We spend a lot of time in our homes. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being inside comprises 90% of our days. Having said that, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.
That’s since our houses are tightly sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy costs, it’s not so great if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is limited, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get captured. As a result, these pollutants might worsen your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with fresh air and regular dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms while you’re at home, an air purifier could be able to help.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have gotten trapped in your couch or flooring, it could help clean the air traveling around your house.
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 family member has lung trouble, such as emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the differences so you can figure out what’s appropriate for your house.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier works alongside your home comfort unit to purify your full house. Some kinds can clean independent when your HVAC unit isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and provide the best filtration you can buy, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic blend can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the best in air purification, consider a system that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household vapors.
Avoid getting an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the main ingredient in smog. The EPA warns ozone could irritate respiratory problems, even when emitted at minor concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a listing of questions to think over when purchasing 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 amount means air will be freshened 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 Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to have the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic advises doing other steps to reduce your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are high.
- Have someone else cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can aggravate symptoms. If you must do these chores on your own, consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off immediately and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid hanging laundry outdoors.
- Use your air conditioner while at home or while you’re on the road. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC equipment.
- Even out your home’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring types for lowering indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Ready to move forward with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 314-262-4541 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you choose the right unit for your home and budget.