10 Ways to Create a Healthy Microclimate in Your Apartment

1. Air-Conditioned Paradise

The World Health Organization recommends maintaining a constant temperature in your apartment regardless of the season – between 18–22 degrees Celsius. Warm air in the apartment is lethal to mucous membranes and is one of the causes of frequent respiratory illnesses. Don't forget to perform a deep cleaning of your air conditioner annually. And clean the filters every two weeks.

2. Wet Work

Humidity is another important component of a healthy microclimate. It should not drop below 40%, and ideally, it should be around 60%. You can achieve this using humidifiers. When choosing a humidifier, pay attention to the evaporation type – natural or ultrasonic. Prefer humidifiers with natural evaporation and water filters – they are more durable, quieter, and do not form lime scale on furniture.

3. Clever Trap

Air purifiers are like traps for harmful microorganisms and allergens that fill the air in an urban apartment. These devices filter air through three stages of purification. The first stage is a carbon filter – it removes smoke and foreign odors. Then comes the HEPA filter – an air filter for fine purification. This filter traps dangerous pathogens. The final stage is a water filter – it washes the air and humidifies it. These devices help maintain humidity at 50–60% in summer and 40% in winter.

4. Magical Vent

In winter, regulating temperature and humidity in the apartment is very difficult. Air conditioners don't work at sub-zero temperatures. Ventilation provides only temporary relief and dries the air. An effective method for temperature regulation in cold weather is thermostatic valves on radiators. Thanks to them, you can partially or fully cut off the flow of hot water and lower the air temperature to the required 18–22 degrees Celsius.

5. Steam Baths

When it comes to cleaning, people always prefer universal devices that save time and effort. One of these is a steam cleaner. The hot steam, delivered under pressure, cleans almost any hard surface without damaging it. No chemicals, no significant effort – you can clean the bathroom, taps, tiles, floors, windows, furniture, and much more.

6. Dangerous Overheating

Overindulging in heated floors is like setting a time bomb in your apartment. Warm floors dry and heat the air, which negatively impacts the health of all family members, especially children. In such a microclimate, it's hard to breathe, and the body's thermoregulation is disrupted. The only place where you can safely install underfloor heating is the bathroom.

7. Salt Bomb

Salt lamps are natural air ionizers. During the process of saturating the atmosphere with negative ions, bacteria and viruses are destroyed, the air becomes cleaner, clearer, and humidity increases. The therapeutic effects of salt lamps have been studied repeatedly: they help boost the body's tone and strengthen immunity, improve children’s sleep, and positively affect emotional well-being. To imagine the effect of these devices, just recall the feeling of a sea breeze or a morning in a pine forest.

8. Winter Garden

Indoor plants are the lungs of an apartment. They purify the air and enrich it with oxygen. Each plant has some beneficial properties. For example, geraniums uniquely destroy staphylococci and streptococci that enter the air. Plants also have anti-stress properties and, in summer, help repel mosquitoes, flies, and moths. Thuja and cypress release so many essential oils that the air becomes truly healing. Ficus Benjamin purifies the air from phenol and formaldehyde particles.

9. Enemy in Disguise

Carpets and rugs are not only beautiful but also dangerous. Long pile collects enormous amounts of organic residues and is a favorite habitat for household parasites. Carpeting is home to colonies of dust mites. If you're not ready to give up such décor, don't neglect regular dry cleaning. Perform a deep clean at home no less than once a week. Replace carpets every three to five years. In winter, it's helpful to shake carpets with snow, and in summer, leave them in the sun for several hours.

10. Banal, But True

Nothing is more effective than a simple damp cleaning to refresh the air and maintain a favorable microclimate in your apartment. The most ordinary damp cloth collects hundreds of thousands of bacteria, tons of dust, various food residues, organic particles, and small debris. In essence, you're not only mopping the floor – you're mopping the air. Remember that no air conditioner or humidifier can replace a vacuum cleaner and regular damp cleaning.