We spend a good majority of our time indoors. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being inside comprises 90% of our schedule. Having said that, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outdoors.
That’s due to the fact our homes are securely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy bills, it’s not so fantastic if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is insufficient, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get stuck. As a result, these pollutants could worsen your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with crisp air and usual housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms when you’re at home, an air purifier could be able to provide relief.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have landed on your couch or flooring, it may help clean the air moving throughout your house.
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 family member has a lung condition, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the distinctions so you can determine what’s appropriate 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 heating and cooling equipment to treat your entire home. Some models can work on their own when your heating and cooling equipment isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after 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 useful when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty mixture can destroy 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 reduce household odors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the top component in smog. The EPA advises ozone may aggravate respiratory problems, even when released at low amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a listing of questions to consider when buying an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be cleaned faster.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I complete that on my own?
- 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 system? The Mayo Clinic recommends completing other procedures to decrease your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have other household members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can worsen symptoms. If you have to do these chores 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 completed.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outdoors.
- Run the AC while indoors or while you’re on the road. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s home comfort unit.
- Balance your residence’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring types for decreasing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Prepared to take the next step with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 309-323-9584 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you locate the best unit for your family and budget.