You come home after work. It’s 17 degrees outside, 19 degrees inside. The radiators have been cold for several weeks now, they’re not being turned on anymore. When you open the window, you hear the noise of the city, so you want to close it as soon as possible. And so, for the first, second, third day, week, you get used to this home climate. Your friend keeps sneezing a little: “It’s not a disease, it’ll pass,” and you sniffle and complain about the spring dust.
Unventilated rooms and inadequate air circulation are among the main causes of persistent poor health. Various sources state that unventilated rooms for a long time can have a negative impact on health and therefore exacerbate various chronic diseases. The “health” of the apartment itself can undoubtedly deteriorate – for example, mold can appear on the walls.
Real estate market experts provide several reasons why it is necessary to ventilate premises and how to do it correctly.
Allergic diseases are relieved
Regular cleaning of living spaces is essential for people who suffer from allergic diseases. For example, those with bronchial diseases feel worse in rooms with more dust.
Unventilated rooms accumulate viruses and bacteria that constantly circulate, and there is no way to remove them. There is also a lot of dust in the same space. Therefore, people with respiratory diseases may have their illnesses worsen, and they are also more likely to be infected with a virus. It should also not be forgotten that unventilated rooms constantly accumulate substances that are hazardous to health – from various chemical products that are sprayed, such as hairspray or air freshener.
No moisture or mold build-up
Mold is one of the biggest enemies of an apartment. Black dots on the border begin to form when the house is humid for a long time, without air circulation. Mold can be harmful not only to the walls of the apartment, but it also releases harmful compounds that can lead to various respiratory or allergic diseases.
“Ventilation is a necessary hygienic condition for removing carbon dioxide and moisture from premises. Excess moisture at the appropriate air temperature creates conditions for mold to appear and for windows to fog up. In order to prevent mold, an apartment that is not equipped with a mechanical recuperation system must be ventilated at any time of the year. The kitchen, bathroom, toilet, as well as the attic and the room where laundry is dried, need to be ventilated more often,” says Robertas Grigalis, Director of the Project Management Department of the real estate development company “Eika”.
Opening the window for a few moments is not enough
According to experts, opening a window once for a few moments will not be enough to properly ventilate a room.
According to R. Grigalis, there is another way to regularly ventilate the premises. “In apartments of a higher energy class, heat recovery is mandatory in the ventilation process. Then air is supplied and removed from the premises forcibly. True, some new residents decide to turn off the ventilation after a few months – supposedly they will save money this way. However, newly built apartments are very airtight, air circulates even less, which is why residents complain about increased humidity,” says the representative of “Eika”.
According to specialists, a properly installed and adjusted mechanical ventilation system helps to improve the microclimate of the premises and ensures the supply of the necessary amount of fresh air to the premises and the removal of already used air. In this way, excess moisture is removed, unwanted odors are eliminated, protection against mold is ensured, and the likelihood of dew on the windows is reduced. In addition, the ventilation unit has special filters that clean the air supplied from the outside from dust, dirt, pollutants and even pollen.
Natural ventilation, i.e. opening a window, causes heat loss, while a ventilation system with heat recovery, in other words, recuperation, not only conserves heat, but also ensures the entry of fresh air into the premises.