How to protect home and office from UV rays: the main solutions
Skin melanoma, a malignant melanocytes tumour, which are cells in our skin which produce melanin. Or other skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma or squamous skin carcinoma. But keratosis as well, which is chronic skin disease and, of course, sunburn, skin aging, and so on. UV rays are not good for our skin, this is a well-known and agreed-upon fact. It is worth delving into the fact that there are three main categories of UV rays, namely UVA, UVB, and UVC rays. The latter are not really an issue, as they are totally absorbed by the atmosphere. On the Earth’s surface, and therefore on our skin as well, only UVA and residual UVB rays can reach. When we walk down the street, especially in the summer, we’re attacked by both of them. What about when we are in our house, protected by windows, or in the office, our desk directly hit by the Sun, are we protected then? Not really: regular windows can only block UVB rays, while UVA rays are free to reach our skin, with the risks listed above. It should also be noted that UV rays can ruin not only our skin, but also furniture, carpets, chairs, and sofas, fading over time. For all these reasons, it is really worth finding solutions to protect your home and office from UV rays: let’s have a look at the options.
How to protect home and office from UV rays
To understand how to protect our home and office from UV rays, imagine sitting inside, in front of a window directly hit by the Sun’s rays. Perhaps the air conditioner is on, or maybe the temperature is already optimal. There is no need, then, to shield the Sun’s rays with the aim of keeping the temperature indoors low, but only to eliminate UV rays. How can you do it? Here are the workable solutions.
· Interior curtains: curtains can be found inside many houses, and also some offices. There are many different types of them, from fabric to flap ones. Generally, fabric curtains can be seen as a piece of furniture, with the knowledge that, when fabric curtains are “closed”, there is no guarantee that all the UV rays are blocked (not all curtains have this feature). As for the flap curtains, they have to be completely closed to protect us and our interiors from UV rays. In both cases, therefore, to protect from UV rays it is necessary to “darken” the room. This can be considered, then, only for spaces not in use or inhabited during the day.
· Sun blinds: another option consists of sun blinds, i.e., a protective solution installed outdoors to “shade” the corresponding window. Here, the idea is to block UV rays without obscuring the interior, which leads to some benefits when compared to the first option. But the necessary installation is not always aesthetically satisfying and, sometimes – for instance, in historical city centres, peculiar façades, glass buildings, and so on – is not actually feasible or allowed.
· Blinds or shutters: certainly, blinds and shutters, even more than curtains, can completely shield the Sun’s rays, keeping indoor environments cool and protect them from UV rays. Unfortunately, even here the problem of total darkening of rooms arises.
· Solar control films: finally, here they are, solar control films, which are very thin and transparent films allowing for UV rays block without compromising the passage of sunlight.
The advantages of solar films
As it can be inferred from the list above, when the idea is to protect the interior of homes and offices from UV rays without losing natural light, solar control films are the ideal solution. Available both indoors and outdoors, perfectly adaptable to any type of glass surface (from classic windows to large modern buildings ones), they reduce UV rays by up to 99%, thus making indoor environments absolutely safe. It must be noted that they also reduce building overheating in summer and the dispersion of heat in winter. Moreover, thanks to their peculiar surface, solar control films eliminate solar glare, which can be crucial for offices illuminated by the Sun’s rays.