Home & Design
Honeywell air purifier
Honeywell air purifier

A Honeywell air purifier.

Your Healthy Home

Industry pros offer tips on improving the air we breathe

Your Healthy Home - With coronavirus literally in the air, now is the time to protect your home’s atmosphere.

According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), indoor air is five times more polluted than the air outside, making a whole-house ventilation system critical. The following insights from experts at Aprilaire, a maker of humidifiers and purifiers, and Sterling, Virginia-based Falcon Heating & Air Conditioning will help you create a safe living environment.

  • A healthy air system has three components: fresh-air ventilation, air filtration and humidity control. Ventilation is most important; if you are ventilating your home properly, you are making it healthier.
  • New homes have tighter building envelopes, with less ventilation through cracks in windows and under doors than older homes. Owners of new homes should consider a whole-house ventilation system that brings in filtered air, evenly dispersing it via the HVAC system.
  • To improve air quality, attach a filter with a MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) 16 rating to your HVAC system; it will trap particulates, allergens and other contaminants before they enter.
  • Every home in our region should have a humidifier and a dehumidifier; humidification in the winter is most important because drier air exacerbates respiratory disease.

Your Healthy Home - Relative humidity levels between 20 and 60 percent year-round are optimal.

You may also like:

May/June 2021: Flipbook
Product Watch
New furniture finds marry comfort, innovation and style
The Condo Conversion
The building industry associations in suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia choose the year’s best new homes
HOME&DESIGN, published bi-monthly by Homestyles Media Inc., is the premier magazine of architecture and fine interiors for the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia region.

The company also publishes an annual H&D Sourcebook of ideas and resources for homeowners and professionals alike. H&D Chesapeake Views is published bi-annually and showcases fine home design and luxury living in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

The H&D Portfolio of 100 Top Designers spotlights the superior work of selected architects, interior designers and landscape architects in major regions of the US.

Stay Connected with HOME & DESIGN Newsletter

Copyright © 2025 Home & Design. All rights reserved. | Back to top
magnifier