We spend a lot of time indoors. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being indoors comprises 90% of our time. Although, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.
That’s because our homes are tightly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is good for your utility expenses, it’s not so good if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is limited, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get stuck. As a consequence, these pollutants can worsen your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with fresh air and usual dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms when you’re at home, an air purifier could be able to provide relief.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have landed on your furniture or flooring, it could help purify the air traveling around your home.
And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help lessen some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It can also be appropriate if you or a loved one 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 advantages so you can figure out what’s appropriate for your residence.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a single room. A whole-house air purifier works with your home comfort system to purify your entire home. Some models can work by themselves when your home comfort equipment isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and deliver the best filtration you can buy, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more beneficial when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty mixture can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the best in air purification, consider a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household vapors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the top element in smog. The EPA cautions ozone could worsen respiratory troubles, even when emitted at small concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a checklist of questions to consider when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger amount means air will be freshened more quickly.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I complete that by myself?
- How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to have the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic suggests doing other steps to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do these jobs yourself, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outdoors.
- Turn on air conditioning while at your house or while driving. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your home’s HVAC equipment.
- Even out your house’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities
Prepared to take the next step with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 402-438-7992 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you choose the right equipment for your family and budget.