Stale air is a common problem, especially in the summer, so many people think they just have to get used to living in a stuffy house. But you shouldn’t ignore the smell of stale air. If your house feels stuffy, it means that the air isn’t moving around well, which isn’t something you should put up with. In this post, we’ll talk about what stale air is and how to get rid of it.
What is stale air?
Stale air is air inside that hasn’t been moved around enough by fresh air. Most people can tell when the air is stale because the trapped pollutants smell bad or make the room feel stuffy. Stale air is uncomfortable at low levels but can become unhealthy at higher levels.
Breathing in too much stale air can irritate your skin, give you headaches, and make you tired. This is especially dangerous for people with allergies or respiratory problems.
What causes stale air?
The main cause of stale air is not enough airflow. Pollutants, moisture, and carbon dioxide can build up in the air in a closed room. If you were gone for a long time and kept most of your doors and windows shut, your house may feel stale and stuffy if you turned down or turned off your HVAC system. During the winter, when we stay inside more and seal our homes to keep the cold out, you may also notice that the air is getting stale. But you probably won’t notice a rise in humidity during the winter, when it’s dry.
How to get rid of stale air in the house?
You can do several things to keep the air from getting stale in your home, school, or office without making your monthly energy bill go up a lot. The main thing you should think about is making the rooms with moldier air flow better. When your HVAC system works correctly, it should filter out the old air and bring in new air. You can also improve the airflow in a room by:
Open your windows
First, open a window to let some fresh air into your room. All of this comes back to the clean air outside. This is the first step that makes sense to get the air inside to move. But remember that opening a window can let in pollen and other allergens from outside, so this is not the best long-term solution.
Change your air filter
If your HVAC filter is dirty or clogged, it will make your ventilation system work less well. Also, if mold or bacteria have started to grow on your filter, your heating and air system could be blowing these pollutants back into your home. If you haven’t already, you might want to switch to a HEPA filter to reduce airborne pollutants in your home even more.
Turn on your fan
Turning on a ceiling or floor fan is one of the easiest things you can do to improve the air quality and keep the air moving around the room.
Using an air purifier
An air purifier is a great tool when you can’t open a window as often. An air purifier can help your home have clean, fresh air. Many old-fashioned air filters can only catch particles, which wouldn’t help with smells.
Upgrade your HVAC system
Upgrading your HVAC system will permanently eliminate stale air in your house. The new system will improve indoor air by mixing it with filtered air from outside.
Even though stale air isn’t usually a big deal, it can still be unpleasant and lead to bigger air quality problems if it’s not fixed. You can’t always avoid breathing in stale air, but you don’t have to put up with stuffy air at home or work. You should be able to get rid of stale air in the house by making it have more airflow and making it less humid.
