Airthings : How to build complete multi-room air quality monitoring for your home

Which Airthings monitor is ideal for each room in your home? This guide will explain it all.

Indoor air quality is affected by all kinds of pollutants-causing a range of different issues. But here's the catch: certain problems are more likely to surface in certain parts of the home than others.
That's why we've built multiple Airthings air quality monitors, each of them tailored for different rooms and air quality issues. This article shares what you need to bear in mind when placing your monitors, plus where you can place them in your home, to achieve the perfect setup for complete multi-room monitoring.

In this blog:

• What to bear in mind when placing your air quality monitors
• Where to place your monitors for complete air quality protection at home
• What to bear in mind when placing your air quality monitors
  
  

Different rooms have different risks

Here's a myth-buster: many people believe that if a home contains pollutants, those pollutants would each be at the same level in all areas of your home. False!

Not every room is equally prone to all air pollutants. Let's start with your living room and bedroom. If you use everyday items like candles, fragrances, and cleaning products, there's a chance you're exposing yourself to airborne chemicals(VOCs), which can cause headaches and respiratory irritation.

You should also pay close attention to how carbon dioxidemight affect you in these rooms. As most ventilation systems today recycle air to conserve energy, indoor CO₂ levels can build up to unacceptably high amounts. This can impact your ability to sleep at night and remain focused during the day, which is important if you work from home.

If we move to areas like bathrooms and laundry rooms, the main risk to worry about isn't necessarily carbon dioxide. It's mold. It's easy to find mold in these rooms because they provide ideal high-humidity environments for spores to grow. This can damage your property and provoke a range of unpleasant health symptoms, like skin irritation.

Walk downstairs, and you're likely to find a higher amount of radonin your basement--especially if you don't have the right ventilation systems installed. Even though our eyes or nose can't detect the gas, radon can cause long-term damage to our lungs.

Think about health and any prior conditions

People who have existing health conditions should take extra care to avoid or reduce exposure to environmental triggers.

If you have a respiratory condition like asthma), you may want to prioritise getting air quality monitors that detect mold, airborne chemicals, and particulate matter (PM). These pollutants can worsen your symptoms.

However, if you have a skin condition like eczema, it might be a good idea to instead focus on mold, humidity, airborne chemicals, and temperature.

Those who are particularly affected by hay fever and allergies should also consider measuring pollenin areas where it can easily enter your home, like doors and windows.

Home size is also a factor

Larger homes will benefit from more monitors, especially if you want a more complete view of your overall indoor air quality.

You won't need as many monitors in a smaller home or apartment. However, it's worth keeping in mind that air is more likely to become stagnant in smaller spaces-especially if the ventilation system doesn't bring in fresh air from outside. This means pollutants can build up to high concentrations much more quickly.

Where to place your monitors for complete air quality monitoring at home

Here's our suggestion for combining Airthings monitors, based on three different home types: apartments, small homes, and larger homes.

Apartments Living room/kitchen:Airthings View Plus

View Plus is the most complete and advanced air quality monitor in our range.
It measures everything the Wave Plus does-plus particulate matter. This pollutant is especially important to measure because if you cook a lot (or use the fireplace often), your risk of exposure increases. This monitor is also great for asthma; it can tell you when you should take action before PM levels get too high.

Measures: Radon, PM_2.5, CO₂, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC), Pressure

Bedroom:Airthings Wave Plus

Wave Plus is ideal for bedrooms because it doesn't have a display; it instead has a simple color-coded visual indicator that shows indoor air quality levels. This means you can rest easy in bed without needing to look at specific numbers and measurements.

Measures:Radon, CO₂, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC), Pressure

Bathroom:Airthings Wave Mini

Wave Mini measures two things that you can commonly find in bathrooms: mold and humidity. Measuring your risk to these can help you take informed steps toward significantly improving this room's air quality.

Another benefit of this monitor is that it only uses batteries. There are usually limited plug sockets in bathrooms-but with Wave Mini, you won't need to use any.

Measures: Mold Risk, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC)

Small homes Basement living room:Airthings View Radon

If you have a basement in your home, you should consider getting View Radon. Because radon levels change constantly, having a continuous long-term monitor (instead of a short-term test kit) can help you understand how much of the gas is actually present in your home. If you live in a high-risk area, this would be a sensible purchase.

Measures: Radon, Humidity, Temp

Bedroom:Airthings Wave Plus

Wave Plus is ideal for bedrooms because it doesn't have a display; it instead has a simple color-coded visual indicator that shows indoor air quality levels. This makes it easier to get a quick one-glance view of your environment.

Measures:Radon, CO₂, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC), Pressure

Living room/kitchen:Airthings View Plus

We recommend getting View Plus. It measures everything the Wave Plus does-plus particulate matter. This pollutant is especially important to measure because if you cook a lot (or use the fireplace often), your risk of exposure increases. This monitor is also great for asthma; it can tell you when you should take action before PM levels get too high.

Measures:Radon, PM_2.5, CO₂, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC), Pressure

Bathroom:Airthings Wave Mini

Wave Mini measures two things that you can commonly find in bathrooms: mold and humidity. Measuring your risk to these can help you take informed steps toward majorly improving this room's air quality.

Another benefit of this monitor is that it only uses batteries. There are usually limited plug sockets in bathrooms-but with Wave Mini, you won't need to use any.

Measures:Mold Risk, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC)

Larger homes Living room:Airthings View Plus

For living rooms, we recommend getting the View Plus because it detects particulate matter. This pollutant is especially important to measure in this room-especially if you have candles, pets or fireplaces. If this is the case, your risk of exposure increases. This monitor is also great for asthma; it can tell you when you should take action before PM levels get too high.

Measures:Radon, PM_2.5, CO₂, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC), Pressure

Master bedroom:Airthings View Plus

If you already have multiple Airthings monitors (or plan to get more than one), installing another View Plus in your master bedroom might be a good idea. Why? Because this one can act as the central hub for your home, seamlessly connecting data from all your monitors. This way, you won't need to buy a separate Airthings Hub.

Measures:Radon, PM_2.5, CO₂, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC), Pressure

Bedroom: Airthings Wave Plus

Have another bedroom but prefer a more basic air quality monitor? Wave Plus is your answer. Perfect if you're not interested in the particulate matter but still want to measure radon, carbon dioxide, humidity, temperature, airborne chemicals, and air pressure.

Measures:Radon, CO₂, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC), Pressure

Laundry room:Airthings Wave Mini

Laundry rooms, like bathrooms, are humid environments. After all, dryers are the main culprit for producing excess moisture. Because of this, you should consider getting the Wave Mini to detect excess humidity.

Measures: Mold Risk, Humidity, Temp, Airborne Chemicals (VOC)

Kitchen:Airthings View Pollution

If you have a standalone kitchen, and want to measure particulate matter particles created by your cooking, you don't need to get another View Plus. Instead, you can get View Pollution-a monitor that measures PM_2.5 as well as temperature and humidity.

Measures:PM_2.5, Humidity, Temp

Basement living room:Airthings View Radon

If you have a basement in your home, you should consider getting View Radon. Because radon levels change constantly, having a continuous long-term monitor (instead of a short-term test kit) can help you understand how much of the gas is actually present in your home. If you live in a high-risk area, this would be a sensible purchase.

Measures:Radon, Humidity, Temperature

Complete protection, complete peace of mind

Every room and every family's need is unique. By having the right Airthings monitors in each area of your home, you can start building complete air quality protection and keep your loved ones healthy.

If you'd like to take a closer look at our monitors, you can see our full product range here.

Key takeaways

• Different air quality issues can surface in different parts of your home.
• You should take how you use each room, and your existing health conditions into account when choosing which air quality monitors to get.
• Home size is also a key factor to consider; larger homes benefit from more air quality monitors.
• Different Airthings monitors bring specific benefits when placed in certain rooms. For example, Wave Mini is great for bathrooms and laundry rooms, because there is a greater risk of high humidity and mold in these spaces.