Optimal air quality

Over the course of our lives, we breathe in around 600 tons of indoor air. Our body absorbs around 200 times as much air every day as it does food. Healthy, fresh air indoors should therefore be a given .

More than just O₂

We refer to the good air that we breathe as “fresh air” . It should be objectively clean - that means it is free of impurities and does not contain any substances that are harmful to health above defined guideline values. In addition, good air must also be perceived as pleasant , natural and fresh . Clean air contains 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.03% carbon dioxide and 0.93% noble gases and is odorless and colorless.

Factors for good indoor air

Good indoor air is largely free of pollutants and is characterized by the following main factors that are responsible for well-being and health:

The relative humidity should be between 40 and 60% permanently . This value is a good compromise between a high feel-good factor for people and the prevention of mold formation, but also for energy consumption and influence on furniture. Measuring and monitoring the humidity in the rooms can be done using a hygrometer.

One too high humidity the room air or on Masonry is mostly Caused from:

a) Construction defects/damage

Insufficient drying after construction work
Water ingress due to water pipe damage, flooding, leaky roof, cracked masonry.

So make sure there is sufficient drying time for new buildings or renovation measures. Structural damage or water damage must be repaired.

b) Insufficient removal of humidity

Incorrect ventilation and heating
Thermal bridges due to construction defects or construction errors

It is important that the moisture created by activities in the room is removed outside through regular ventilation. For example, in a three-person household , around 6 to 12 liters of water are released every day through showering, washing, cooking, drying clothes, but also through plants, aquariums and other sources of moisture.

The optimal air humidity is not only a feel-good factor, but also has an impact on human health . A lower susceptibility to infectious diseases requires a sufficiently high humidity of at least 30%, preferably 40%. But it's not just flu viruses that have a lower survival rate at higher humidity . It has also been confirmed that the symptom of dry eyes or dry nasal mucous membranes improves with higher humidity: dry room air can lead to irritated and dry mucous membranes. The nose and throat are particularly affected. Bacteria and viruses can more easily penetrate dry mucous membranes and trigger inflammation or colds. Nosebleeds can also be a result.

Through proper ventilation and heating, the humidity in the interior can be limited and regulated . It is best to provide shock or cross ventilation several times a day for a few minutes each (open the window completely or open the opposite window wide). Controlled living space ventilation can also help: it ensures healthy indoor air quality all year round and eliminates excess moisture.

Each of us has a different sensitivity to temperature and finds ourselves more comfortable at different temperatures than other people. However, you should maintain a certain temperature range for a generally comfortable indoor climate:

Living space: 20 to 23 degrees
Bedroom: 16 to 18 degrees
Kitchen: 18 to 20 degrees
Bath: 20 to 23 degrees
Toilet: 16 to 19 degrees

The temperature difference between foot and head height should also be less than 4 degrees.

Lowering the temperature at night makes sense from an energy saving perspective - but this should not go beyond 4 to 5 degrees, otherwise the apartment will cool down too much.

Which room temperature is the “right” depends on various factors: physical activity, age, clothing and diet. With

With the help of room controllers and thermostatic valves, you can set the temperature individually for each room. If you're not at home, never turn off the heating completely. Maintaining a reduced average temperature is more economical. Also keep the interior doors between differently heated rooms closed during the day and at night . To ventilate, it is best to open the window completely for a few minutes several times a day - tilted windows are not very effective for ventilation and waste energy .

Long curtains, sofas or desks in front of the radiators hinder the heat emission . Tie or shorten curtains to the side. But: Close the curtains at night; the air cushion created between the curtain and the window reduces heat loss .

Air ions

Air pollution and exhaust gases destroy the negative ions . That's why the number of ions in our cities is often very low or even non-existent.
Be sure to avoid smoking in your living space : the aerosols from cigarette smoke destroy the air ion climate of a room (apart from the pollutants from cigarette smoke). The following also applies to the air ion climate: Ventilate regularly. Every ventilation regenerates the air ion climate . Also pay attention to low electrostatics in the room due to modern flat screens and plastic surfaces.
New methods make it possible to permanently enrich the room air with ions and can be used indoors.

Fresh air is usually cool, dry air from a pollutant-free, natural environment. There should be enough fresh air indoors. The carbon dioxide content should be below 0.1% by volume and the fresh air supply should be 20-30 cubic meters per hour per person. The CO ₂ content of the air is therefore of great importance for people's well-being . If the concentration of carbon dioxide in a room increases, we become tired and our concentration suffers.

A constant draft can disrupt your well-being due to a constant breath of cool air in a living room . Accordingly, leaky areas (such as doors, windows, etc.) should be equipped in such a way that any draft is avoided. Air movement describes the speed at which air passes the body . This is perceived and felt differently by everyone and also depends on the activity in the room and the room temperature. From an air speed of 0.2 m/s it can be perceived as unpleasant and should therefore be avoided. To detect drafts, you can use a burning candle : Observe whether the flame flickers in your window or on the floor near the door - clear evidence that there is a draft.

A leaky window, an open door, by the time you notice the cold breath, it's usually too late. Neck and back pain, cold symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, sinus problems, compulsion to clear your throat, these are some of the possible consequences of drafts. Unprotected parts of the body cool down significantly due to the constant draft. A warm, light draft is better tolerated by the body than a cool one. When the body cools down, weaknesses in the immune system occur and lead to the symptoms mentioned above.