They call them VOCs and behind this small harmless acronym there are noxious substances that make the air we breathe harmful in the spaces where we feel safer, like our home (VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds, volatile organic substances).

I am talking to you now about this because, after a summer that seemed to never end, the first cold days arrived and you will certainly have started to turn up the heating, even if, perhaps, only for a few hours, early in the morning and in the evening.
The relationship between these harmful substances and the temperature is significant: do you know when you put a pot of water to heat on the stove and boiling it evaporates spreading throughout the kitchen? Here: the same thing happens with VOCs. The more we raise the temperature, the higher the vapour pressure of the substances that spread throughout the environment.

You are probably thinking that there are no harmful substances in your house that can spread. I hope that’s the case, but unfortunately usually in most houses the situation is not so reassuring. I will give you some examples, not to scare you, but to help you become aware of it and improve the situation (I will also give you some advice). Among the worst pollutants inside homes there are uncertified building materials (colours, paints, adhesives, etc.), furniture and furnishings (formaldehyde emitted by chipboards and plywood), all combusting processes ( stoves, fireplaces, etc.), household and personal cleaning products (bleaches, acetone, deodorants, soaps, nail polishers, etc.), laundry products (detergents and fabric softeners) and moulds.  The fact that some of them smell good or do not smell at all does not eliminate their potential harmfulness: they can cause problems or disturbances that can impact our health (for example allergies, asthma, chronic respiratory diseases).

What can you do to protect yourself and your loved ones?

First of all, keep the temperature at around 19-20°C (66-68 °F): you will breathe better reducing many symptoms related to climatic discomfort such as headache, fatigue and irritability. If you are cold, put on a sweater rather than turning up the heat: in addition to your well-being, you will also have saved on utility bills and you will have made a lower environmental impact.
If you have children, don’t worry: paediatricians recommend exactly this temperature at home for your little ones, especially at night.

Another simple and good habit is to air out your rooms often, even during winter, by opening the windows: it takes just a few minutes each time to improve the quality of the air in the house. These two tips will help you, but they are not enough and surely you will want to be sure of the quality of the air in your home. For this objective there is Jonix Cube: it eliminates VOCs in all environments, improves respiratory functions, reduces the spread of infectious diseases and work stress thanks to cold plasma technology, considered today to be the safest for air purification. Read here what it can do for your well-being.