Why Air Conditioning in Hotels is Unhealthy

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Why Air Conditioning in Hotels is Unhealthy
In 1906, Willis Haviland Carrier was granted a patent for the first “Apparatus for Treating Air”

After the Window Air Conditioner came into use “sales escalating from 74,000 in 1948 to 1,045,000 in 1953”

What has not been invented, and truly is needed, is a way for housekeeping people in Hotels to clean the air conditioner units daily between guest. I am positive I am inhaling, smoke, dust, mite and other virus and bacterium of a world full of Hotel guest.

Why is air conditioning in Hotels unhealthy?
1. There is no way to easily clean the air conditioners, they are on the ceiling.

2. The management does not clean...
When was the last time you saw the maid cleaning the air conditioner?
-- Gong, never!

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Bangkok, Thailand
Friday, October 31, 2008
Blog of Andy HoboTraveler.com --- Add a Hotel --- Travel Bag Design Survey --- Professional Traveler Bag
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This is the window air conditioner; I believe this to be the best option for air conditioning in a large hotel room, in small one very noisy. The staff has the ability to clean the filter when in a window. This one has obviously not been clean in years. A window air conditioner brings air from the outside and continually replaces old stagnant are with free air. If the hotel was inclined, it is possible to remove the filters, or even remove the complete unit to clean.

This is maybe a second-generation air conditioning unit, what came after the window air conditioner. This type of unit when you see inside a hotel is normally not maintained, cleaned or supervised property by the hotel and is full of unhealthy problems.

This is the newest model on the market used in Hotel rooms, normally means the unit is newer and has had less time to collect an unhealthy layer or grime. However, it is only recycling air that is in the room, there is no fresh air entering the room.

SCARY COMMENTS ON WIKI ABOUT AIR CONDITIONING

“A poorly maintained air-conditioning system can occasionally promote the growth and spread of microorganisms, such as Legionella pneumophila, the infectious agent responsible for Legionnaires' disease, or thermophilic actinomycetes,[10] but as long as the air conditioner is kept clean these health hazards can be avoided. Conversely, air conditioning, including filtration, humidification, cooling, disinfection, etc., can be used to provide a clean, safe, hypoallergenic atmosphere in hospital operating rooms and other environments where an appropriate atmosphere is critical to patient safety and well-being. Air conditioning can have a positive effect on sufferers of allergies and asthma.
…
Poorly operating air conditioning systems can generate sound levels that contribute to hearing loss, if exposures are endured over a long term. These levels are similar to the exposure of living near a busy highway or airport for a considerable length of time. Properly functioning air conditioners are much quieter.

In many people, the air flow (draught) caused by an otherwise clean air conditioning system of a car may cause acute sinusitis”
WikiPedia.org

What is the solution, in my opinion, the least cleaned object in a room is the air conditioning unit. The only possible solution is to look for newer Hotels; the majority of Hotels over 2-3 years is going to have air conditioner problems.

Therefore, you best option is a fan for healthy living, I carry both a slotted and Phillips screwdriver, I will often clean the blade of fans so they do not slowly blow crap into my lungs. I often place the fan in the window to either suck air in, or blow the air out, therefore creating good replacement of old air with fresh air.

Ask yourself next time you enter a Hotel room,
“Where does the fresh air enter?”

Here is a fan I purchased in West Africa, I would hang in the window and allow to run continuously, it was very quiet. I the main use of this was to blow the humid air out of the room to make the room dry.

COOLING BUILDINGS

BLOG POST BY ANDY ON AIR CONDITIONING
Air Conditioners Tied to Room Keys
Air Conditioning Sickness
Hot Air in Hotel Rooms
I Feel Electrically Helpless
LO to 84 Decibels
Lome Togo Hotel Change
Tsevie Togo

HEALTH PROBLEMS OF AIR CONDITIONING
Air conditioning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Home Control of Asthma & Allergies - American Lung Association site

HISTORY OF AIR CONDITIONING
Air conditioning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Conditioning and Air Conditioner History - 1-800-AnyTyme, inc.
air-conditioning Our Cross to Bear AlterNet
History of Air Conditioning
The Father of Cool - Willis Haviland Carrier and Air Conditioning

Why Air Conditioning in Hotels is Unhealthy

Choosing a Hotel | Hotel Design |

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Reader Submitted Comments | Deleted Comments (0)

CT_Bob said on Saturday November 1st, 2008 08:28:00 AM

Excellent post. One comment, although most window air conditioners CAN blow fresh air in, many times this is not how they are set, and often, you can't set them that way when you want to. And of course, sometimes you really want as little of the outside air as possible. Maybe you have had better luck than me.Bob L

Andy HoboTraveler.com said on Saturday November 1st, 2008 05:41:00 PM

You are correct Bob, I am giving general guidelines. Almost any room can be made comfortable if you are willing to help yourself. I make money cheap rooms into expensive rooms by first choosing the best room in the Hotel, then doing all the maintenance adjustments to make it really good.I enjoy the room best when it has the modern type of air conditioner, if it was my home, I would put a small fan in the wall to circulate are outside. The hotels of the world are made of concrete, there is not much air that enters a concrete room, only through the door crack and if the window is open.

Anonymous said on Sunday November 2nd, 2008 03:17:00 PM

Andy, the picture of the fan in west africa made me curious. When are you going back to africa? I've been waiting a long time hoping it would be soon. In my mind, africa is about the last travel destination that is still interesting and more or less off the beaten path. In particular I dream of being able to check out the countries of southeast africa (tanzania, malawi, mozambique, etc).

Andy HoboTraveler.com said on Sunday November 2nd, 2008 07:11:00 PM

I am going to Guatemala, then to Peru to hopefully go near un-contacted tribes or lesser contacted tribes. The probably to Europe to drive a car down into Africa with moe electronic equipment.

deepak said on Friday December 5th, 2008 04:24:00 AM

Excellent post.i think for air conditioner room appropriate area is required. Otherwise you will pay for it with your health