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City of Fort Collins
 

Air Quality

Air Quality

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Healthy Homes - Responding to COVID-19#

The Healthy Homes objective is to help community members identify pollutants or contaminants in the home that can affect health and safety. While the Healthy Homes program promotes many different actions to improve your indoor air quality, the following actions are especially important during this time:

Safe Cleaning#

Keeping your home clean is critical to protecting you and your family from COVID-19 and other contaminants.  Take a look at the Healthy Homes Cleaning Vs Disinfecting Infographic.

What ways can I keep my home clean?

  • The CDC recommends cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces such as tables, countertops, handles and doorknobs often
  • Use soap and water first to clean the surfaces, then use a disinfectant
  • The CDC recommends using rubbing alcohol with 70% isopropyl as a cleaning agent, try making your own all-purpose cleaning disinfectant using the Healthy Homes Cleaners Recipe Book. You can also check out the many other natural cleaners in the recipe book.

Proper Ventilation#

Proper air filtration inside the home is a piece of an overall mitigation strategy to protect from COVID-19 but is not a solution in and of itself.

What filter should I use and why shouldn’t I use the highest filter I can find?  

  • MERV 8-11 rated filters with a 1-inch pleat are the recommendation
  • High efficiency filters placed in systems that cannot support them can cause many problems including
  • Dust accumulation
  • Results in HVAC systems inefficiencies 

 What about ionizers, ozone generators, plasma, and other air cleaning technologies? 

  • There is little evidence that these technologies are effective against infectious diseases
  • These types of technologies raise concerns about other issues 
  • For example, production of ozone is harmful and is a respiratory issue. 

What about Portable Air Cleaners (PAC)? 

  • PACs that are sized appropriately, maintained and operating correctly can be part of a mitigation strategy
  • If you are considering purchasing a PAC, ensure that it has a HEPA filter, it is AHAM Verified, and has a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of 100+
  • PACs are not intended to filter the air of the entire home; they are more suitable for a single room.

More Info on Portable Air Cleaners