We spend a good majority of our time indoors. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being within a building makes up 90% of our days. However, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outdoors.
That’s since our residences are firmly sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling bills, it’s not so great if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is insufficient, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get captured. As a result, these pollutants might irritate your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and usual dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms while you’re at home, an air purifier may be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have settled on your furniture or flooring, it might help clean the air circulating across your residence.
And air purification has also been scientifically proven 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 family member has lung trouble, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the advantages so you can figure out what’s right 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 alongside your home comfort system to treat your full home. Some types can work independently when your heating and cooling system isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and offer the best filtration you can find, as they remove 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more beneficial when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic blend can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the greatest in air purification, evaluate equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household odors.
Avoid using an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the top component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone could worsen respiratory symptoms, even when released at small amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a checklist of questions to think over when getting 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 number means air will be freshened faster.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched? Can I complete that on my own?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to have the top outcome from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic recommends taking other procedures to reduce your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can trigger symptoms. If you must do these chores on your own, consider trying a pollen mask. You should also bathe without delay and change your clothes once you’re completed.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
- Run your air conditioner while at home or while in the car. Consider using a high-efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC unit.
- Equalize your house’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Prepared to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 561-533-6066 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best unit for your family and budget.