Intellipure

Clean air isn't just about clearing out particles and volatile organic compounds. Humidity is an important component of indoor air quality (IAQ), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists monitoring and adjusting humidity as a way to improve the air in your home [1]^[1]. 

Plus, research suggests that indoor humidity could play a bigger role in your health than you might think. Experimental studies show that too much or too little humidity can create conditions that make it easier for germs and allergens to stick around [2]^[2].

Sticky summer air isn't for everyone. Whether you love or hate climates that make you sweat on the way to your mailbox, the objective reality is that humidity creates a few extra challenges for people who care about air quality.

Before we get into those potential clean-air and respiratory health threats, let's take a minute to go over the basics of humidity.

Hurricane prep usually starts with the obvious: batteries, bottled water, flashlights, medications, and a plan for where to go if conditions turn dangerous. But hurricane season home preparation should also include the air inside your home.

I've lived in Florida my whole life, so hurricane prep feels almost like a seasonal ritual. Still, indoor air can be easy to overlook when there are shutters to hang and supplies to track down.

Counterintuitively, a big part of maintaining good indoor air quality (IAQ) is being more mindful of the air outside your home. That's because half of what's in the air outside can make its way inside [1]^[1].

From pollen and mold spores to pesticides and other lawn treatments, lots of different outdoor contaminants find their way into the air you breathe when you're chilling on the couch, eating lunch at the kitchen table, or even tucked under the covers in bed. 

As a lifelong resident of the Sunshine State, I consider myself an authority on all things sunny. So, I speak from experience when I say: Summer has a way of making skincare routines and hair maintenance schedules feel like full-time jobs.