Summer Ventilation Improves Home Healthiness and Your Healthiness, Too

Air quality is a leading concern for many people investing in the healthiness of their homes. In our annual survey, indoor air quality remains the top priority among respondents year after year. 

The 2021 Southern Appalachian Home Health and Happiness Survey

Summer months in the southern Appalachians are something special. Many of us relocated here because the temperate conditions and lush landscapes offer a wide range of outdoor leisure activities.

We often are devoted to our healthy homes, nestled in our green landscapes.

However, the outdoor air quality in our region has regrettably declined since the 1970s. According to the National Park Service ( https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/air-quality.htm), over the last 50 years the visibility in the Great Smoky Mountains has decreased 40 percent in the winter and 80 percent in the summer due to the impact of man-made pollutants.

Indoor air quality specialists generally agree that over the past 40+ years, indoor air quality conditions have declined. However, all is not lost. Indoor air quality can be managed to improve each home’s healthiness conditions.

Read our 5-year (2012-2019) Indoor Air Quality update. 

During the summer months, adequate ventilation for homes in the southern Appalachians can depend in part on local environmental conditions or “microclimates,” the unique situations caused by altitude and weather patterns.

However, there are several easy ways to ensure that indoor air quality is the best it can be in your western North Carolina home. Let’s consider those here.

1. Natural ventilation still works wonders

The region’s outdoor air quality issues are caused by things such as automobiles, acidification and ozone, and these outdoor environmental processes normally will not offset the benefits of opening your windows and doors. Pushing the stale air out and allowing the fresh air in is a simple, effective way to clear out excess humidity, allergens, and remove pollutants from the air inside your home. Fresh air can reduce summer allergy symptoms and prevent breathing problems. 

Natural ventilation is a natural fit when you’re cleaning.

Read about deep “spring” cleaning for improved indoor air quality here. 

Think of the benefits of deep spring cleaning! You throw open the windows and doors, wash the curtains and beddings, vacuum and dust. The combination of clean, dust and allergen-free spaces with natural ventilation and fresh air works wonders.

2. Add ventilation to kitchens and bathrooms

The two most common places that exhaust fans are needed are the kitchen and bathroom. In older homes, vent hoods or fans may not have been a priority. Adding one today can definitely improve indoor air quality. 

The same goes for bathrooms. Bathroom exhaust fans draw excess moisture and humidity out. Humidity plus warmth equals mold and mildew. On the other hand, moving humid air outside keeps the air in your home fresh and dry. 

3. Reduce the need for your air conditioner

Add exhaust or ceiling fans to your western North Carolina home to reduce the need for your air conditioner. They’re designed to pull heat and moisture from your home. They enhance ventilation. And they save money by reducing the pull on your air conditioner.

In the summer, set your fan direction counterclockwise (to the left). This increases the amount of breeze you feel. Cooler and more comfortable conditions means your thermostat doesn’t need to be set as low for you to beat the heat and humidity.

If you live in one of the area’s Craftsman-era homes, you may not have central air conditioning. Until very recently, air conditioning was considered a luxury, not a necessity, in the region’s more historic neighborhoods. Ceiling fans will work to maintain cooler, more comfortable conditions in those older homes, too.

4. Hang Your drip-dry items outside

The fragrant summer air in the backyard garden makes laundry freshly scented. Many area residents hang their laundry outdoors when the weather permits. Another place for a clothesline or rack is on a porch to protect from heavy morning dew or sudden showers.

Choosing to hang drip-dry items outside prevents condensation from gathering inside your home, and that helps prevent those humid conditions that lead to mustiness and mold growth. 

However, if indoor drying is a necessity, as it can be, opening the windows and turning on fans can help keep moisture at bay while decreasing dry time.

5. Control humidity with dehumidifiers

Summer air in our region is moist air. That’s why removing moisture from indoors increases summer air quality. If your home’s air feels moist or sticky, it may be best to invest in a dehumidifier. 

Controlling humidity levels also prevents the proliferation of things like mold, mildew, and bacteria. It reduces harmful particles in the air and prevents the conditions dust mites need to thrive. 

Read about dust mites, the small but mighty challenger to your summer healthiness, here. 

Of course, if seasonal, summer issues consistently compromise home healthiness, there may be an underlying issue that’s a greater cause for concern.

Think you need a second opinion? We can help.