We spend a good majority of our time inside. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being indoors comprises 90% of our time. However, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s because our homes are securely sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy expenses, it’s not so fantastic if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is insufficient, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. As a result, these pollutants could irritate your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and regular dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms during the time you’re at your house, an air purifier may be able to help.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furniture or flooring, it can help purify the air circulating across 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 might also be helpful if you or a loved one has lung trouble, such as emphysema or COPD.
There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the differences so you can learn what’s correct for your residence.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier works with your home comfort system to clean your full home. Some kinds can work by themselves when your heating and cooling system isn’t operating.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and deliver the most comprehensive filtration you can find, as they trap 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic mixture can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the greatest in air purification, think over a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household smells.
Avoid getting an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the primary element in smog. The EPA warns ozone might worsen respiratory problems, even when emitted at minor settings.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a list of questions to think over when purchasing an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better figure means air will be cleaned more rapidly.)
- How regularly 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 Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] results from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic advises doing other measures to reduce your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have other family members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can irritate symptoms. If you must do this work on your own, you might want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also shower without delay and change your clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid hanging laundry outdoors.
- Run the AC while indoors or while driving. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your home’s home comfort equipment.
- Equalize your house’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring types for lowering indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Ready to move forward with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 432-203-4881 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you locate the ideal equipment for your family and budget.