As Jack Frost begins to nip at noses, many people use wood burning stoves to either entirely heat their homes or supplement their central heating. Warm feelings from cuddling up near a wood burning stove seem like a wonderful way to spend the winter, but it can be very difficult for our lungs, especially for those who already have breathing issues, like children and the elderly. Learn about the correlation between wood burning stoves and indoor air quality below.
There are two main issues that wood burning stoves cause. The first is poor air quality and the second is very dry air. The air quality in your home will be the best if you use both air purifiers and humidifiers.
The particles that wood burning stoves give out are as toxic as those given off by cars or cigarettes. The chemicals in wood smoke have been linked to: cancer, asthma, heart and lung disease, and more. If you use a wood burning stove in your home, a good air purifier can significantly reduce the danger. It will reduce both the short term effects such as coughing and congestion as well as the long term health effects. It would also help to maintain a clean chimney all year-round. To achieve this, you should have your chimney inspected and cleaned regularly and seek chimney repair services if there are damages on your chimney.
Most air purifiers work per room so you may want to use one in the main room with the stove and in bedrooms as well. Some good air purifiers for particle, smoke, and chemical removal are:
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In addition to adding toxins to the air, wood stoves remove much of the moisture from the air. Using wood burning stove humidifiers, again one in the main room that the stove is located in and others in the bedrooms, will drastically improve breathability. Make sure that tanks are kept filled and all cleaning maintenance that is required for your model is kept up.
Some effective humidifiers are:
Keep in mind to choose a humidifer model for both the effectiveness that you need and the square footage of your space.