Improve Indoor Air Quality, Improve Grades
Want to know an important way to improve the productivity of students, teachers and support staff at Charlotte-Mecklenburg area schools? Improve the indoor air quality!1 Think of how much of the day students and staff spend indoors. Indoor air quality is crucial for health and well-being. Studies have shown that poor indoor air quality contributes to higher incidences of absenteeism, illness and asthma attacks.
An uncontrolled asthma-related attack obviously keeps the child from learning but the teacher must attend to the emergency, too. This affects the rest of the class as well. What are some typical asthma triggers? They include mold, dust mites, insect body parts and even chemicals. Remember, some Charlotte schools are quite old. These schools, particularly if they have been maintained poorly, may have issues with indoor air quality. However, even newer schools are not immune to poor indoor environment.
The EPA’s Tools for Schools program helps increase awareness regarding the importance of the quality of indoor environment. This volunteer program can help educational institutions self-evaluate any issues they might have. Improvements can be as simple and inexpensive as scheduling some maintenance activities when students and faculty aren’t around. And of course, carpeting can play a role, too. Indoor carpeting has been cited for contributing to poor indoor environmental quality, but research indicates the maintenance of the carpet is actually more of a factor. The Carpet and Rug Institute has shown that properly maintained carpets have improved air quality by reducing airborne particles! Recommended carpets should comply with the Green Label Plus program which meet low VOC emissions.
Of course, no carpet should be installed near water fountains, showers, pools or other areas where the carpet can get wet. Doing so would defeat the purpose of improving indoor air quality because of the incidence of mold and mildew.
Keeping the carpet cleaned on a regular maintenance schedule is essential. The cleaning staff should sweep and vacuum regularly but a professional cleaner should be part of the maintenance plan, too. A professional carpet cleaner who actually worked in the carpet industry would be ideal, wouldn’t you think? A professional who carries a complete line of green carpet cleaning products would be even better! Cline Services LLC would make a great addition to your school’s carpet cleaning maintenance team.
Reference
1. Health Wise by Jim Holland American School and University Magazine 2009
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