We spend lots of time indoors. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being inside makes up 90% of our schedule. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.

That’s because our houses are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling costs, it’s not so good if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outdoor ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. Consequently, these pollutants might worsen your allergies.

You can improve your indoor air quality with clean air and regular dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms during the time you’re at your house, an air purifier might be able to provide relief.

While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have gotten trapped in your couch or carpeting, it can help freshen the air circulating across your home.

And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed to help lower 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 issues, such as emphysema or COPD.

There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the differences so you can learn what’s right for your home.

Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers

A portable air purifier is for a single room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your heating and cooling unit to clean your full residence. Some kinds can purify on their own when your HVAC system isn’t operating.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

Go after a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used 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 standard allergens. For the greatest in air purification, evaluate a system that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household vapors.

Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary ingredient in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might irritate respiratory troubles, even when discharged at minor settings.

The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a checklist of questions to ask when getting an air purifier.

  • What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it take out?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher figure means air will be freshened more quickly.)
  • How often 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 get the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic recommends doing other procedures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.

  1. Stay in your home and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are high.
  2. Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can trigger symptoms. If you have to do this work yourself, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also shower immediately and put on new clothes once you’re done.
  3. Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
  4. Turn on air conditioning while at home or while in the car. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s heating and cooling system.
  5. Equalize your house’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring materials for reducing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Pros Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Needs

Want to move forward with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 715-384-3163 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best equipment for your house and budget.