We spend a good majority of our time in our homes. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being indoors comprises 90% of our schedule. Having said that, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s due to the fact our homes are securely sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your heating and cooling bills, it’s not so fantastic if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may get trapped. As a consequence, these pollutants may worsen your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with crisp air and routine cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms while you’re at your house, an air purifier might be able to provide relief.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furniture or flooring, it could help freshen the air traveling across your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically proven to help lessen some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It might also be appropriate if you or someone in your household has lung trouble, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the distinctions so you can figure out what’s appropriate for your home.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a lone room. A whole-house air purifier works with your heating and cooling system to purify your entire house. Some types can clean independent when your home comfort system isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Look for a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and deliver the most comprehensive filtration you can get, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic mixture can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the best in air purification, consider a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household odors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the primary element in smog. The EPA warns ozone could aggravate respiratory problems, even when discharged at small concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a checklist of questions to ask when buying an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be purified more quickly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I finish that by myself?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic advises completing other steps to limit your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are high.
- Have other household members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can trigger symptoms. If you must do these jobs alone, you might want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and change your clothes once you’re completed.
- Avoid drying laundry outside your home.
- Use air conditioning while indoors or while you’re on the road. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s home comfort system.
- Even out your house’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Ready to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 561-533-6066 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal equipment for your family and budget.