Source: Victoria McGraw @victoriasaidit / Radio 1 Digital
There’s a pandemic, but life still goes on. What do you do if you need to have your washer or stove fixed?
Bringing fresh, outdoor air into your home helps keep virus particles from accumulating inside.
- If it’s safe to do so, open doors and windows as much as you can to bring in fresh, outdoor air. While it’s better to open them wide, even having a window cracked open slightly can help.
- If you can, open multiple doors and windows to allow more fresh air to move inside.
- Do not open windows and doors if doing so is unsafe for you or others (for example, presence of young children and pets, risk of falling, triggering asthma symptoms, high levels of outdoor pollution).
- 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.
If your home has a central heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC, a system with air ducts that go throughout the home) that has a filter, do the following to help trap virus particles:
- In homes where the HVAC fan operation can be controlled by a thermostat, set the fan to the “on” position instead of “auto” when you have visitors. This allows the fan to run continuously, even if heating or air conditioning is not on.
- Use pleated filtersexternal icon — they are more efficient than ordinary furnace filters and can be found in hardware stores. They should be installed initially within the HVAC system by a professional, if possible. If that is not possible, carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions to replace the filter yourself.
- Make sure the filter fits properly in the unit.
- Change your filter every three months or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Ideally, have the ventilation system inspected and adjusted by a professional every year to make sure it is operating efficiently.
Exhaust fans above your stovetop and in your bathroom that vent outdoors can help move air outside. Although some stove exhaust fans don’t send the air to the outside, they can still improve air flow and keep virus particles from being concentrated in one place.
- Keep the exhaust fan turned on over your stovetop and in your bathroom if you have visitors in your home.
- Keep the exhaust fans turned on for an hour after your visitors leave to help remove virus particles that might be in the air.
Source: In His Image Photography / In His Image Photography
