in the home by a significant amount.
Home Air Filters and Indoor Air Quality
Home air filters are used to remove various types of air pollutants from the air inside the home, including mold, dust, smoke, allergens, and pet dander. Allowing these particulates to circulate in considerable quantities in an indoor space can result in the development of many different respiratory ailments in infants, including breathing difficulties, asthma, and allergic reactions. Ensuring that the air in your home is as free of airborne particulates and gaseous pollutants as possible is one of the best things you can do to care for the health of your baby.
Choosing the Right Filter for Your Home
It is important that the air filter chosen for use in the home displays a high MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value), which indicates a higher efficiency at removing airborne particles from the air stream passing through it.
The MERV scale ranges from 1 to 16 , with lower numbers having a low efficiency at removing smaller airborne particles and medium efficiency at removing large particles. Because some of the most dangerous types of particles, such as mold spores, pet dander, bacteria, and dust mite allergens, are small, you will want to make sure that the air filter you choose has a MERV value of 11 or higher , so that it is effective at removing even small particles from the interior air of your home.
No air filter is capable of removing all air pollutants from the air, but replacing the air filter in your home with a high quality one that has a high MERV value will result in considerably cleaner air. High quality air filters can remove as much as 90% of air pollutants from the air when used correctly and many types of air filters are effective against a wide range of air pollutants. High quality filters with carbon are capable of removing harmful particulates, toxic chemical vapors, and unpleasant odors .
More Air Filter Benefits for Your Baby
Replacing the air filter currently being used with a new air filter will help your baby relax and sleep better. Breathing polluted air is hard for infants, causing them distress as their respiratory system struggles to obtain enough clean air and making it difficult for them to calm down or fall asleep. A lack of proper sleep can make the baby fussy and easily upset, resulting in stress for the entire household. Replacing the air filter in the home before bringing the baby home can make the days after much more enjoyable for you and for the baby.
Jim Gates, CAFS, is the brand manager for Quality Filters, Inc. (http://qualityfilters.com), a leading manufacturer and distributor of high quality home and commercial air filters. The company’s products are available online at BuyFilters.com (http://buyfilters.com).
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