If you follow me on Instagram, you saw over the last few months we have been going through our master bathroom remodel. Because our bathroom is connected to our bedroom, we decided to sleep on the couch while it was under construction.
I was shocked over the amount of DMs I got asking why we would do that or felt that it was necessary. Well for one, our room was COVERED in toxic dust & two- the chemicals in paint, glue, caulking, sealant, etc is not something we wanted to welcome into our bodies & the baby’s body for 8 hours every night. So we waited until the bulk of the construction & painting was done before we moved back in. Now that we are just waiting on our shower, we felt confident sleeping in our room but ONLY with a high quality air purifier.
I have a purifier we use in the living room but I wanted to get the best we could get for our bedroom since that’s where us and the baby sleeps. I researched every model of air purifiers on the market before deciding on the Molekule Air Mini.
Today I am going to talk about the dangers of construction dust and fumes as well as why I decided to get the Molekule Air Mini.
DANGERS OF CONSTRUCTION DUST
We gave our master bathroom a total make over. Although we kept everything as is and updated, there was still a ton of demoing & dust. We had to take out all the tile of the shower & bathtub exposing to dust, pollutants, and mold. We also totally replaced the floors, shower door, painted cabinets and walls, and retextured walls as well. There was a TON of work that was done in a pretty small space.
The main types of construction dust according to BigRentz.com are:
- Silica dust: A natural mineral, silica exists in common construction materials, including cement, concrete, and mortar. Silica dust occurs once the material undergoes a significant change, such as cutting, drilling, grinding, and sandblasting materials like granite, sand, and sandstone. It’s also known as respirable crystalline silica (RCS). This is the most dangerous type of construction dust.
- Non-silica dust: Some construction projects don’t have silica present or have silica in minimal amounts, thus resulting in lower toxicity. The material where this type of dust is present includes cement, dolomite, gypsum (plasterboard), limestone, and marble. You tend to find non-silica dust when cutting bricks. Non-silica dust is still harmful to human health, so you should still ensure that you adhere to safety measures.
Once inhaled, the dust can reduce your lung capacity, increase overall strain on your heart, and cause a variety of diseases. You may also experience irritation in your eyes, nose, throat, skin, and lungs. At first, you may think you’re dealing with allergies or a mild cold, but over time, these symptoms can increase. Dust can also cause or exacerbate asthma.
The most serious long-term issue involves the respiratory system. Even if your nose and lungs can catch some of the irritants, once they settle in the deepest recesses of your lungs, it can damage the surrounding tissue. Once buildup of scar tissue occurs, it can cause difficulty in breathing and may cause you to develop lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
BigRentz directed this information at construction workers who are potentially inhaling these particulates daily over a long term period as part of their job, but with the extensiveness of our remodel, we know our room was exposed to both types of dust as well as VOCs from the paint and sealants and weren’t crazy about the prospect of having them in our air.
DANGERS OF VOCs
According to the EPA,
“VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.
Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products. Paints, varnishes and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing and hobby products. All of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored.
EPA’s Office of Research and Development’s “Total Exposure Assessment Methodology (TEAM) Study” (Volumes I through IV, completed in 1985) found levels of about a dozen common organic pollutants to be 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside. TEAM studies indicated that while people are using products containing organic chemicals, they can expose themselves and others to very high pollutant levels, and elevated concentrations can persist in the air long after the activity is completed.”
VOCS can be present in the air and home well after the paint has dried and the construction is done. Not only that, VOCs have been linked to long term health effects, that’s why a high quality air purifier is SO important to me. Having our baby in the room with potential dangerous chemicals is a no go so cleaning the air ASAP is a MUST!
Molekule Air Mini
There were a ton of factors that went into our decision choosing the Molekule Air Mini. I liked that there was a 30 Day Trial so if we weren’t sold on it then we could return it. And although we were gifted the Molekule Air Mini, I waited 45 days before writing this so I could be sure how we liked it. We used it in the living room before we moved into the bedroom with it. Now we keep it in the bathroom since we’re not using the bathroom just yet (still waiting on the shower) and it can destroy the pollutants and toxins on site.
We felt the Molekule Air Mini was perfect for us because it covers 250 sq ft and our room/master bathroom isn’t too large. It’s the perfect size and when we take out of the bathroom we will put on our nightstand near the baby’s crib!
I also really liked the technology behind the Molekule Air Mini. Molekule’s PECO technology destroys the widest range of pollutants compared to traditional/conventional air purifiers. Molekule air purifiers use breakthrough
technology to destroy pollutants. VOCs, bacteria, mold, viruses and allergens are destroyed, providing clean air.
PECO works like this: as air passes through their devices, larger particles
are captured by the filters, while microscopic pollutants are safely destroyed by their unique PECO process.
I was really impressed with the unique PECO process, how quiet it is, and the reviews. And what really impressed me is that I could notice the difference between before the Air Mini and after. We are also about 20 miles from the Creek Fire and I have noticed the air quality in our bedroom much better.
I am 100% confident in our decision and will be upgrading our living room purifier to the Molekule Air Pro! I believe it is worth the investment especially living in the Valley with two dogs, remodels, and chronic fires in California.
You can learn more about Molekule Air and view all their models here!
Thanks for reading and make sure to follow along on Instagram to see my total bathroom transformation!
Xoxo,
Mariah