Indoor Environment Test

A clean indoor environment has a positive influence on your health

How to obtain such a clean indoor environment? Ventilation, heating, cleaning regime and air dampness are all influencing the quality of the indoor environment. Allergic reactions, asthmatic complaints and veterans’ disease (Legionella) are often related to specific circumstances in your living environment. By taking precautions you can influence these circumstances. These measures can be very simple, for example by improving ventilation, more frequent cleaning or changing the way in which you dry your laundry. This indoor environment test gives you some insight in the situation at your home. Also you can examine in a simple manner which improvements will be the most effective ones. This test has been established under the auspices of Prof. Dr. J.E.M.H. van Bronswijk of the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Netherlands, an authoritative specialist in the field of indoor air quality and indoor environment. After filling in the questions the score of the test appears, as well as more information on indoor environment aspects and recommendations on how to improve your indoor environment.

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Hereafter we describe several spaces in your house, furnishing and decoration of these spaces, and the activities that you exercise in the field of water employment, heating, ventilation and cleaning (including washing and vacuuming). Read every question and the corresponding choices well, and connect it to your home situation. Mark the description that corresponds most to your home environment. You can choose only one character per situation.

01. In your house are ventilation facilities (grids, windows, top lights?) that are open day and night:
 A. nowhere or only in the living room, or only in the bedroom
 B.In the living room or the bedroom, and also in the bathroom
 C.In living room and bedroom, and also in the bathroom
 D.In living room and bedroom, but not in the bathroom
 
02.In the winter your home situation is as follows:
 A. In living room and bedroom temperature is day and night 20°C or higher; there are no hairy, furry or feathery pets in the house.
 B. At night or when you are out, or you do not heat the bedroom during the day; there are no hairy, furry or feathery pets in the house.
 C. In living room and bedroom temperature is day and night 20°C or higher; you have a dog, a cat, a bird, or other hairy, furry or feathery pet in the house.
 D. At night or when you are out the heating in the living room is lowered, or you do not heat the bedroom during the day; you have a dog, a cat, a bird, or other hairy, furry or feathery pet in the house.
 
03.At the tap of shower or bath, your hot tap water appliance supplies within 2 minutes after opening of the tap water with a temperature of:
 A.70°C or higher
 B.60-69°C
 C.50-59°C
 D.<50°C
 
04.When you have been absent for a week or longer, you conduct the following security activities before taking a bath or shower:
 A.You open the hot water tap entirely and let the water flow for 15 minutes; meanwhile you keep exhaust ventilation on and window open, but the door closed.
 B.You open both water tap and hot water tap entirely and let the water flow for 15 minutes flows with the exhaust ventilation on and window open, but the door closed.
 C.You open the water taps for some time but without exhaust ventilation or open window.
 D.You save water by not opening the taps to clean the water system.
 
05.You clean your home ventilation system or facility as follows:
 A.You clean once every 2 months grids, windows and other air inlets and exhausts with an all-purpose cleaner.
 B.You replace once a year the filters of your air treatment system (or have these replaced during a maintenance turn).
 C.You replace 4 times a year the filters of your air treatment system and have a maintenance contract for an annual check-up.
 D.You clean all grids, windows and other air inlets and exhausts approximately once a year with an all-purpose cleaner to make them shine again.
 
06.Laundry washing and drying is performed in the following manner:
 A.All laundry is done at 40°C, to waste as little energy as possible; laundry drying is outside.
 B.You do your laundry at 40°C and 60°C, sporadically at 90°C, and dry it outside or in a laundry dryer.
 C.All laundry is done at 40°C, the laundry is frequently dried indoors.
 D.You do your laundry at 40°C and at 60°C, sporadically at 90°C; the laundry is frequently dried indoors.
 
07.The major floor covers of your living room and bedroom are:
 A.Carpet, rugs
 B.Cork, wood or linoleum
 C.Vinyl (PVC) or laminate
 D.Tiles, stone
 
08.You clean the house textiles and floors in approximately the following regime:
 A.3 times a week wiping the floors, once a year cleaning of furniture and carpet (by yourself or by a professional).
 B.3 times a week vacuuming, once a week wiping or mopping, once a year cleaning of furniture (by yourself or by a professional).
 C.Once a week vacuuming, wiping or mopping.
 D.Less frequent vacuuming, wiping and special cleaning.
 
09.Do you clean wall partitions and ceilings?
 A.Never
 B.A few times a year with a duster or vacuum cleaner.
 C.1 or 2 times a year with duster or vacuum cleaner and 1 or 2 times wet-cleaning with a multi-purpose cleaner.
 D.The partitions and sometimes the ceiling are regularly wet-cleaned.
 
10.In your house is:
 A.Never a pet, or only fish in a (covered) aquarium.
 B.Each day (at least) 1 dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, bird or other furry or feathery pet.
 C.One pet, but only in the (separate) kitchen.
 D.From time to time a dog or cat of friends or neighbours.
 
11.Do you have smoking indoors?
 A.Only in the living room, not in any other room.
 B.In all rooms.
 C.There is only smoking during parties in the living room.
 D.Never indoors, only, sometimes in the barn or shelter.
 
12.Estimate the total volume of your house in m3 (length x width x height in meters) and divide the result by the number of occupants. The outcome is:
 A.<75 m3 Example: A house with a length of 9 m., a width of 6 m. and a height of 8 m., with 4 occupants would result in:
(9 x 6 x 8) = 432 m3, divided by 4 = 108 m3
 B.75-150 m3
 C.150-300 m3
 D.>300 m3