We spend lots of time in our homes. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being indoors accounts for 90% of our time. However, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.
That’s because our residences are tightly sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your utility bills, it’s not so good 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) can get stuck. As a consequence, these pollutants might worsen your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and routine cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms during the time you’re at home, an air purifier may be able to help.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have landed on your couch or flooring, it could help clean the air traveling throughout your residence.
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 may also be appropriate if you or a loved one has a lung condition, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the distinctions so you can determine 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 unit to treat your full residence. Some types can work on their own when your home comfort equipment isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and deliver the most comprehensive filtration you can get, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more beneficial when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This powerful combination can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the greatest in air purification, consider equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household smells.
Avoid getting an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the primary component in smog. The EPA advises ozone might irritate respiratory troubles, even when discharged at low amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a checklist of questions to think over when buying an air purifier.
- What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger number means air will be freshened faster.)
- How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched]? Can I finish that without help?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic advises doing other measures to limit your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are high.
- Have someone else mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do this work on your own, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also bathe without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid drying laundry outdoors.
- Turn on air conditioning while indoors or while driving. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s home comfort unit.
- Equalize your house’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities
Want to progress with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 435-753-5515 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the right unit for your family and budget.