We spend a good majority of our time inside. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being inside makes up 90% of our days. Having said that, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s since our homes are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy costs, it’s not so fantastic if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is limited, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get stuck. As a consequence, these pollutants could worsen your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with clean air and regular dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms when you’re at your house, an air purifier may be able to help.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furniture or carpeting, it can help clean the air traveling around your home.
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 can also be useful if you or someone in your household has lung trouble, such as emphysema or COPD.
There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the differences 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 with your HVAC unit to purify your full home. Some types can work on their own 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 placed in hospitals and provide the best filtration you can get, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more beneficial when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty mixture can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the best in air purification, consider equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household smells.
Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the main element in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might irritate respiratory problems, even when released at low amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a listing of questions to think over when purchasing an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher amount means air will be purified faster.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched]? Can I complete that by myself?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests doing other measures to decrease your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have other family members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do these jobs yourself, you might want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also shower without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re completed.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
- Use air conditioning while at your house or while you’re on the road. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s heating and cooling unit.
- Balance your home’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities
Ready to progress with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 515-207-6569 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the ideal system for your house and budget.