We spend a lot of time inside. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building accounts for 90% of our schedule. However, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s due to the fact our houses are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy costs, it’s not so good if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is limited, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get captured. As a result, these pollutants can worsen your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and routine housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms while you’re at your house, an air purifier might be able to help.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furnishings or carpet, it may help purify the air circulating across 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 can also be appropriate if you or someone in your household has lung trouble, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the distinctions so you can figure out what’s appropriate for your home.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a lone room. A whole-house air purifier works alongside your heating and cooling system to purify your entire residence. Some models can clean by themselves when your home comfort system 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 placed in hospitals and deliver the greatest filtration you can buy, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic mixture can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, evaluate a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household vapors.
Avoid using an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the top component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might irritate respiratory issues, even when released at low amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a list of questions to consider when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it take out?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger number means air will be cleaned more rapidly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I do that on my own?
- How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests completing other steps to decrease your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are high.
- Have other household members mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can irritate symptoms. If you must do these chores alone, you may want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also bathe without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re completed.
- Avoid drying laundry outside your home.
- Run your air conditioner while at your house or while you’re on the road. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s home comfort system.
- Balance your residence’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring kinds for lowering indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Ready to take the next step with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 715-384-3163 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best unit for your home and budget.