Children are especially sensitive to changes in the air, and poor air quality can result in many unwanted problems for a child. Children can become sick breathing in poor quality air. They can easily infect other children. Some common illnesses that affect children include dizziness, asthma, skin allergies, hay fever, itchy eyes as well as common cold, coughs and flu.
If your business deals with small children, you will want to ensure that the children under your care are breathing the best quality air you can provide. Examples include day care centres, kindergartens, schools, tuition centres, music schools, art centres, and children gyms.
Poor air quality and health implications
Air pollution does not apply to just external/outdoor air. It can also affect indoor air quality. In fact, indoor air pollution is 3-4 times more dangerous than outdoor pollution. Children are more susceptible to the harmful effects caused by indoor air pollution than adults. Poor indoor air quality has a greater impact on a child’s health because their lungs are still in developing stage.
Allergies are one of the most common symptoms of poor indoor air quality in the home. If the children are continually sneezing and coughing, it can be a sign that the air inside your facility is contaminated with harmful indoor allergens. If there is an increase in asthma amongst your charges, it could be the deteriorating air quality in your facility.
Contaminants in the air can worsen the asthma symptoms over the time. Other harmful effects of poor indoor air quality include nausea, sinus, airway infection, headache, dizziness, and mental fatigue.
Any sign of illness from a child should be taken seriously. Children are vulnerable and cannot defend themselves so it’s the responsibility of the adult to ensure their health and well-being.
Toxic particles and gases are released into the air from different sources. These toxins remain air unless there is proper ventilation. Closed windows and locked doors intended to keep the children safe could erode the air quality in the facility which in turn, can result in an entire set of health and wellbeing issues.
You have to be extra vigilant with your indoor air quality if your business provides sleeping arrangements for children. Sleep is the time for the child’s body to regenerate and renew. During sleep, their immune system detoxifies impurities. If there are more toxins in the air, it makes it hard for their immune system to perform its functions.
Here are the steps you should take to ensure your patients and your staff’s safety:
Monitor the air quality in your facility
The first line of defense is awareness. Air quality sensors that monitor the air can help you determine when to ramp up the ventilation efforts of your business. Modern sensors are smart and can send alerts to your phone or desktop in real-time, so any potential threats can be nipped in the bud. Some air monitoring sensors can even operate SmartHome devices like an HVAC system to automatically ventilate the contaminants out of the room. The point is, knowing when there’s a problem let you take steps to solve the problem.
Maintain Your HVAC System
A poorly maintained HVAC system can have detrimental effects on your indoor air quality. It contributes to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) which is a situation where occupants get sick in direct proportion to the time spent indoors. When air filters are not replaced or air ducts are not regularly cleaned, dust can accumulate and it can be a breeding ground for bacteria and pests.
A commercial cleaner can help your business maintain your HVAC system through regular wiping and cleaning of the unit and the surrounding walls near it. You also need to have your air-conditioning regularly serviced by a qualified air-conditioning servicing company to ensure that filters are cleaned or replaced when needed.
Install an Exhaust Fan
If you don’t have a fancy HVAC system, having an exhaust fan can really reduce the level of dangerous pollutants in the air. This is especially helpful for reducing any nitrogen dioxide build-up in the facility.
Exhaust fans have to be cleaned regularly to minimise fire risk and dust build-up. Your commercial cleaner can easily clean and maintain the exhaust fan in your facility.
Clean Regularly
Dust is one of the biggest contributor for particulate matter. So can mould. They can both be avoided through proper cleaning.
Wiping away dust so it doesn’t build up can greatly reduce particulate matter in the air. A commercial cleaner will vacuum, sweep, dust, mop and wipe all surfaces, walls, doors and floors. They will also clean and disinfect toilets and kitchen.
If you have carpeted rooms, make sure you book carpet steam cleaning services as well. As a rule, you will want your premises professionally steam cleaned at least every two or three months. Steam cleaning kills bacteria and germs, removes ugly stains and refreshes the carpet which are important for the children’s health and well-being.
Choose furniture carefully
Your choice of furniture also matters, because paints and plastics used in some kinds of furniture need to be aired to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs), while furniture with lots of fabric are dust traps. Wipe away dust, avoid excessive moisture to reduce mould, and choose furnishings that don’t trap dust.
Use less toxic plastics and aerosols
Some plastics contain toxins that can harm health. Common sources of phthalates are disposable gloves, bottles, storage, cleaning chemicals, and more. When it comes to choosing materials to be used in your centre, it’s important to check for the presence of phthalates.
Minimise use of aerosols because the compounds released into the air can irritate or harm children.
Aerosols can exacerbate respiratory conditions and cause allergies.
Maintaining the indoor air quality of your centre can minimise the risk of infection. Children are vulnerable subjects and require our full attention and commitment to ensure their health and safety.
If your child care centre needs help controlling the indoor air quality, call DryTech Commercial Cleaning in Sydney today. We have many clients in this industry and will be able to give you the best service every child in the centre deserves.
DryTech Commercial Cleaning is one of Sydney’s best commercial cleaning companies. For more information about our wide range of services or a free quote call: 02 9161 1621 or email: [email protected]