Nanocomfortcomfort without miracles: a guide to the home microclimate

An independent guide to the home microclimate. It does not sell products, does not run tests and is not connected with the former website on this domain.

Planning

Planning the work

When a home is stuffy, damp or cold, it is tempting to buy a device straight away that will fix everything. But without understanding the cause, it is easy to waste money. It is more reliable to go step by step: first measure and observe, then find the source of the problem, try the simplest solution and check what has changed. Appliances and major work can sensibly wait.

A purchase made before measuring is a shot in the dark. First the numbers and observations, then the decision, and only then the receipt from the shop.

— Editor's note

How this section works: we describe the general order of steps for an ordinary flat or house, without prices, estimates or brands. Decisions about work on shared parts of a building, ventilation and heating are made by the building manager or landlord, and complex cases are assessed on site by specialists.

How to plan microclimate improvements

  1. Measure

    For several days, write down temperature and humidity morning and evening, and note condensation, smells, draughts and noise. Compare your notes with optimal values, for example those set by the Russian standard GOST 30494-2011; other countries have their own standards.

  2. Find the cause

    Cold by a window, damp in the bathroom or stuffiness in the bedroom usually has a specific source: a gap, a weak extract, a closed air supply, an overheated radiator. Describe it in words before looking for a solution.

  3. Choose a simple solution

    Start with what is cheap and reversible: a draught strip, an airing routine, a curtain, moving furniture, cleaning grilles. Often this turns out to be enough.

  4. Check the result

    After a week or two, look at your notes and your own impressions again. If the readings have moved closer to comfortable, you have found the cause; if not, go back to the second step.

  5. Only then buy appliances

    Choose a humidifier, dehumidifier or air purifier once it is clear which condition needs changing and by how much. Judge a device by measurable specifications and return terms, not by loud promises.

  6. Call a specialist for complex cases

    Walls that get very cold, mould that keeps coming back, ventilation ducts that do not work, problems with heating, gas or wiring are jobs for specialists and your building manager or landlord, not for home experiments.

When you need a specialist

Simple measures work well while the problem is on the surface. If damp appears on the walls and not just on the windows, if mould comes back after cleaning, or if one room is always noticeably colder than the rest, the cause is worth looking for deeper: in the structure, the ventilation or the heating.

In a block of flats, ventilation ducts, risers and radiators usually belong to, or are connected with, the shared parts of the building. Report the fault to the building manager or landlord and ask for an inspection. For a house, look for a surveyor or a ventilation or heating specialist with experience of exactly this kind of problem.

Work on gas and electricity is never to be turned into a DIY project, whatever the circumstances. The cost of a mistake is too high here, and only qualified services and tradespeople are authorised to do such work.

What to prepare before talking to a specialist

  • Temperature and humidity notes for several days, morning and evening
  • Photos of condensation, stains and mould, noting where and when they appeared
  • A list of places where it is draughty or especially cold
  • A description of the noise: where it comes from and when it bothers you most
  • What you have already tried and what changed as a result
  • Questions about which work is the building manager's or landlord's responsibility
  • Ideas

    Ideas for a comfortable home: a warm bedroom, a quiet nursery, a dry bathroom, a fresh kitchen, a bright work corner and winter mode.

  • Questions

    Answers about this guide, about warmth and humidity at home and about how to treat claims made for home devices.

  • Savings check (in Russian)

    A note on an archived address: where savings on heating and electricity really come from and how to check them honestly.

Sources

  • GOST 30494-2011 (Russian standard)
  • SanPiN 1.2.3685-21 (Russian sanitary rules)

Specific temperature, humidity and noise values are taken from the Russian standards GOST 30494-2011 and SanPiN 1.2.3685-21, and buyers' rights are described in general terms under the Russian Consumer Protection Law. Other countries use their own building, noise and consumer rules. The condition of your home's ventilation, heating and structure is assessed on site by specialists and your building manager or landlord, and health questions are a matter for a doctor.