We spend a lot of time in our homes. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being inside makes up 90% of our days. However, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.
That’s since our homes are securely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling bills, it’s not so fantastic if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is restricted, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. As a result, these pollutants might worsen your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and usual cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms when you’re at your residence, an air purifier could be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have gotten trapped in your couch or carpet, it might help purify the air traveling throughout your home.
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 might also be helpful if you or a family member has lung issues, such as emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the differences so you can learn 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 accompanies your HVAC unit to purify your complete residence. Some models can clean by themselves when your HVAC unit isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Look for a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and provide the most comprehensive filtration you can get, 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 mighty mixture can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, consider a system that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household odors.
Avoid using an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary ingredient in smog. The EPA advises ozone may aggravate respiratory issues, even when released at low settings.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a listing of questions to think over when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better amount means air will be cleaned faster.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I finish that without help?
- How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?
How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] results from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic recommends doing other steps to decrease your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have someone else cut the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can aggravate symptoms. If you must do these jobs alone, you might want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also bathe immediately and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid drying laundry outdoors.
- Run air conditioning while indoors or while driving. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC system.
- Balance your home’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Want to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 928-263-8570 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you locate the right unit for your residence and budget.