We spend a lot of time in our homes. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being within a building comprises 90% of our schedule. However, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outside your home.
That’s because our homes are tightly sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling bills, it’s not so great if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is insufficient, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get trapped. As a consequence, these pollutants may worsen your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with crisp air and usual housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms during the time you’re at your house, an air purifier could be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furniture or flooring, it may help freshen the air circulating around your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help lower some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It might also be helpful if you or someone in your household has lung issues, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the advantages so you can learn what’s correct 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 HVAC unit to clean your entire residence. Some models can clean by themselves when your heating and cooling equipment isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Look for a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and deliver the most comprehensive filtration you can get, 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 combination can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, consider a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household odors.
Avoid using an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the primary ingredient in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might aggravate respiratory troubles, even when emitted at small amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a listing of questions to consider when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher figure means air will be cleaned faster.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I finish 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 unit? The Mayo Clinic recommends doing other measures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have other household members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can worsen symptoms. If you are required to do this work on your own, consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also shower right away and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid hanging laundry outdoors.
- Turn on the AC while at your house or while driving. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your home’s home comfort unit.
- Even out your house’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring materials for decreasing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Prepared to take the next step with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 419-548-5017 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you locate the best equipment for your residence and budget.