We spend a good majority of our time inside. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being indoors accounts for 90% of our time. However, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.
That’s since our homes are tightly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is good for your energy costs, it’s not so good if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is insufficient, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get captured. As a consequence, these pollutants may worsen your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and regular cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms during the time you’re at your residence, an air purifier may be able to provide relief.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furnishings or carpet, it might help clean the air circulating around your residence.
And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed to help lower some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It can also be appropriate if you or a loved one has lung issues, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the distinctions so you can figure out what’s right for your residence.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a lone room. A whole-house air purifier works alongside your heating and cooling equipment to treat your full house. Some kinds can clean on their own when your heating and cooling equipment isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and offer the greatest filtration you can buy, as they trap 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty combination can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the greatest in air purification, consider equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household smells.
Avoid using an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the top component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might irritate respiratory problems, even when discharged at low concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a checklist of questions to think over when purchasing an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher number means air will be freshened more rapidly.)
- How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I complete that by myself?
- How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] results from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic advises taking other measures to reduce your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have someone else mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can irritate symptoms. If you have to do this work yourself, you may want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off immediately and put on new clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid drying laundry outdoors.
- Turn on air conditioning while at your house or while in the car. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your house’s home comfort equipment.
- Even out your house’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities
Want to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 1-866-781-0111 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best unit for your family and budget.
