Sick building syndrome: How to transform a home and office to your advantage
Sick building syndrome called a number of factors inherent in the room, which adversely affect people's health. This is not always the result of a violation of building standards - much depends on the finishing materials, the quality of furniture and the organization of space. We found out how to “cure” your home or office from experts: academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, expert of the World Health Organization Yuri Rakhmanin, chief architect of the Quadrim interior design service Viktor Shutka, designer-designer, founder of his own interior studio Olga Kondratova and director of the online boutique BORK Evgenia Morozova.
How to clean the air and why moisten it
The air of almost any room contains industrial and domestic pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide — a toxic gas released during cooking on a gas stove. They are joined by biological agents - viruses, bacteria, fungi, and often allergens - pollen or animal hair. The more polluted the air, the higher the risk of developing diseases of the respiratory system, allergic reactions and immune disorders. Being in a stuffy room is at least unpleasant, everyone knows the state when it is difficult to concentrate due to lack of fresh air.
It is very important to ventilate the room daily in the morning and in the evening for at least fifteen minutes. Powerful vacuum cleaners help to remove dust and small particles, while bacteria and viruses help the air cleaner. Modern devices usually include several filters that solve different problems. For example, coal helps to get rid of volatile organic compounds and unpleasant odors, and the so-called HEPA-filter is designed to collect the smallest particles from the air. Air cleaners are compact - for example, for improving your own workplace or a small room. Heavy-duty models are suitable for large apartments and offices.
If the air humidity is low, for example due to batteries or an air conditioner, then the skin and mucous membranes can noticeably dry out. This is especially noticeable at the beginning of the heating season, when you constantly want to smear your face and hands with cream or drink a glass of water. Viruses causing colds are easier to sit on the dry mucous membrane - in fact, it loses some of the natural defense mechanisms. The normal level of air humidity is 50-65%, and a humidifier can be used to maintain it. Yevgeny Morozov advises making a choice in favor of models evaporating water in a natural way, and fill them with filtered water.
Why do we need "green walls"
Phytostenes are no longer an innovation, but they are not too common yet. These vertical structures with pockets, where planted plants are planted, and automatic irrigation are not only an element of decor. On one square meter of phyto walls placed about 50 plants (Spathiphyllum, aglaneoma, chlorophytum, fern, sheflera, Benjamin ficus and others) - few have the opportunity to place as many plants on horizontal surfaces. They purify and moisturize the air, partially absorb electromagnetic radiation, and phytoncides, which suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi, and, of course, oxygen, emit into the "exchange". Green walls saturate the air with oxygen so that the chemical composition of the atmosphere of an apartment or office can approach the forest microclimate.
According to a study by the US National Environmental Health Institute, contaminated indoor air impairs thinking, decreases productivity, and can cause cognitive impairment. In the course of the scientific experiment, the participants worked in the usual office conditions, in the "green office" conditions and in conditions close to working in the fresh air - for this, the ventilation level and the content of carbon dioxide and other chemical compounds were changed in the rooms). It turned out that clean air increased the ability to make quick decisions in critical situations by an average of 115%, think strategically by 150% and process information by 260%.
Wet cleaning and steam
Standard cleaning of the apartment: walk the vacuum cleaner on the carpets and the floor, wipe the dust from the surfaces with a damp cloth, wash the floor. Wet cleaning is recommended once or twice a week, and you can make it more efficient and fast with a steam cleaner. These devices do not require the use of household chemicals, and the principle of their work is extremely simple: water heats up, turning into steam. The latter dissolves fat and removes dirt from a variety of surfaces: tiles, wood, delicate fabrics. There are usually several nozzles in the steam cleaner kit: for cleaning the floor, upholstered or cabinet furniture, curtains, glass, - and the intensity of steam generation is easy to adjust.
How to reduce noise
If you hear what your neighbors are doing on the floor, or if the windows are closed, cars on the street are disturbing you, then the problem is in low noise insulation. This is not only unpleasant, but also unsafe: noise increases stress levels, and the body reacts to this by releasing certain hormones and even increasing blood pressure. Over time, this can lead to a variety of disorders, from insomnia to cardiovascular complications such as stroke. Of course, against the background of complete health, myocardial infarction from background noise alone can hardly develop, but noise is a avoidable risk factor - and therefore, it is better to eliminate it.
In Russia, the maximum permissible noise level in daytime (from 7 to 23 hours) is 55 decibels, at night - no more than 45 decibels. To find out if the values are exceeded, an independent examination can be carried out at the premises. According to its results, a protocol is drawn up, an environmental passport is drawn up, if necessary, recommendations are given to improve noise insulation.
According to the architect Victor Jokes, the most eco-friendly sound insulators are wooden double-glazed windows. However, due to the high cost, not everyone can afford their installation. An alternative option is plastic windows. Plastic loses wood environmental friendliness, but it is becoming more and more secure. For example, some companies produce ecolines of windows, where lead is replaced with a safe alloy, and the plastic itself is of very high quality. Such windows are practically harmless to health and even recyclable. Designer Olga Kondratova believes that the correct solution to the problem of sound insulation, as well as improving air ventilation - double glazing in wooden frames. If the wooden window frames in the apartment are preserved from the 1910-1960s, they can be restored by replacing the windows themselves with double-glazed windows.
Sound-absorbing materials such as cork or northern softwood, and a multi-layer entrance door are another effective way to reduce noise exposure. To make the office or apartment quiet as in a library, the walls should be made of eco-friendly basalt wool (although this option should be considered at the stage of rough work during repair). Unfortunately, the use of sound-absorbing materials usually takes up additional space. For those who are not ready to put up with it (for example, in the case of a small apartment), there is a spare idea - to increase the number of dense tissues that absorb sounds. The walls can be sheathed with textile panels, and on the floor to lay large carpets.
What is ekosvet and how to deal with harmful radiation
For environmental lighting include LEDs, or LED-lamps. In sources of such light there is no mercury, cadmium and lead, and the lamps themselves are energy saving. Lighting is decorative and functional. It is better to provide general illumination with wall or ceiling lamps with a soft light, and additionally illuminate the workplace with a powerful lamp with a turning mechanism. It is necessary to take into account the coefficient of pulsation of light, in normal it is 10-20% (the smaller, the better). The pulsation itself is usually invisible to the eye, but if its indicators are exceeded, a headache and increased fatigue are inevitable. Pulsation can be measured only by special devices - lux meters, or light meters.
Another hidden threat is the abundance of constantly turned on electronic devices. Computers, TVs, tablets, mobile phones form powerful electromagnetic fields - and according to academician Yuri Rakhmanin, high electromagnetic radiation can cause neuroses. The study of the effects of mobile phones and tablets continues, and, according to most studies, they still do not harm health due to radiation - but the habit of not parting with mobile even at night increases stress levels and disrupts sleep.
Eco-friendly materials - fashion or necessity
On the one hand, eco-design with its natural materials allows a city dweller or office employee to be closer to nature, and therefore, less nervous and easier to relax - and environmental materials last longer than synthetic ones. The same window frames made of wood with proper care can live a hundred years. On the other hand, concern for the environment is gradually becoming a trend, which is supported by many designers. Natural materials are widely used for decoration - in the list of the most popular of them are wood, stone, clay, natural fabrics, such as flax, silk or cotton. Unlike DSP, emit toxic formaldehyde and phenol, in completely natural materials there are no harmful impurities.
Wood is a warm and pleasant to the touch material. It is ideal for furniture or surfaces that are often touched or walked on, that is, doors, window sills, or the floor. However, natural materials are more expensive than synthetic materials, they require more thorough care and suitable conditions - for example, cork cannot be used in houses with high humidity or in unheated rooms. Ecodesign color palette, as a rule, includes calm natural shades: pastel colors, as well as white in contrast with dark woody, pale green, pale blue, grass green and navy blue.
How to divide the space in the office or at home
Everyone needs boundaries of personal territory and places for different actions. At the subconscious level, it is important for a person to understand where to rest, where to eat food, and where to meet guests - otherwise discomfort and anxiety arise. With the help of competent zoning, you can combine several zones with different functions on the same area. This is especially true in apartments where several people live, or even generations, as well as open space. Zoning does not require partitions or walls - it is enough to outline the borders with a carpet or to place light accents. Zoning depends, of course, on the area and on natural light: the room in which the windows are located on different sides will not be affected if you divide it with book shelves.
How to "improve" rented apartment
It is clear that repair with the replacement of materials for environmentally friendly is not available to everyone - for financial and organizational reasons. For example, few people are willing to change the windows in a rented apartment, but certain measures can still be taken. The easiest and budget way is to do a general cleaning in the room, remembering that the most dust accumulates in carpets, curtains, chandeliers and the upper shelves of cabinets. The second step is to plant the apartment with potted plants; Experts recommend chlorophytum, ficus and aloe, but, of course, any plants are better than their complete absence. Choose the ones you like and require minimal care. And, of course, it will not be superfluous to air the apartment more often and get a cleaner or a humidifier.
Photo: Africa Studio - stock.adobe.com, somchaisom - stock.adobe.com, Yandex. Market, Philips
