Try again
In 2020, large numbers of people chose to say no to Thanksgiving (and other holiday gatherings) because of the risks posed by pre-COVID-19 vaccines, especially for older family members. elderly or immunocompromised.
Now, in 2023, many other people feel safer getting back to collecting for the holidays, especially if they recently received the new COVID-19 vaccine. But the fact is, whether you combine for a family Thanksgiving meal or a Friendsgiving party, you’re getting several other people (probably many) in the same room. And in crowded indoor spaces, the threat of COVID-19 transmission increases if someone in that room is infected with the virus, whether they know it or not.
One way to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in an indoor space is to make sure that indoor space has open air, as coronavirus debris can float in the air from places that are not well ventilated. But aside from smashing a window, what does it mean in practice to “air out the place” during the Christmas dinner itself?
Continue reading for practical tips on leaking and ventilating your home for Thanksgiving dinner and the chances of your loved ones contracting not only COVID-19, but also other respiratory viruses like the flu and RSV.
Clean air allows the coronavirus waste that causes COVID-19 to be transmitted and infected, and this can be achieved by filtering that waste from the air with a filtration device or by ventilating the area with fresh air. (This principle of cool, ventilated air is also why being outdoors particularly reduces the threat of COVID transmission. )
“If other people just saw COVID in the air, it would make a lot more sense for them to have to purify the air in their home,” Abraar Karan, an infectious disease physician at Stanford University, told NPR in 2022. “Change the air, bring in new air, ventilation so there’s not a lot of air left in the air where other people can breathe it in and get infected,” Karan said.
Here are some tactics for cleaning the air in your home:
Use an air purifier
If you have a filtration device in your home, perhaps an air purifier you bought in the past to combat wildfire smoke, then that’s probably the most productive way to improve air quality, said Catherine Gorle, a professor associate of civil and environmental engineering. at Stanford.
Gorle, however, said this comes with two caveats. First, “you need to make sure you update the cleaner enough for the formula to work optimally,” she said. The recommended amount of time to use the cleaner is likely to be on the Express device, but it’s probably time, if you can’t, don’t forget the last time you updated it.
Second, make sure “the capacity is adequate for the [size] of the room you have,” Gorle said. In other words, don’t rely on a small cleaning device designed for a small area to purify the air in a very giant room. because it may not be enough. Learn more from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about the effective use of an indoor air purification unit.
Use your air conditioner (if you have one)
You can hear the filtration systems built into home HVAC systems, an acronym for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
In our temperate climate, Bay Area homes generally don’t have air conditioning, so this recommendation possibly doesn’t apply to many locals. But if your home has air conditioning, those systems can also have “very high-quality cleaning outputs,” Gorle said. : “HEPA cleaners that will remove particles, just like you do with any indoor air filtration system. “
If you’re mindful of your energy usage (and your bills), Gorle notes that your air conditioner will “use a little more energy because, at the same time, you’re using the air to cool you. “
No air purifier? Try your own
If you have a fan, a MERV filter, and some duct tape, you can make your own air filter. Find our commands, first published for wildfire smoke, in this KQED guide, “How to Make Your Own Air Purifier. “
NPR also has another guide for making your own clean air with a box fan, or you can check out this explainer on “How to Make an Air Purifier” on the New York Times’ Wirecutter blog.
If you don’t have a filtration device or air conditioner, it’s time to open the windows, Gorle said.
Basically, you’ll see “how you can maximize that airflow” in your space, he said. But it’s not just about opening a single window. Gorle’s expert advice includes:
Try opening more than one window in a room.
“The more windows you open, the more ventilation you’ll have,” Gorle said, because that’s not enough to bring new air into your space. Ideally, you want to help expel that air through some other window, and “the more windows, the better. “
Opening windows on opposite sides of a room is effective in creating cross-ventilation, Gorle said. In other words, opening two windows side-by-side will be less helpful in this regard.
What if you can’t or don’t need to open the windows completely? In this case, even breaking the windows a little is still a smart idea, Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, told NPR. Your windows “It doesn’t have to be very open,” Marr said.
. . . But think about where you place your guests.
Consider the direction of airflow entering and leaving your area when two or more windows are open. “Because if you’re sitting at the window where the air comes in, you get all that empty air,” Gorle said. “When you’re sitting by the window where the air escapes, you get all the air that other people breathe. “
Try to seat your visitors as close to the new air coming in as possible, and don’t park them all near the window where the airflow escapes. Because if there’s traces of COVID-19 in that airflow, that domain of “air outlet” is going to be heavy.
Run a to see how the air is getting in or out.
How do I know which window is “air inlet” and which is “air outlet”?Gorle has a few tricks up his sleeve for this. The simplest thing to do is to stand in front of the open window and hold a small piece of string, ribbon, or something similar in front of it, letting it hang. This way, “you can see which direction it’s moving and then perceive whether the air is coming in or out,” Gorle said.
You can also use a candle for this, though of course be careful with the flame burning (especially if you and your guests already have Thanksgiving celebrations over a glass or two).
Once you’ve established how air enters and exits your space through windows, you’ll know where it’s best to seat your guests closer to the new air coming in and farther away from the exit, especially those at higher risk for serious illness. or hospitalization. COVID 19. ” That’s what I did with my mother, who was also in danger,” Gorle said.
Do you only have one window? I open it
Don’t panic if you only have one window to open, Gorle said: “A little bit of air will be exchanged depending on where the wind is coming from. “And a little fresh air in your area is better than nothing.
If you’re lucky, “you might have enough tension differences between the inside and outside to get some ventilation with a single window open,” he said, “so it’s better to open the window than to keep it closed. “
Use Portable Enthusiasts to Move Existing Airflow
Once you’ve figured out how air moves in and out of open windows, you can try portable fans, such as a box-shaped fan, to help boost existing airflow, Gorle said.
“You’ll use the fan to help the air in the same direction because you don’t need to start counteracting the driving force of the herbs,” Gorle said.
Do you have a skylight? Check to see if it opens
If you have a skylight with a manual or remote control opening medium, do so. Opening a suspended window like a skylight will create airflow very easily, Gorle said: “Because of the temperature differences between the outside and outside, the air will also move vertically. “
So, in addition to windows in the walls, “you can use buoyancy effects to create that airflow through openings at other heights,” he said.
Use Your Bathroom Fan
This tip is especially useful for small homes, or if you don’t have a lot of windows, you can open them: keep all the doors in your space open and turn on any bathroom fans that draw air. ‘Air.
“This will also bring air in through any windows you can open” and then blow the air out, Gorle said.
Are you in? Don’t be afraid to use a heater
If your family or friends complain about the cold interior because of all the open windows, rest assured, you can turn on the radiator – it may not undo all the smart ventilation work.
“It’s possible to increase airflow if you heat the interior a little better,” Gorle said. “Larger temperature differences result in more airflow,” unless you’re unlucky and the buoyancy of the air (i. e. , the upward force) and the wind fights against each other. But at the end of the day, it’s worth turning on a heater so you can keep the windows open.
Learn more about tactics for ventilating and cleaning the air in your home from the EPA.
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