Formaldehyde: how to eliminate it from your home with an air purifier
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Formaldehyde is a pollutant that can create health problems even in low concentrations. Find out how to find it and how to eliminate it!
What is formaldehyde?
Where is formaldehyde found?
- Paint and surfaces of the house
- Clothes
- Fumes and gaseous fumes
- Cosmetics, perfumes and detergents
- Garage
Effects of formaldehyde on health
- Mild effects
- Severe effects
How to get rid of formaldehyde from your indoor air
- Air the house often
- Clean the house with natural products
- Avoid buying products containing formaldehyde
- Keep fireplaces or wood stoves ventilated
- Operate the extractor fan when you cook
- Do not smoke inside your home
- Use an air purifier
Air purifier: how does it work?
- Which air purifier to choose?
Eteria, the filterless purification system to change
Eteria is an air purifier that eliminates formaldehyde
Eteria monitors indoor air quality via app
What is formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound (the so-called VOCs) that occurs naturally in a gaseous and colorless form, but is characterized by a pungent and acidic odor.
It has always been talked about its nature and the possibility that it can somehow be categorized as dangerous, harmful, or otherwise harmless.
But in 2004, the ruling of the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared formaldehyde as one of the pathogens present in our environments as a certain carcinogen.
There are specific values according to which formaldehyde if kept below certain limits, can be considered much less dangerous than at high concentrations.
This limit was set by the World Health Organization at 0.1 ppm (parts per million), within which formaldehyde is very difficult to cause damage to our body because it is not present and not very diluted in our indoor air.
However, it must be considered that even slight protracted exposures can be harmful to our health because there is still continuous contact (even if minimal) with a substance that is carcinogenic for our body.
It is good to know where this compound comes from to immediately know its sources to stem or avoid them as much as possible.
Where is formaldehyde found?
Formaldehyde is more widespread than you think, because it’s a chemical agent present in different products and in different materials that are present in the home.
Let's find out together what are the main elements that release formaldehyde into your indoor air that an air purifier can eliminate.
Paint and carpets
The paint is basically an artificial chemical compound, and contains a high amount of formaldehyde. In fact, very often the very pungent smell that newly renovated houses have is given above all by the release of this substance into the air, which if inhaled for a long time can almost give a nauseating and toxic effect.
Even home rugs release a minimal amount of formaldehyde if not cleaned properly.
Clothes
Many items of clothing are made with synthetic materials or treated with special chemical detergents that may contain formaldehyde.
It is therefore recommended to always put them to dry outside the house after washing them, because if left to dry inside, in addition to increasing the humidity of the air, some types of clothes can release formaldehyde in the internal environment.
Fumes and gases
Formaldehyde is present in almost all the fumes and gases we produce at home, from those in the kitchen to normal fireplaces.
Furthermore, these gases also contain high amounts of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and different types of nitrogen oxides.
Cosmetics, perfumes and detergents
Unfortunately, most of the products we use in the bathroom contain formaldehyde. Although they help us in the care of our body, breathing too often what they emit can be harmful to the amount of formaldehyde they give off.
In particular cosmetics such as hairspray, perfumed sprays and body cleansers with a high content of chemical elements.
To take care of your body, it is always good to choose products that contain a low concentration of formaldehyde or, even better, that do not contain any at all.
Garage
Almost all households are known to keep their vehicles in the garage. And this unfortunately affects the quantities of formaldehyde present in this space, because the exhaust gases of cars and motorcycles contain high quantities of formaldehyde, that can be eliminated with an air purifier.
To prevent too many exhaust gases from accumulating, it is advisable, when possible, to ventilate this space as much as possible and not to leave the machine running inside.
Effects of formaldehyde on health
Having analyzed the places where formaldehyde can be found, we need to understand why it is dangerous for our bodies. Unfortunately, there are effects that both short and long-term exposure can cause on our health.
It is good to know these symptoms because if prolonged over time they can be a strong indicator of a high concentration of formaldehyde in our interior spaces that can be eliminated with an air purifier.
Having been categorized as a certain carcinogen, formaldehyde has been identified as a leading cause of rare types of cancer of the mouth, throat and lungs. And the danger increases when the exposed subjects are children, pregnant women, immunosuppressed or elderly with frailty.
It is therefore good to know how to defend yourself from this invisible enemy, taking all the necessary actions to eliminate formaldehyde from your home in order to guarantee a safe and healthy space, with your air purifier.
How to eliminate formaldehyde from your indoor air with your air purifier
There are some actions that allow you to reduce and even eliminate the formaldehyde present in the air of the house in order to enjoy your interior spaces in complete tranquility, with your air purifier.
Air the house often
Opening the window to facilitate air exchange is essential for having fresh and clean air in your home. In this way, the renewed air flow will reduce the concentration of formaldehyde by parts of a million in the environment, reducing the risk of inhaling it.
It is recommended to air the house twice a day and keep the windows open when the climate allows it, even throughout the day.
This little trick also allows you not to have stagnant air and thus avoid bad smells.
Clean the house with natural products
Many industrial cleaners contain formaldehyde, so the best choice is to clean the surfaces of your home using natural products instead of chemical preparations.
In this way, you can remove dirt from surfaces and save money by using simple things like baking soda.
Avoid buying products containing formaldehyde
On the labels it is often reported what the products sold in the various stores are made of. Many of these contain formaldehyde but others do not contain any at all.
It is not enough just to dwell on the words such as "natural product" or "made only with high-quality materials" because in reality these words do not exclude the presence of formaldehyde in the preparation or in their processing.
Always try to check labels and choose formaldehyde-free products.
Clean fireplaces and wood stoves often
Maintaining a good cleaning of the fireplace at home or of any wood-burning stove is essential to containing the spread of formaldehyde in the home.
Furthermore, the smoke emanating from these two sources is rich in carbon monoxide, which is also highly harmful to our health.
Clean them frequently and make sure they are well-ventilated.
Operate the hood when you cook
A kitchen is also a place where formaldehyde can build up while making food.
This is why it is important to ensure that the fan is always on when you cook to convey all the cooking fumes outside the house and ensure that they do not stagnate inside.
Do not smoke inside your home
Smoking is extremely dangerous. And in addition to the various harmful substances that cigarette smoke emits, there is also the dangerous formaldehyde.
To reduce damage, always smoke outside the house, so that cigarette smoke does not remain in the air.
The best choice is obviously to quit smoking because it is harmful to oneself and to others. In fact, there is currently no exposure level that can be defined as safe when it comes to both active and passive smoking.
Use an air purifier
Air purifiers are a perfect solution to eliminate formaldehyde and various other substances in the indoor air.
Thanks to their filtering system, they are designed to make your indoor air free of pollutants and harmful substances.
There are several air purifiers on the market, and each works differently. Let's find out which ones exist and what is the best choice to eliminate formaldehyde.
Air purifier: how does it work?
A solution to permanently guarantee a healthy indoor environment with clean air is undoubtedly the use of air purifiers for formaldehyde.
Air purifiers are devices that collect the air from the house and convey it to their internal filter, to return it to the outside free of impurities and pollutants that are harmful to humans.
They, therefore, represent an excellent solution for eliminating formaldehyde in your homes because it allows you to obtain an environment that is constantly free of volatile organic compounds, thus reducing the likelihood of the onset of mild and severe symptoms.
Which air purifier eliminates formaldehyde?
There are different solutions on the market and each has its own characteristics. Air purifiers differ in price, filter, size, purifying capacity, and their effectiveness on certain categories of pollutants.
The most famous and effective alternatives are HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) purifiers and PCO (Photocatalytic Oxidation) purifiers.
These two technologies are often mistakenly compared even if they involve extremely different air purification techniques. In fact, HEPA filters limit themselves to blocking pollutants through filters made up of very tight meshes; while the PCO technology acts in a totally different way.
Eteria, the purification system with no filter to change
Vitesy has opted for photocatalytic technology, so the PCO technology.
Vitesy has chosen to exploit PCO technology because it is considered the most cutting-edge and eco-sustainable alternative on the market.
In fact, the solution we propose is called Eteria: the only personal air purifier on the market which doesn't need to change the filter.
In fact, our Eteria technology differs from its competitors because it includes a special ceramic filter that does not block pollutants but eliminates them.
Thanks to a particular chemical reaction that occurs between the action of the LEDs and the tungsten trioxide (WO3) that covers the ceramic filter, it is possible to obtain extraordinary results by eliminating:
This type of photocatalytic filter is perennial, meaning that it does not need to be replaced, but simply rinsed under water 1 or 2 times a year.
Eteria, the purifier that eliminates formaldehyde
From the latest clinical tests carried out in the laboratory, we have been able to see a strong reduction of the Volatile Organic Compounds of our Eteria.
In particular, in just 1 hour, Eteria is able to break down 99% of the formaldehyde present in your room, providing you with safe protection from this pollutant.
And being a personal and portable air purifier, you can move it to your liking and always carry it with you, to create your own safe air bubble wherever you want.
Eteria monitors indoor air quality via app
In addition to the purification part, Eteria is equipped with a monitoring system consisting of several modules that can be positioned throughout the house using sophisticated sensors that allows, through its "Vitesy Hub" app, to check the values of:
- Temperature
- Humidity
- VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)
- Fine Powders (PM 2.5)
- CO2 (carbon dioxide)
Furthermore, being able to place multiple monitoring modules in different areas of the house, this will allow you to have a real mapping of the air of the interior spaces, conveniently controlling it via the app.
Thus allowing people to be more aware of the quality of their indoor air.
Change the way you breathe now and never worry about formaldehyde again!
