We spend a lot of time inside. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being within a building makes up 90% of our days. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s since our homes are securely sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your heating and cooling expenses, it’s not so fantastic if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is limited, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. As a consequence, these pollutants can aggravate your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with crisp air and routine cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms when you’re at your house, an air purifier might be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have settled on your furniture or carpet, it could help freshen the air circulating around 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 could also be appropriate if you or a family member has lung trouble, such as 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 determine what’s right for your house.
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 purify your entire house. Some kinds can work on their own when your home comfort 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 best filtration you can get, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty combination can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, think over a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household vapors.
Avoid getting an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the main component in smog. The EPA warns ozone might irritate respiratory problems, even when emitted at minor concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a list of questions to consider when buying an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be purified faster.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I complete that without help?
- How much do replacement 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 suggests completing other measures to limit your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are high.
- Have other family members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can trigger symptoms. If you have to do these chores yourself, you might want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and put on new clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outside.
- Use the AC while at your house or while driving. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC system.
- Even out your home’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring types for reducing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Ready to progress with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 952-373-0377 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you find the best equipment for your home and budget.
