We spend a good majority of our time in our homes. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being indoors comprises 90% of our time. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s due to the fact our homes are securely sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great for your utility bills, it’s not so fantastic if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is limited, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may get trapped. As a consequence, these pollutants may aggravate your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with crisp air and regular cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms when you’re at home, an air purifier may be able to provide relief.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have landed on your couch or carpeting, it could help freshen the air moving across your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help lower some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It could also be useful if you or someone in your household has a lung condition, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the advantages so you can figure out what’s right 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 system to treat your entire house. Some types can work by themselves when your heating and cooling system 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 greatest filtration you can find, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more beneficial when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic combination can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, evaluate a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household odors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the main element in smog. The EPA cautions ozone may aggravate respiratory troubles, even when released at small amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a checklist of questions to consider when purchasing an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger number means air will be freshened more quickly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I finish that on my own?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests doing other procedures to limit your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do this work alone, you may want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also bathe immediately and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid drying laundry outside.
- Run air conditioning while indoors or while in the car. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s home comfort equipment.
- Equalize 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 house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Want to take the next step with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 219-292-0956 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you choose the right unit for your residence and budget.