Did You Know – Hints +Tips

Did you know….A Quick Tip

The A/C……do we leave it ON/Off…. And summer respiratory problems associated with sick building syndrome.

Asthma, throat infections, blocked or running nose, chest infections, irritating coughs, poor sleep, general run down feeling

Do you wake up feeling fresh and revitalised?   Or do you feel sluggish, headachy, sore joints, and a constant cough/cold……Then read on…perhaps your villa/apartment has a sick building syndrome.

In our every increasing heat, and humidity …., we reduce the A/C temperate and leave it running constantly, with little or no fresh air supply perhaps coming in for months at a time, the poor air quality is assisting in making us feel sick, tired and generally unwell.

WE hermetically seal ourselves inside to prevent heat or light streaming into rooms, to reduce heat build-up.

When the climate changes, and we reach the humid season, we rarely open a window to allow for a fresh air supply to enter.

Its important to open your windows even for 15 minutes early mornings….This fresh air movement will reduce spore forming bacteria growing inside of A/C coils and ducts, and this type of bacteria causes foggy brain and minor headaches, and many respiratory challenges.

If you live in the new developed apartments and villas, they tend to have a fresh air supply flowing in…however these levels need to be checked regularly against any dramatic weather change eg: when the humidity kicks in…..we should have a heavier flow of fresh air supply to offset the extraction of humidity.

If the rooms are not well ventilated, mildew, bad air quality, and humidity will “stick” to the walls and can in certain areas develop into mildew, bacterial growth, or just “damp” feeling walls, that begin to look sick themselves!

Over the summer months is the perfect time to spring clean all the A/C units, grills, coils and vents… Good quality smelling bleach, lots of water to rinse, and a strong anti-bacterial agent will remove most germs lurking in and around.

You can also use environmentally friendly methods with like Baking soda, lemon juice and  hot water, finished off by a dab of your favourite essential oil on a cotton pad, wiped over the A/C slats.

In older style villas/offices where there is no quality fresh air supply, it is really necessary to open the windows to allow a constant change of air flow. This helps bad/poor quality air to move instead of sticking to the walls or the A/C grills and coils. Introducing a fresh air supply will reduce spore forming bacterial growth and eliminate damp dirty air.

If you are going away on vacation, it is really important to keep the A/C ‘ON’ with the temperature set for 23oC and the main fan running constantly…this ensures no humidity build up, and positive airflow movement.

Happiness IN Housekeeping!