Radon in the Bedroom

Radon risk is dose over time. You spend roughly a third of your life asleep, so the air in your bedroom contributes more to your long-term exposure than a room you pass through for a few minutes a day.

Where bedrooms fit into the picture

Radon usually falls off with height: a first-floor bedroom above a vented crawl space often reads lower than a basement bedroom directly above the soil. But stack effect and HVAC can move soil gas upward, and a closed bedroom door at night slows air exchange.

Testing a bedroom

Follow the same rules as any other room — place the detector around 20 inches or higher above the floor, away from windows, doors and vents — and test the room in its normal condition. That means the door and window settings you actually sleep with.

If you are using a short-term kit, keep the house closed up for the test period, as the instructions require. A continuous monitor handles this naturally: it records how the room behaves at night, in winter and after ventilation changes.

Why night readings can be higher

Levels frequently peak overnight: outdoor temperatures drop, the house is sealed, and heating or exhaust fans can increase the pressure difference that pulls soil gas indoors. See why radon levels change for the mechanics.