Clean Air Where

🌬️ Today is Clean Air Day.

When we talk about clean air, we often think about pollution outdoors – traffic emissions, wood burning, industry and the air we breathe on our streets.

Air pollution remains one of the biggest environmental risks to human health, affecting our lungs, hearts and brains, and contributing to thousands of premature deaths every year.

There are practical things we can all do:

🚶 Walk, cycle or use public transport where possible

🚗 Reduce unnecessary car journeys

🔥 Avoid burning wood or other fuels at home unless absolutely necessary

🌳 Support cleaner, healthier communities

What often gets forgotten is that outdoor air becomes indoor air.

The air outside eventually finds its way into our homes, schools, nurseries, workplaces and community spaces.

And because we spend around 90% of our time indoors, understanding both outdoor and indoor air quality matters.

It is good to be part of a growing community working to make clean air something people actually think about – and do something about.

Thank you to for continuing to champion Clean Air Day and helping keep clean air on the national agenda.

Clean Air Where’s indoor air quality training is now available.

Designed initially for schools, nurseries and childcare settings, it provides practical, evidence-based guidance on ventilation, airborne infections, CO₂ monitoring, air filtration and indoor air quality.

The aim is simple - to help people understand what is happening in their buildings, what matters, what does not, and where small changes can make a real difference.

While the training has been developed for education and childcare settings, the principles can be adapted to almost any indoor environment.

To find out more, message me or email [email protected]

Thank you to my long-suffering husband Rich, who has listened to years of conversations about ventilation, CO₂ monitors and air purifiers and somehow still speaks to me.

To Smart Air UKd the Corsi-Rosenthal Foundation for supporting this training.

And to everyone who has offered advice, feedback or simply encouraged me to keep going.

What started as a side project alongside my NHS career has grown into something much bigger than I ever imagined.

Why do I post about air quality? 🌬️

Built around family life, a full-time NHS job and more evenings than I can count.

The next phase of Clean Air Where is finally ready.

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? 👋

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?

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.

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.

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/