Allergy Free Homes?

Improving the life of allergy sufferers 

Every year more and more people develop Allergies. Sometimes it is easy to diagnose, sometimes it is endemic in the environment.

When the influencing environment is the home, it is important to have the home as Allergy Friendly as possible. Due in part to the semi hermetic sealing of the home, EEH homes can become greatly isolated from outside sources of irritation. This can lead to huge reductions in allergens such as pollen and provides the perfect basis for environmental central  electrostatic air cleaning. 

There are many more potential allergens in your home, some can be controlled or mitigated in the design of the home and the interior environment. 
 

 

 

 

Key Elements for designing an allergy free home:

  • Minimize carpeting and curtains

  • Keep the home above 16.5c:

  • Central heating with Electrostatic Air cleaner

  • Central Vacuum, vented outside
 

Designing an Allergy Free Home

Here are some excellent suggestions and recommendations by one of NZ's foremost authorities on Allergies, Dr. Vincent Crump of the Auckland Allergy Clinic:

Click here to link to: 

 Designing an Allergy Free Home    

Dr. Vincent Crump

Please Note:  This is a link to Auckland's foremost authority on Allergies and will only work if your computer is connected to the internet

 
Considerations to reduce home allergens:

Some efforts are common sense, i.e. hardwood floors instead of lots of carpets, other efforts are slightly more esoteric, but non the less effective.  For example:

  1. ***Keep the home above 16.5C - This can't be stressed enough, mould and mildew thrive in temperatures under 16.5c. This means keeping the whole home warm as mould and mildew growing in rarely used, cold rooms, will still permeate the rest of the home.

  2. Air to Air forced heat exchangers, continuously circulated fresh and or warmed/cooled air

  3. Electrostatic air cleaners, can be used in conjunction with Air to air heat exchangers, heat pumps or simply stand alone. These units are highly underrated, but can separate out and obliterate 99% of all airborne particles. Typical units can remove or substantially reduce:

       Pollen    Smoke & Airborne pollution Bacteria

    Not to mention insects
       Dust    Plant and mould spores Viruses 

  4. Central Vacuum: Simple pipes installed during construction, allows unfettered access to a central vacuum system. The unit is located out of the way, for instance in a garage, and the exhaust vented outside. All microorganisms, dander, dust mite excrement, and general dust is not re-circulated in your home, but blasted outside. 

With a Central Vac, you only carry around the hose and beater head to vacuum not the whole machine. 

With normal vacuum cleaners, the filters miss much of the microscopic debris including  bacteria, as it passes back into the home through the air exhaust from the vacuum cleaner, effectively spreading it. Central Vac's can be set up to exhaust outside, many do not require the pesky bags either.

  1. Central ancillary heating can combine items 1, 2, and 5. Even in the most southern location, a small heat pump will be able to keep an EEH home toasty warm right down to the heat pumps lower limits. Efficiency of heat pumps generally begin to drop off as the outside temperature drops below -10c. see Heat Pump Primer

  2. Built in moisture control such as Dehumidifiers and Humidifiers.

Prime Home General Allergens:

Pollen: Wafting through the house usually from outdoors but not always, Check inside plants as well

Dust Mites:  (Glycyphagus domesticus) are one of the most common allergens in the home. Humans are allergic to their detritus. See the down and dirty war on Dust mites courtesy of the  University of Bristol. (You must be connected to the internet for this link to work)

Mould, Spores, Fungus: Keep the home above 16c with moderate to low humidity.

Cat Dander: 'nuff said