Listen to the Making Your Home A Safe Haven by clicking the play button.

In the past year, our homes have become so much more than the place we live. Our homes are where we work and relax; go to school and spend the weekends; work out and rest; where we shelter in place and where we find new interests. So, during a time when home is everything, how can we be sure it’s really a safe haven?

Acknowledge What’s Happening

There’s really no hiding the fact that we are living in a very difficult time, and we shouldn’t try to ignore that. Learning the facts can be a great way to curb anxious feelings, ease tension in your home, and model resilience.

Look to trusted resources, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for information on combating the virus and staying healthy. Stay informed on the news with your local NPR station. These aren’t things you need to be checking every hour of the day, but knowing the latest facts and recommendations can help you stay in control of your day and your health.

Build Firm Boundaries

Home used to offer freedom from the worries of work or the burdens of school. Now that the line between those areas is blurry, it’s more important than ever to set up some space and time where your family can still experience the freedom and relaxation of a home environment.

This will, of course, look different for every family, but here are some things you can try:

• Slow down
• Schedule time together free from any work or distractions
• Designate study/work spaces
• Limit screen time
• Provide uninterrupted alone time
• Establish consistent workout routines
• Make time to virtually connect with others outside your home
• Set bedtimes that allow for adequate rest

Cultivate a Healthy Environment

While the intellectual, physical, emotional, and social wellness of the home might be the most obvious, the environmental wellness also plays a huge role in the safety of your home.

Did you know:

• The air inside your home can be 5x more polluted than the air outside. That’s because homes are being built tighter than ever, making it hard for your home to inhale and exhale (or turn over stagnant inside air with fresh outside air).
• The average person lives to be 79 years old. Of those 79 years, 70 of them are spent indoors. Of those 70 years indoors, 50 of them are spent in your own home.
• Particles in air pollution can be smaller than 1/30th the diameter of a human hair. When you inhale them, they are small enough to get past the body’s natural defenses.

With the AprilAire Healthy Air System™, you’re bringing three award-winning, key components into your home environment.

Fresh Air Ventilation – In order to stay well at home, Indoor Air Quality has to be a priority. With an AprilAire whole-home ventilation system, you can let the dirty air out of your home and bring fresh, clean air in. This helps dilute and remove contaminants—airborne viruses, mold spores, allergens, and more—so you can breathe easy at home.

Air Filtration – Now that the fresh air is in, it’s time to purify it. An AprilAire whole-home air purifier can decrease stagnant air in your home and minimize your family’s risk of allergy symptoms, asthma triggers, and long-term respiratory irritants. The AprilAire Model 5000 captures 99%* of airborne viruses. Purification is crucial to keeping your family healthy year-round and your children protected from seasonal allergy triggers and viruses.

*Contaminants removed based on air passing through the filtering system.

Humidity Control – Keeping your home’s humidity between 40% and 60% can minimize virus survival rates in addition to helping keep your home protected from the impact of dry or moisture-riddled air. Depending on which issue you’re looking to combat, there’s a tailored solution available to help you keep your home healthy. An AprilAire dehumidifier can protect your home from the dangers of high humidity by stifling mold growth, decreasing allergens such as dust mites, and preserving your home overall. An AprilAire humidifier can not only help keep your home feeling warmer in the cold months, but it also helps lower the survival rates of virus-sized particles that may linger in the air.

What difference does Healthy Air really make? Take a look at some of the basic benefits of breathing Healthy Air:

1. Reduces Illness – Remove airborne contaminants from your home so you and the family can breathe easy
2. Alleviates Allergies – Stay healthy and avoid the sniffles throughout the year
3. Provides Better Sleep – Every night you’re not sneezing or scratching from allergies is a good night’s sleep
4. Increases Home Value – A Healthy Home is less likely to be damaged by pests or humidity, and may increase property value
5. Lowers Stress Levels – In addition to better health, sleep, and energy efficiency, Healthy Homes can improve our mental health