We spend lots of time indoors. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being inside makes up 90% of our time. However, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.
That’s because our homes are securely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your utility 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) could get captured. As a result, these pollutants can worsen your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with crisp air and usual dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms while you’re at your house, an air purifier could be able to help.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furnishings or carpet, it may help clean the air circulating across your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed to help lessen some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It could also be useful if you or a loved one has lung issues, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the distinctions so you can learn what’s right 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 accompanies your home comfort unit to purify your full house. Some models can work on their own when your heating and cooling unit isn’t operating.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and deliver the best filtration you can buy, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This powerful blend can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, evaluate equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household odors.
Avoid using an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the main component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone may worsen respiratory troubles, even when discharged at low concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a checklist of questions to ask 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 amount means air will be purified faster.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I complete that by myself?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic advises taking other steps to limit your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have other family members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can irritate symptoms. If you are required to do this work yourself, you may want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also bathe right away and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid drying laundry outside.
- Run air conditioning while at your house or while in the car. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your home’s home comfort system.
- Balance your house’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Want to move forward with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 402-438-7992 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you locate the ideal system for your family and budget.
