Can aircon spread viruses?
With the situation turning worse and worse with COVID19, many of you must be wondering…
Can aircon spread viruses?
Well….. yes. (sort of)
Mr. Leo Yee Sin, an executive director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) has stated that there is currently no evidence that Covid-19 can spread through aircon systems. - Straits Times
However, we know that dust and germs can get easily accumulated in the aircons that we have at home.
So what does this mean?
We know that germs and dust cause our body immunity to drop, making us more vulnerable during this period of Covid19. We need to take care of ourselves with essential vitamins, cleanliness and general personal hygiene.
So what are some ways we can take care of our body?
1. Take daily supplements of essential vitamins
In general, you’d need to take daily supplements that include these vitamins:
Vitamin D
Magnesium
Calcium
Zinc
Iron
Folate
Vitamin B-12
Most people can get the vitamins and minerals they need by eating a well-balanced diet that contains a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein. But some people have special nutrition needs that can’t be met through diet alone. In certain circumstances, your doctor may recommend taking a vitamin or mineral supplement.
When we eat on a daily basis, many of our foods do not provide enough of these good supplements for our body. To boost our immunity, we need to take additional doses of these. You can find these available in nearby Watsons or Guardian or online!
2. Clean! Clean! Clean!
You can find dust everywhere in your house in Singapore. Singapore is humid and many HDBs, Condos and Bungalows get dirty very quickly. You would want to avoid having your aircon condenser sitting with dust that will continue to ventilate your house with old dust!
What is the difference between a chemical wash vs. normal servicing?
Aircon servicing is cleaning the dust from your existing aircon, like vacuuming your air filter, checking for any aircon leaks. We normally recommend aircon servicing for households that use aircon everyday. If you’re using your aircon every once in 2-3 days, you should do servicing every 9 months or so.
Chemical wash is to eliminate majority of the germs that is accumulated in your aircon system. This takes a longer time and it’s like sanitising your air. Much like what many of the bigger companies have done in response to the Covid19 here in Singapore.
Should you do chemical wash and how often?
Yes you should! Big companies in Singapore are disinfecting their facilities and so should you for your safe haven that is your home. We would recommend you now to do a chemical wash to your aircon systems if you have yet to do so since the Covid breakout.
As for how often, that depends. Some locations in Singapore such as Woodlands, Punggol, Sembawang and Upper Thomson does not get very dusty easily thanks to the secluded location. However, if you are staying near the city such as CBD, Orchard, Novena, Newton and Tanglin where there are a lot of traffic, you need to clean it more often.
3. Take care of general personal hygiene
You need to be taking care of your personal hygiene! The things you touch, especially money is filled with germs! Go cashless if you can :)
Make sure to bring around hand sanitisers to use before eating, after touching your face and public facilities.
And here is a video of how to properly and thoroughly wash your hands
Until next time! Take care!
