Times are tough. Even though it is largely uncomfortable to wear a mask outdoors, majority do so. Why? Aside from the fact that it’s mandated by the government, through the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), it’s still best to wear one.
It has been proven scientifically that wearing a mask helps lessen the chances of a person contracting harmful viruses, especially SARS-CoV-2 that afflicts its victims with the dreaded Covid-19 disease. Wearing a face mask helps protect the wearer from contracting the virus, and vice versa.
But that’s about protecting one’s self outdoors. There’s also a big difference about protection for the self and family once indoors and the mask is removed. No one can change the quality of the air outdoors, but definitely people can change–or improve–the air inside the home.
It’s not just about bacteria and viruses that can be brought home but also the actual circulating indoor air that can be a potential hotspot for dangerous bacteria and viruses to propagate. There’s carbon monoxide from old leaky pipes, carcinogens from indoor cooking, mold from damp towels left alone, and many more.
A knee-jerk reaction by most is to buy a purifier or humidifier to purify the air. If air quality in the home is doubted, then just buy sensors to be placed in many parts of the home.
But it is already the internet age, particularly the Internet of Things. If there’s a situation that needs to be resolved, many will say there is an app for that.
To measure the air quality of the home or an enclosed space, best to do it discreetly yet conveniently, using the internet, of course. Just about the size of a regular tumbler for your favorite drink, the uHoo indoor air quality monitor is an interesting little device.
This sleek device connects to a home WiFi network and transmits data to a companion app that’s compatible for both iOS and Android. It gives real-time reporting on Nine (9) different air quality parameters, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), fine dust particles (PM2.5), ozone, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), including other more traditional measurements for temperature, air pressure, and humidity.
Out of the box, uHoo wins the race when it comes to being very minimalist: a small welcome card, device itself, and a USB cable with a wall plug. Sync the device with the home WiFi via the app, which is downloadable via Google Play Store or App Store. Once WiFi connected, wait for about a minute as it gathers data and that’s pretty much it!
While it measures air quality, it also makes concrete recommendations to help improve it. The uHoo app comes with a patent-pending virus index that lists down acceptable thresholds for indoor air quality to help minimize virus risk. For instance, the more people are inside a small space, CO2 levels naturally increase because it is expelled by more people. High CO2 levels indicate a lack of fresh air and can also contribute to fatigue and migraine. Thus, it is important to introduce ventilation by adjusting the home’s HVAC, or open more windows or doors to let fresh air in so that it can circulate properly.
It is important to note that the uHoo indoor air quality monitor, made by uHoo, a Singapore-based global environmental health platform that’s present in more than 40 countries, can be a necessary tool to help monitor, identify and alert anyone of any issues so that appropriate action can be taken, whether in the home, office, school, hospital, mall, even kitchen.
It is always best to be well informed to be able to make good and intelligent decisions with lasting effects when it comes to improving overall quality of life.
Surprisingly, life-changing decisions can also come from small packages.