Free Hacks For Healthier Breathing

Free Hack No. 1: In Your Car

When you are using your vehicle on busy streets in  congested urban areas you are typically exposed to the greatest concentration of air pollution.  This is particularly hazadous when their are wild fires in the area or even several hundred miles away. This is why we recommend using the re-circulation setting on your climate control system.  In traveling in and around Southern California including the city of Los Angeles known for it air pollution issues (though vastly improved over years past) we measured the air quality with  a Blue Air Aware Device.  When place outside with the window down, the reading was twice as polluted as when we took readings with the windows up and the re-circulation setting on. 

For cleaner interior air we recommend replacing your standard onboard air filter with a hepa quality plus filter. Our tests indicate our custom made hepa filter with charcoal pre-filter reduce 90% or slightly more of the the outside air toxins and allergens. Typical readings go from hazardous to good with a few minutes of turning on the climate control system.  See FIRE HAZE FILTER TESTS SEPT. 2020

. Not all manufactures provide this filter option but we can custom fabricate them for your vehicle.   See the link for “AUTO CABIN HEPA FILTER WITH CHARCOAL PRE-FILTER 

In general unless you know that the outside air is very clean, we recommend setting your climate control system to “recirculation” and operate it continuously with your windows closed.

Free Hack No. 2: Your Home HVAC System

 

Your fan usually has a choice of AUTO  or ON.  Auto means the fan runs only when the heating and AC is actively running. However by changing the setting to ON, you can continuously import fresh filtered air into your home to displace stale, polluted or pathogen concentrated air. The positive air pressure blocks inflows of dirty, noxious air by creating a gentle internal air push to the outside. 
 For your home or office HVAC to be most effective you need to change your filter frequently using an upgraded filter that screens more of the pathogens than the typical household filter.  We recommend the “Black” rated filters produced by 3M or any MERV 13 or higher rated competitive brand.  Below is a removed filter after 90 days of use continuously. Note: running your HVAC fan continuously will make your home cleaner but probably require more frequent filter changes

.

Free Hack No.3: Free Air Quality Reporting App

Free Air Quality App To Monitor Ambient Air Nearby

Thanks to thousands of personal air quality monitors world wide, you get link to the latest readings from a location very close to your phone location…at home, in the car, on public transit, walking.

This app is the Blueair Friend app and you can download it for free here:

https://www2.blueair.com/ae/accessories/blueair-friend-app

You do not have to own a blueair product to use it to dial up air quality readings in your local area.

Note: the readings are outdoor air quality only.  However you can assume when outdoor air is poor, you want to prevent it from coming indoors.  Use of auto and home air handlers with special filters will prevent this and is discussed at several other links on this site.

Free Hack No.4: Selective Indoor Plants

A pioneering 1989 NASA study identified a number of plants which are both low maintenance and will remove dangerous toxins from the air…including Formaldehyde, Benzene and Trichloroethylene.  And some plants are more friendly than others for your pets.  See this link for a full discussion and listing of pet friendly plants.