HQ Team
March 29, 2023: Open windows, clean air filters and use fans to keep out COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses from homes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“If it’s safe to do so, open doors and windows as much as you can to bring in fresh, outdoor air,” according to a statement from CDC, a US federal government agency whose mission is to protect public health by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability.
“While it’s better to open them widely, even having a window cracked open slightly can help. If opening windows or doors is unsafe, consider other approaches for reducing virus particles in the air, such as using air filtration and bathroom and stove exhaust fans.”
The CDC keeps track of health trends, tries to find the cause of health problems and disease outbreaks, and responds to new public health threats.
The agency works with state health departments and other organisations in the country and the world to help prevent and control diseases. The CDC is part of the US Public Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Fan use
The CDC recommended using fans “to move virus particles in the air from inside your home to outside.”
In homes where a thermostat can control the heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) fan operation, set the fan to the “on” position instead of “auto” to allow the fan to run continuously, even if heating or air conditioning is not on, the CDC stated.
Pleated filters are more efficient than ordinary furnace filters. These filters need to be cleaned every three months.
A portable high-efficiency particulate air cleaner (HVAC) can provide filtration if you don’t have an HVAC system or can improve filtration. “They are the most efficient filters on the market for trapping particles that people exhale when breathing, talking, singing, coughing, and sneezing.”
When choosing a HEPA cleaner, select the right size for the room(s). Look for a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) that meets or exceeds the square footage of the room(s) in which it will be used. The larger the CADR, the faster it will clean the air.
Bathroom exhausts
Turn on the exhaust fan in your bathroom and kitchen if visitors are home.
Exhaust fans above your stovetop and in your bathroom that vent outdoors can help circulation by helping the air to move outside. “Although some stove exhaust fans don’t send the air out, they can still improve airflow and keep virus particles from being concentrated in one place.
Further, the CDC stated that the exhaust fans be turned on for an hour after your visitors leave to help remove virus particles that might still be in the air.
“Place a fan as close to an open window blowing outside. This helps eliminate virus particles in your home by blowing air out. Even without an open window, fans can improve airflow.
Point fans away from people. Pointing fans toward people can blow contaminated air directly at them. “Use ceiling fans to help improve airflow in the home whether or not windows are open.”
One should limit the number of visitors in your home to reduce the accumulation of virus particles in the air. Gather in larger rooms or areas where people can be spaced apart and keep visits short.
