We spend lots of time inside. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being inside accounts for 90% of our schedule. Although, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside.
That’s since our homes are tightly sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is good for your heating and cooling costs, it’s not so fantastic if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is restricted, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. Consequently, these pollutants might irritate your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and regular housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms during the time you’re at your residence, an air purifier could be able to help.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furniture or carpeting, it could help purify the air moving around your home.
And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed to help lessen some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It might also be helpful if you or a family member has a lung condition, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the differences so you can figure out what’s correct for your home.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your HVAC equipment to treat your complete house. Some types can clean by themselves when your HVAC equipment isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and offer the most comprehensive filtration you can find, as they trap 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more useful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty combination can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the greatest in air purification, think over equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household vapors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary ingredient in smog. The EPA warns ozone could worsen respiratory symptoms, even when emitted at minor amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a list of questions to ask when purchasing an air purifier.
- What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it take out?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger figure means air will be purified more rapidly.)
- How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched? Can I do that by myself?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the best results from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic recommends doing other procedures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are high.
- Have other household members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can worsen symptoms. If you are required to do these chores yourself, you may want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also bathe right away and put on new clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outside.
- Run air conditioning while indoors or while driving. Consider adding a high-efficiency air filter in your home’s home comfort equipment.
- Balance your home’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Want to move forward with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 800-296-5088 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you find the best equipment for your house and budget.