Since designing the House of Cindy face mask, the one thing that has been on top of my thoughts is how airborne viruses are spread. After researching the subject, I believe indoor air pollution has come front and center as one of the greatest problems of our time. A silent killer that is often overlooked, many of our modern illnesses are attributed to exposure to indoor air pollution.
We don’t just live in our environments, we breathe them. One of the most important aspects of home design is indoor air quality. It has been said, breath is the key to life. Air quality in a room has a direct correlation to health and wellness. Even if you live in a small urban apartment there are things you can do to transform and create a life-enhancing, high vibrational atmosphere in your dwelling.
The fact is our home now more than ever has become a sanctuary to shelter in place, a safe-haven in an increasingly uncertain external world. It is the one place we can control and design our environment to support wellness and live healthfully.
When we are aware of our natural human operating systems and how we interact with our environment we can make conscious choices on how to design and decorate to support our well-being and live our best life.
The key components of healthy indoor air are in the basic elements, positive and negative ions. Air Ions are electrically charged molecules or atoms in the atmosphere. Negative ions hold a charge that is beneficial to our health and positive ions hold a harmful charge.
Over the past century, there have been hundreds of scientific studies looking at this very concept. The idea behind ion therapy is basic and counter-intuitive, positive ions make us feel bad and negative ions make us feel good. People who live near, coniferous forests, bodies of water, the beaches with high-velocity waves and waterfalls which create an aqueous spray, report being happier due to the negative ions in the air. The Atmospheric pressure after a lightning storm is invigorating as lighting releases millions of negative ions.
Due to poor airflow, interior environments naturally have lower levels of negatively charged ions because positive ions accumulate indoors. Crowded cities where smog collects are common environments where positive ions accumulate. The positive ion in the air molecule is the electric charge that is harmful to your health. Negative ions cancel out positive ions causing them to fall on the ground and surrounding surfaces. This is why it is important to clean and sweep daily in clearing environments where dust particles have fallen from the air.
One could say that negative ions are high vibration and alive with the movement of airflow, positive ions are low vibration and accumulate with the stagnation of airflow and carry disease. This is why fresh airflow is key to breathing easy. It is important to open a window in an interior space for positive ions to leave and escape. Often around an ionizing air purifier, you will find an accumulation of soot or dust particles than having fallen from the air, this is proof of harmful positive ions in the air.
There are plenty of practical ways to clean air and foster healthy vibrant air by creating a negative ion rich atmosphere.
My favorite way is through aromatherapy diffusion. When designing interiors I believe in partnering with mother nature whenever possible. Infusing the air with the healing power of plants and creates a healthier environment. Aromatherapy can help to reduce dust, pet dander, and other airborne allergens. Diffusers support healthy indoor air quality while providing ambiance and well-being.
Using common aromatherapy oils such as lavender, a known antiviral, can destroy air-born molds. Eucalyptus can be used as a natural air freshener to promote easy breathing and Tea Tree Oil for antimicrobial purifying and anti-inflammatory properties. Make sure to use only 100% natural oil to bring nature’s unrefined beauty into your space. Avoid mass-produced synthetic fragrances that appear to save you money as they do not essentially support health and wellness.
There are several ways to diffuse aromatherapy the first is atomizing cold air diffusion. The aromatherapy oil is diffused through nebulization (cold-air diffusion), a process that breaks down essential oils into a very fine dry mist that produces nanoparticles that suspend in the air for several hours. This preserves the intention behind the oils while maximizing their therapeutic powers, without diluting in water or using heat, ultimately resulting in a much stronger aroma enhancing the ambiance in your environment.
The second type of diffusion is through a humidifying solution that is a heat-free system. With this diffuser, you combine water and essential oils in a tank infusing the air with negative ions to elevate well-being while preserving the healing abilities of essential oil. Because of the water molecules, this type of diffusion gives your atmosphere the same refreshing feeling as standing near a waterfall.
The third type of diffusion is lighting a candle under a bowl filled with water or oil infused with essential oil. Another basic way to diffuse oils is in a boiling pot of hot water on the stove adding a few drops of your favorite scent to transform your environment.
We must be grateful for what we have and I believe the atmosphere is a gift from nature that costs us nothing and requires only that we care for its quality. Ionizers are the ideal system to purify and care for indoor air environments. However not all ionizers are created equal. There are many brands and when using an ionizer consider the sustainability factor. Does using the ionizer cancel out the good by creating excess carbon pollution? The ideal solution would be in a dwelling powered with solar or wind energy.
The latest ionizing technology available is the Molekule system, creating a breakthrough purification technology PECO ( Photo Electrochemical Oxidation) that destroys airborne pollutants instead of trying to trap them on filter surfaces. Their ionizers are available in many room sizes for different applications including the whole system for business, schools, and workplaces. Just this weekend while shopping I saw this sign at the entrance of Alo's Los Angeles store.
Alternatively, there are easy non-technology DIY methods for changing indoor air quality as well. Natural Aromatherapy Room sprays are easy and portable ways to freshen up an environment. They are especially useful on airplanes. While traveling, my favorite is lavender for its multiple healing and calmative qualities.
The American Indian ritual of smudging is an alchemical and powerfully effective technique that burns natural plant matter of sage is another negative ion enhancer. The smoke created takes away the positive ions and leaves only negative ions in the atmosphere. There is scientific proof that burning sage drives away undesirable positive ions or bad spirits. Remember to open a window or door when smudging, so the bad spirits have somewhere to escape.
Don't forget the power of decluttering. Relating to the spirit of a home through organization and creating a clutter-free environment, airflow can move freely through the interiors and make it easy to clean floors and surfaces creating an ideal atmosphere to live in.
Dwellings designed for natural airflow and full-spectrum sunlight to enter through open windows and views of nature evoke bright light airy spaces that are natural interior environments for negative ions.
This blog was written to share what I have discovered in my research. Please do not blindly accept my findings and the clean air methods I have written about. We all have a relationship with Mother Nature and are responsible for our actions and the choices we make. Investigate and verify my findings for yourself and let me know what you discover. Thank you for taking the time to read this and taking your health and wellness in your hands.
Xx Cindy