Tips for reducing the risk of COVID 19 in your home

Most people know the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in public, but what about our homes?
In addition to cleaning high-contact surfaces, people can take various measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus or an infectious disease among family members living together.
Because COVID-19 is transmitted primarily through the breath drops of an infected person, staying at home reduces the spread. Staying at home also makes it very important that our homes are a healthy place to spend so much time, said Claudette Reichel, LSU AgCenter Housing Specialist.
"In addition, we are still learning how this virus spreads, including the possibility of it being" in the aerosol "where it can remain and circulate in the air in houses and buildings," she said.
Maintaining good indoor air quality in our homes is always important to prevent health risks and optimize the body's immune system and other healthy lifestyles such as good nutrition, sleep and health. Exercise.
People can take additional measures at home to protect their families from the transmission of coronavirus and other airborne infectious diseases, in addition to instructions on washing and cleaning hands.
Strategies to reduce house damage when no one is sick include:
• Increase the ventilation of the fresh air in the house to dilute germs and pollutants in the air.
• Upgrade to a MERV 13 air filter in the heating / cooling system. This efficiency can capture sneezing droplets that transmit viruses. Higher ratings are more effective, but can overly restrict airflow and cause problems. Therefore, contact an HVAC specialist if you would like to carry out further upgrades.
• Prevent very low relative humidity below 30%, which can make people more susceptible to respiratory infections. This is rarely a problem in Louisiana's hot and humid climate, but can occur in cold winter climates when the heating system is on.
• As an additional precaution, close the toilet lid before flushing the toilet to reduce exposure to turbulent airborne germs and let the bathroom exhaust fan run for a few minutes after flushing.
If a household member is sick or quarantined:
• Isolate the person concerned in a room.
• Evacuate the air in this room outside to prevent air in the isolation room from flowing into other parts of the house. This can be done with a small, low speed window vent that is blowing.
• Avoid sharing a bathroom. If this is not possible, operate an exhaust fan continuously. After each use by the person concerned, also follow the CDC cleaning and disinfection guidelines, which are available online at https://bit.ly/2SCuf29 . Remember that disinfectants are more effective if you clean them first as a separate step. More information is available online at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus .
• Close or cover the central ventilation openings in the isolation room if the temperature can be regulated in another way. Provide a window air conditioner or space heater for this room that is necessary for your comfort. Open the windows in moderate weather.
• Use an ambient air filter in the isolation room. Before you buy one, read the EPA's "Guide to Home Air Filters" online at https://bit.ly/3b2gzUs .
• Continue your strategies when no one is sick in the rest of the house, which is inhabited by healthy household members.
If nobody is sick, but is a high-risk person at home (see current CDC categories or consult a doctor):
• If possible, isolate the high-risk person in a separate room and bathroom. Keep the door closed. This is to protect the person at risk if another household member has the virus without symptoms.
• Use a window fan to ventilate the room with outside air from outside to inside.
• Close or cover the central ventilation slots in the room and provide air conditioning or backup heating if necessary.
• Use an ambient air filter in the isolation room.
Tips for healthy indoor air quality for every home:
• Controlling pollutant sources is at the top of the list. Never allow smoking inside, do not burn candles and always use the hood for cooking. Buy and use only low-VOC cleaning products and household products (read labels). Avoid excessive use of disinfectants such as bleaches that produce unhealthy vapors. Do not rely on air filters or air purifiers to replace control of the sources of pollutants.
• Try to maintain a relative humidity of 40-60% indoors for optimal health and comfort.
• Make sure that all drain traps contain water to avoid residual gas in the house.
• Clean and catch dust with a HEPA vacuum cleaner or wet cleaning.
• Often clean very sensitive surfaces, especially door handles, light switches and worktops.
• If the house was built before 1978, it could contain lead paints and asbestos materials. Repair and renovation projects that change colors or asbestos materials can pose serious risks. Just hire lead-free EPA renovators to get the job done. More information is available at www.epa.gov .
• Consider brass when choosing new door handles, cabinets and taps. Uncoated copper and its alloys as well as silver can have antimicrobial effects. Although further investigation is needed, a recent study by the National Institutes of Health and the CDC reported that the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 was viable for two to three days compared to plastic and stainless steel surfaces stayed in copper for four hours.
These additional measures to reduce COVID-19 risk are largely based on the recommendations of scientists for indoor air quality at the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. For more information and scientific resources on creating a healthy, energy-efficient and resilient home, visit the LaHouse Resource Center online at www.lsuagcenter.com/LaHouse, as well as on YouTube and Facebook.

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