One of the best ways to prepare for a new baby is by adding a whole-house air filter to your Downers Grove, IL home. Although your HVAC system’s standard air filter removes a fair amount of allergens and contaminants, there’s a lot that these filters miss. From capturing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to removing mold spores, whole-house filtration is significantly more effective in creating clean, healthy living environments. Read on to discover five ways a whole-house air filter can benefit your newborn.
1. Protect Your Little One’s Respiratory Health
Having a high indoor air quality (IAQ) is important for anyone with a chronic respiratory ailment. Adults with asthma, allergies, or COPD are more likely to contend with severe symptoms when indoor air quality is low. However, even absent of these ailments, exposure to airborne contaminants during the formative stages of life can have a significant impact on an infant’s lung health both now and in the future. Environmental exposure to certain contaminants may even set the stage for chronic respiratory illness when exposure is both consistent and at high levels.
Standard HVAC air filters pick up larger particulates like dirt, pet hair, and dander. Microbes routinely pass right through their larger mesh along with chemicals from off-gassing paints, adhesives, and wood composites. Just as parents are fastidious in ensuring that breast milk, formula, and baby foods aren’t rife with contaminants, there are many benefits in making sure that a newborn’s indoor air is clean too.
2. Support Your Newborn’s Neuro-Development and Moods
Consistently low IAQs are associated with the development of chronic anxiety and depression. Some studies show that low IAQ and exposure to common indoor contaminants can even contribute to psychotic episodes. This research highlights a strong correlation between adolescent psychosis and exposure to chemicals found in tobacco smoke, paint fumes, and exhaust gases from fuel-burning appliances. It’s important to note that exposure to tobacco smoke is a relevant concern even if you’ve never smoked indoors before. Secondhand smoke from neighboring properties can find its way into your living space through cracks and gaps in building materials and many other openings.
Although infants can’t complain about the quality of their indoor air or any mental health symptoms that it might cause, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t affected. Limiting the number of airborne pollutants that your youngster is exposed to early in life will support their neuro-development and protect their mental health.
3. Keep Your Home Comfortable and Fresh-Smelling
It’s easy to imagine the bright lights and loud noises of the outside world as overwhelming for someone who was just cradled in the warmth and comfort of the womb. Add dirty, dust, and germ-filled air to the equation, and acclimating to a new environment could prove all the more challenging. Whole-house air filtration helps minimize the stress of this transition by eliminating pervasive and unpleasant odors.
4. Protect Your Baby’s Eye, Ear, and Nose Health
Children who are exposed to high levels of indoor contaminants have a higher likelihood of developing ear and eye infections and suffering from runny or stuffy noses. These are symptoms that could affect everyone in your home if your air quality is especially low. You don’t want your newborn to acclimate to a world where itchy, watery eyes are the norm. Adding a whole-house air filter can prevent skin irritation, sinus problems, and even headaches. Keep in mind that the same symptoms that your low IAQ is causing in other household members could be infinitely more severe in a small-sized person with limited immunity and few natural defenses.
5. Better Temperature and Humidity Control
The benefits of whole-home air filtration extend to your HVAC equipment as well. The same allergens and contaminants that bypass standard HVAC air filters will eventually settle on the interior components of your furnace and air conditioner. Over time, these build-ups can lead to overheating, excess humidity in your air ducts and living space, and total equipment failure. HVAC systems work better when they have the added protection that integrated air filters provide. Thus, your newborn can enjoy superior levels of temperature and humidity control and a living environment that’s always pleasant to be in.
We’ve been proudly serving residents of Downers Grove, IL since 1977. Our clients can turn to us for heating and cooling repair, installation, and maintenance services. We also offer whole-house air filters and many other advanced indoor air quality solutions. To find out more or to schedule an appointment, contact Fire 'n' Ice Heating & Cooling, Inc. today.
