The safe occupancy of a home or workplace requires good indoor air quality. Although indoor air quality can consist of many contaminates such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and odors, these are gases. This discussion is about a contaminant consisting of both particles and microbial debris. Air washing is a method of purging the home or building of debris that is on vertical and horizontal surfaces that one would not normally try to remove. This technique is particularly important for those people that have allergenic reactions to dust. Air washing creates air turbulence that removes material on walls and ceilings and carries the debris out of the home.
Many people assume that the filtration system of the HVAC unit is sufficient for removing the debris that is in the air, but this depends on the quality of the filter, the seal around the filter, and the location of intake vents collecting the return air to the unit. Even if you have a good quality filter of a MERV 8 to 12, remember that the HVAC unit is just recycling the same air inside the home over and over again. The two problems with the HVAC unit is that the filter is not able to remove all of the particles that can affect you, and that at each connection point of the ductwork, unless it is sealed, can have air move in and out of the ductwork unfiltered. It is estimated that 22% of the air cycled through the HVAC unit is lost because of leaks.
Over the last 5 or 6 years, residential HVAC units have begun to pull in a certain amount of outside air to combine with the air being cycled. This is called a heat recovery unit, which is typically only found in newer homes. Thus, the average home simply recycles the air and hopes the filter does its job. By flushing out the recycled air and replacing it with fresh, clean outdoor air, air washing minimizes the potential of particles accumulating in a space and ensures that area minimizes the accumulated airborne debris.
In a residential home, much of the dust you see are skin cells we shed. Dust mites feed on these skin cells and their excrement can cause allergenic reactions in occupants. So minimizing the amount of dust in your building is very important to the indoor air quality.
The goal of air washing is to make the indoor air quality the same as outside the building. The first step is to open all the windows and doors, place fans facing into the building with the prevailing wind and fans pointed out on the downwind side. Then, starting on the upwind side of the building, take an electric leaf blower and gently blow air over the ceiling, then walls (not the floors), and move from room to room toward the downwind exits. Go back to the upwind side and vacuum or mop the floors. If you use a vacuum, make sure it is the best quality you can afford; a HEPA vacuum is the best. Then repeat the process at least four or five times. Each cycle helps remove additional contaminants and improves the overall indoor air quality.
The time required to air wash an average home is about two hours. Sometimes you will need to dust table tops or other horizontals that cannot be air washed because of pictures or figurines. If you are concerned with a bed or couch, it is ok to air wash them as well.
Basements are difficult to air wash because of the lack of ability to open windows and doors to purge the air. The safest way to remove contaminant debris is to manually HEPA vacuum and wipe surfaces with a soapy cloth. This is difficult and time consuming, but it is worth it. It is not appropriate to air wash a basement without engineering controls to prevent the spread of debris into the home and overwhelm the person doing the work. To air wash a basement, it should be placed under use negative air pressure to collect and discharge the disturbed air outside the home, wearing personal protective equipment to prevent breathing the large load of airborne debris, and be willing to scrupulously clean from the ceiling to the walls, to the floors, and also all of the contents in the basement. This is normally not an effort that can be completed by a person unless they are well trained and have the proper equipment. So it is recommended that the basement be manually cleaned every four months, regardless of the season.
The best time for air washing is in the winter with 2 or 3 inches of snow on the ground. This cover depresses the airborne debris and minimizes microbial activities. In the fall, when there are leaves on the ground, there could be 3,000 or 4,000 spores per cubic meter of air because of the microbial bloom that breaks down the leaves. When there is snow on the ground, this value could drop to below 100 spores.
If you are sensitive to dust or microbial debris, air washing twice a year would be a great help in reducing the amount of airborne particles that you breath. By physically removing particles that are present instead of simply filtering them will reduce the volume of debris that can affect an occupant when contents are disturbed. Thus, this method is particularly beneficial for individuals with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory sensitivities as it significantly lowers airborne irritants that can trigger symptoms.
Air washing helps maintain a cleaner indoor environment by reducing the particulate load in a building. While HVAC systems do filter the air, they are not able to control the debris that adheres to horizontal and vertical surfaces in the occupied spaces. Buildings that are regularly air washed tend to have fewer odors, improved air circulation, and fresher, more breathable atmosphere; it simply improves the indoor air quality.
This simple but powerful process is not just about comfort, it's about long-term health, property preservation, and maintaining an allergen free space. Incorporating air washing into a regular maintenance routine can make a world of difference in ensuring that the air we breathe is as clean and pure as possible.
At Farsight Management we understand that not all indoor air quality companies are created equal.
We feel that it is imperative to educate ourselves, our employees, and our customers. You can trust that we follow all the national standards in regards to indoor air quality. This includes mold remediation, lead abatement, asbestos removal, and everything that we do.