We spend lots of time in our homes. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being indoors makes up 90% of our time. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outdoors.
That’s since our houses are tightly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great 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 like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get captured. As a result, these pollutants can aggravate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with fresh air and routine 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 assistance.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have settled on your furniture or carpet, it might help freshen the air traveling across your residence.
And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed to help reduce some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It could also be helpful if you or a family member has a lung condition, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the differences so you can learn 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 unit to clean your entire home. Some kinds can purify by themselves when your HVAC equipment isn’t operating.
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 get, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic combination can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, think over a system that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household smells.
Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary ingredient in smog. The EPA advises ozone may aggravate respiratory problems, even when emitted at small concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a list of questions to consider when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be purified faster.)
- How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I do that without help?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] results from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic recommends completing other procedures to reduce your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are high.
- Have other family members mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can irritate symptoms. If you are required to do this work yourself, you might want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also shower immediately and change your clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid hanging laundry outdoors.
- Run air conditioning while indoors or while in the car. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s home comfort equipment.
- Balance your residence’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring types for decreasing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Ready to take the next step with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 734-284-1224 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the right equipment for your residence and budget.
