Why ERMI Results Can Look Different in Different Seasons (And Why That Didn’t Mean Conditions Changed)
The house hadn’t changed. The context around it had.
The first time I compared ERMI results from different seasons, I felt a jolt of confusion.
Nothing obvious had happened in the house.
And yet, the numbers didn’t line up the way I expected.
I assumed seasonal consistency should mean numerical consistency.
This didn’t mean the test was unreliable — it meant I hadn’t yet accounted for how seasons affect dust and behavior.
Why I Expected ERMI Results to Stay the Same Year-Round
In my mind, ERMI reflected something fixed.
If the house hadn’t changed, the results shouldn’t either.
Stability felt like it should look identical every time.
This expectation made any variation feel suspicious.
What Seasonal Changes Actually Affect in an ERMI Test
Seasons change how we live in a space.
Windows open and close, airflow patterns shift, routines change.
Once I understood what an ERMI test actually measures, it made sense that these patterns could influence how dust settles without introducing anything new.
ERMI was responding to context, not new contamination.
This reframing softened the meaning of the differences I saw.
Why Seasonal Shifts Felt More Alarming Than Other Changes
Because seasons arrive quietly, the changes felt unexplained.
And unexplained change had already taught my nervous system to brace.
Subtle shifts felt harder to trust than obvious ones.
This mirrored what I felt when ERMI results shifted after cleaning or HVAC use without anything actually being wrong.
How Seasonal Patterns Fit Into the Idea of ERMI as a Baseline
Once I treated ERMI as a baseline instead of a verdict, seasonal variation made sense.
The numbers weren’t contradicting each other — they were describing different moments.
A baseline can move without losing meaning.
This helped me stop interpreting variation as regression.
What Changed When I Stopped Expecting Seasonal Perfection
When I let seasons be part of the picture, the results felt steadier.
I could hold the data without demanding sameness.
Consistency didn’t require sameness.
This allowed ERMI to remain useful without becoming something I monitored anxiously.
Questions I Had About ERMI and Seasonal Changes
Can ERMI results change with the seasons?
In my experience, yes. Seasonal living patterns can affect how dust accumulates and moves.
Does that mean conditions are getting worse?
No. It often means context has shifted, not the environment itself.