Clean Air Where

03/06/2026

Air quality affects us every day without us even realising.

Most of the time it’s invisible. We only start paying attention when something happens - a child develops a cough, hayfever flares up, or an inhaler suddenly becomes part of the daily routine.

When it comes to indoor air quality, should we be more proactive instead of reactive?

The good news is that improving indoor air quality often isn’t complicated or expensive. Sometimes small changes can make a real difference.

Any other viral wheeze or inhaler families out there? 👋

29/05/2026

What actually is an air purifier?

It is basically a machine that pulls air through a filter to remove tiny particles from indoor air.

Think of it like a vacuum cleaner for the air.

Indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air. Inside can be a mix of dust, pollen, pollution and other particles that most of us rarely think about until they start causing problems.

A good HEPA air purifier can help capture things like:

🔬 PM2.5 pollution particles

🐛 Dust mite allergens

🍄 Mould spores

🐾 Pet dander

🌿 Pollen

🚗 Pollution that drifts indoors from outside

Some also contain carbon filters which can help reduce smells and VOCs from things like cooking and cleaning products.

We have one at home because we live near a busy A road in London.

It is also great for playdates because we know illnesses like COVID spread through shared air and, honestly, I am fed up with constantly being sick. It is exhausting.

One thing I genuinely wasn't expecting was the difference during hayfever season. The amount of complaining in our house dropped dramatically after we got our air purifier.

Particularly worth considering if you have young children, allergies, asthma, pets or live near a busy road.

Most of this stuff is invisible, so most people never really think about the air in their home.

But once you start paying attention to the air around you, you cannot really unsee it.

Do you have an air purifier at home?

25/05/2026

Most people open their windows during the hottest part of the day to cool the house down.

But if the air outside is hotter than the air inside, you can end up heating the house instead.

Here is what actually works - and why it also matters for air quality.

Our kids have been rather confused this week about why we have been living in the dark. This is why.

Early morning before 9 or 10am - open everything wide. Let the cool air flood in before the day heats up.

Once the temperature outside starts climbing - close it all. Windows, shutters, blinds, curtains. Keep the cool air trapped inside.

Keep it closed all day. The surfaces, walls and air inside your home store heat. The less heat you let in, the cooler it stays.

When the temperature outside drops below the temperature inside - open everything again. Let the warm air out and the cooler evening air in.

Air filters have also helped the house feel more comfortable, keeping the air moving even when everything is closed up.

One thing nobody really mentions - CO₂ levels can build up surprisingly quickly indoors when windows stay closed all day. If you or your guests feel sluggish, it might not just be the heat.

Open the windows again as soon as the temperature allows.

Keeping cool and keeping fresh air moving is a balancing act.

We managed to keep the house at a reasonable temperature so far this week. The kids will just have to deal with the curtains.

21/05/2026

Classrooms and homes do not have to be challenging environments for SEND children or anyone else in them.

We can change that environment by improving the air quality. Here are a few easy things that make a real difference.

🪟 Open windows and create cross ventilation
Open windows on opposite sides of the room at home and in school. Even short bursts help - this is called burping the room. Fresh air flushes out CO₂, allergens and pollutants that build up throughout the day.

💧 Control humidity
Keep humidity between 40-60% at home and in school. Use extractor fans, avoid drying clothes on radiators and consider a dehumidifier. Dust mites and mould thrive in damp air - both are significant triggers for children with respiratory and sensory sensitivities.

✨ Consider a HEPA air purifier
Air filtration removes the particles we cannot see - allergens, fine particles and pollutants that ventilation alone cannot always address. Particularly important in rooms where windows cannot open, but worth considering in any space where SEND children spend significant time. Look for true HEPA certification.

📊 Monitor the air
A CO₂ monitor tells you what is actually happening in the room - at home and at school. Below 800ppm is the DfE green threshold. You cannot improve what you cannot measure.

🧹 Reduce the sources
Damp dust rather than dry. Choose fragrance free cleaning products. Avoid aerosols. Open a window when cooking or cleaning.

Small changes make a real difference. Every child deserves an environment that supports them.

19/05/2026

Children with SEND are disproportionately affected by their environment.

We know this. It is why we talk about calm spaces, sensory rooms, consistent routines and adapted teaching. The physical environment matters enormously for these children.

But we are missing something important - indoor air quality.

A 2024 systematic review found consistent associations between air pollution exposure and increased risk of ADHD in children. Research consistently shows that autistic children are more sensitive to environmental stimuli. Poor air quality adds to that sensory load - at a time when we are asking these children to concentrate, regulate and engage.

Poor indoor air quality directly affects concentration, mood, behaviour, self-regulation and illness. For children who already find these things challenging, the impact is compounded.

We adapt classrooms for sensory needs. We train staff in de-escalation. We write EHCPs.

We do not check the air - and we should.

Calm, safe classrooms start with the air in them. Children deserve the best environment to thrive in.

Source:

2024 ADHD systematic review: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11562299/

18/05/2026

Brilliant initiative - this is exactly what schools need. At Clean Air Where we’re working on the training side of this - helping staff understand why IAQ matters so the standards actually land.

Children spend more time in school than almost anywhere else. That environment should be setting them up to thrive - not quietly undermining their health, their concentration, and their long-term potential. Excited to be part of changing that.

https://goaqs.org/go-iaqs-for-schools/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAR31gFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe2fWaaylgLNth9F060tqnxRapFAhNZcebbsYQMzV_r_7kHKuaX3rHsjUifCg_aem_RnhCqfelBRzTgZJiuZuMug

Welcome to GO IAQS for Schools The first strategic plan that shares openly health-centric protective air quality limits for schools. Our Mission: “Same Air, Same Standards” The GO IAQS …

18/05/2026

The government’s SEND consultation closes tonight at midnight.

The white paper - Every Child Achieving and Thriving - sets out a ten year vision for inclusive education. It covers calm, safe classrooms, specialist support, early intervention, behaviour, curriculum and funding.

It talks about environment, but it does not mention the air in it.

Yet indoor air quality directly affects concentration, mood, behaviour, self-regulation and illness - the exact things we are trying to improve for children with SEND.

Children who already struggle with self-regulation can find poorly ventilated environments particularly challenging. Poor air quality can contribute to disruptive behaviour, which leads to children being removed from the classroom and missing learning.

We are spending billions reforming SEND support. We are still not ensuring the physical environment supports those children.

Calm, safe classrooms start with the air in them.

Have your say before midnight: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-reform/

What do you think the white paper should include?

17/05/2026

How is anyone supposed to thrive when their environment is affecting their mood, concentration and ability to think clearly?

How are children expected to learn and workers expected to perform when the air they are breathing is making them sluggish and unable to think?

Most of us accept that feeling as normal. It is not. It is often the air.

The evidence is consistent and growing.

A series of Harvard studies including a global study of 302 office workers across six countries found a direct relationship between CO₂ and PM2.5 exposure and cognitive function. For every decrease in indoor pollution exposure there is a measurable increase in cognitive performance.

In the UK, CIBSE - the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers - sets the standards for ventilation in our buildings. Their TM40 guidance covers the health and wellbeing impacts of poor indoor air quality including air, humidity, thermal comfort and occupant performance.

The DfE’s own ventilation guidance published February 2026 sets below 800ppm as the green threshold for schools and childcare settings - because the evidence linking poor air to poor performance in children is clear enough to act on.

This is not fringe science. It is mainstream guidance from the bodies responsible for the buildings our children learn in and our people work in every day.

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. We have talked about depression and anxiety linked to air quality. Now think about what poor air does to your ability to function, perform and cope every single day.

The two are connected.

Sources:

Harvard COGfx Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4892924/

Harvard COGfx Study 3: https://healthybuildings.hsph.harvard.edu/impacts-of-indoor-air-quality-on-cognitive-function/

CIBSE TM40: https://www.cibse.org/TM40

DfE Ventilation Guidance 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ventilation-and-air-quality-in-education-and-childcare-settings

15/05/2026

It is Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme is Action.

Here is one action nobody is talking about. Improving the air quality in the room you are in right now.

🧠 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. We talk about therapy, medication, sleep and stress. We rarely talk about the air.

Most rooms have poor ventilation. Most people have no idea.

CO₂ builds up in poorly ventilated spaces. At levels completely normal in offices, classrooms and meeting rooms, it directly affects concentration, mood and decision making. It makes you feel foggy, flat and tired.
But it goes further than that. There is a mountain of evidence stacking up.

📊 A systematic review published in 2026 covering 81 studies found consistent associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and increased depression and anxiety risk.

📊 A UK based longitudinal study following children from age 12 to 18 found that exposure to air pollution was significantly associated with increased odds of major depressive disorder by age 18 - even after controlling for common risk factors.

Exposure to air pollution - both outdoors and indoors - is linked to increased depression and anxiety risk. We attribute those feelings to stress, burnout and poor sleep. Sometimes it is the quality of the air.

Good ventilation will not fix everything. But it is one of the simplest, most overlooked actions we can take to support mental health and performance.

🪟 Open the windows. Consider mechanical ventilation to remove pollutants at source. It is a start.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2026.

Sources:

Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/

Systematic review 2026: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935126000666

London longitudinal study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016517811830800X

14/05/2026

I took my CO₂ monitor to vote last week. The reading was good. But it was almost accidental.

For clinically vulnerable people, air quality at a polling station is not a minor inconvenience. It is a barrier to democracy.

It is not difficult to open the windows.