✓ How should the air in the children's room be

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It is possible that theair in our homes, the air of enclosed spaces, can be more polluted than the air outside, that is, than the one we breathe when walking outdoors in the city? In some cases the answer is yes. L'American Environmental Protection Agency (United States Environmental Protection Agency or EPA) estimates that - in some cases - the level of "domestic" air pollution can be two to five times higher than the level of outdoor pollution.

And this is particularly bad for two reasons:

Many children spend more than 90% of their time indoors.
Children - per unit of body weight - breathe in and retain more air pollution than adults and the polluted air has an even more serious impact on them because the lungs are still in a phase of development and adjustment.

What happens when a child's organism reaches an “indoor” pollution saturation threshold?

Adverse reactions to certain elements in your home can occur: carpet, paint, household cleaners, dust and mold. The most frequent symptoms are cough, rhinitis, lacrimation, nasal congestion, headache, tiredness up to dizziness and difficulty in breathing. Allergens, tobacco smoke, or exposure to chemicals can trigger asthma symptoms or worsen a pre-existing asthmatic condition. It follows that the bedroom where i sleep children it is the one in which the air should be most clean, especially if you think that it is there that children spend most of their time, and that it is during sleep that our body regenerates itself through rest.

In fact, it is during the hours of night sleep that the immune system tries to get rid of the impurities accumulated during the day. And it is difficult to "detox" if there is an additional load of toxins in the bedroom air.

Read also: How to improve the air quality in the home for children, 8 useful tips

How to improve the air quality in children's bedrooms?

We can say that improving the indoor air quality in children's bedrooms is not only possible, but it can also be simple. For example, the increase of the ventilation: we often read how important it is to ventilate the rooms several times a day and in fact adequate ventilation guarantees greater healthiness of the rooms, especially if we avoid using irritating detergents.

Attention also to the room temperature: when there are children in the house, the temperature should be between 18 and 22 degrees because if it were higher we would give a hand to the formation of mold and winter ailments.

Maintain thehumidity domestic below 30 or 35% is also important to eradicate dust mites which - instead - thrive with humid air and high temperatures. Furthermore, allies in our fight against dust mites are:

waterproof covers on mattresses and pillows;
a weekly hot wash of bed linen and soft toys;
using a damp cloth when dusting as well as a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter to clean curtains and carpets.

How to purify the air in the bedroom

We keep in mind that pollutants come in two forms, namely as particles or in gaseous form and, therefore, a air purifier it should be able to handle both types of pollutants to be effective in the children's room. A purifier with HEPA filter is particularly suitable for removing pet hair, dust mites, pollen and mold spores while the type with carbon filters is preferred for gaseous pollution such as tobacco smoke.

Ionizing and UV air purifiers, on the other hand, have as a side effect the emission of ozone capable of exacerbating any asthma problems already present in children. An air purifier that combines a HEPA filter with a carbon filter is the optimal choice. It would also be advisable to combine an air purifier with a device for increasing the humidity of the air itself when this becomes too dry so as to benefit the skin and respiratory system.

However, the humidifier should be equipped with a humidistat so as to monitor the humidity levels and, if necessary, turn off the machine; or choose a "cold mist" evaporative humidifier.

Read also: 15 tips to improve the air in our home

10 practical tips to keep the air in the children's room clean

A few tricks would be enough to make the sleep and stay of our children in their rooms much safer. We see 10 practical tips:

use mattresses and pillows in organic material covered with non-toxic linings of 100% organic cotton;
pay attention to the materials with which the furniture we intend to buy was made. Most often cribs, cribs, changing tables, cabinets and bookcases are made from pressed wood products that contain formaldehyde or are coated with toxic paints. Solid wood and natural finishes are definitely more appropriate;
avoid rugs and carpets;
carefully choose the products used for cleaning the room;
buy an air purifier for rooms;
avoid possible causes of humidity (such as water leaks) that can cause mold problems;
keep any pets away from the bedroom;
ventilate the room thoroughly;
choose indoor plants that can help purify the air, such as bamboo;
ban tobacco smoke in the home.

References

www.epa.gov https://www.health.harvard.edu/ https://www.uofmhealth.org/

Read also: Humidifiers and dehumidifiers: guide to use when there is a child in the house

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