As Americans, we spend 90% of our time indoors. That includes time at home, in the office, at school, and in our cars. Yet historically, the impact of our indoor environmental quality, and its effect on our health and productivity, has not been a focus on how our homes are designed, built, and maintained.
Now add in the pandemic factor.
We are all aware, painfully aware, that COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work, play, and interact with others on a daily basis. We mask up in public, wash our hands frequently, fist-bump greetings, and press the crosswalk button with our elbows. Then we go back home and bring with us everything we were exposed to us. We bring it right into our home. Our sanctuary. Our safe haven.
This why having a healthy home is important.
Let’s break this down by looking at three important points that will make it to connect to dots and understand why, now more than ever, we expect more out of our home.
- According to a Harvard study published in 2015, nearly 4 years before COVID-19, poor ventilation and exposure to indoor pollutants adversely affect cognitive function. This includes crisis response, strategic thinking, and information usage.
- According to the CDC, more than 25 million Americans suffer from asthma. That’s 1 in 13 Americans.
- Germs and viruses are easily spread across and cultivate on surfaces such as countertops, faucets, toilets, hardware, appliances, and other highly used surfaces.
“concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher
than typical outdoor concentrations.” – EPA Indoor Air study
What’s so important about these 3 examples? Because according to the EPA, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, of which 69% is in a residence. Your home. Your sanctuary. Your safe haven. This is why having a healthy home is important. And why taking control of your health includes taking control of your home’s health.
A healthy home filters and flushes out indoor pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), moisture, and combustion leftovers. A healthy home controls indoor comfort is incredibly quiet and fights against germs and viruses via anti-microbial technology. A healthy home is designed and outfitted with the technology and flexibility to incorporate future healthy features and opportunities. A healthy home is your sanctuary. A healthy home is your safe haven.
We shape our homes and then our homes shape us.
~Winston Churchill
