We spend lots of time indoors. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being indoors comprises 90% of our schedule. However, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.
That’s because our houses are tightly sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy bills, it’s not so good if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is limited, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get captured. Consequently, these pollutants can aggravate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with fresh air and regular cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms when you’re at your house, an air purifier could be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have landed on your couch or carpet, it can help freshen the air moving throughout your home.
And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help reduce some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It might also be appropriate if you or a loved one has lung issues, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the advantages 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 single room. A whole-house air purifier works with your HVAC equipment to clean your complete home. Some models can purify independent when your HVAC unit isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and provide the greatest filtration you can get, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more useful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty combination can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the greatest in air purification, consider a system that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household odors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary element in smog. The EPA cautions ozone may irritate respiratory problems, even when emitted at minor concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a checklist of questions to think over when purchasing an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger amount means air will be cleaned more quickly.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I complete that by myself?
- How much do spare 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 suggests taking other measures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have someone else mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can trigger symptoms. If you have to do these jobs yourself, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
- Use your air conditioner while at your house or while driving. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC unit.
- Balance your residence’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring kinds for reducing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities
Ready to take the next step with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 801-305-4777 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you locate the best unit for your home and budget.
