We spend a lot of time in our homes. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being within a building makes up 90% of our days. Having said that, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outdoors.
That’s because our houses are firmly sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is great for your utility bills, it’s not so fantastic 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) might get trapped. Consequently, these pollutants may aggravate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with fresh air and usual housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms when you’re at your house, an air purifier could be able to help.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have gotten trapped in your couch or carpeting, it may help freshen the air moving across 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 helpful if you or someone in your household has lung trouble, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the distinctions so you can determine what’s correct for your residence.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your HVAC unit to purify your full residence. Some models can purify on their own when your home comfort unit 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 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 powerful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty combination can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the best in air purification, think over equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household odors.
Avoid getting an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary ingredient in smog. The EPA warns ozone could irritate respiratory issues, even when emitted at minor concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a listing of questions to think over 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 bigger number means air will be purified faster.)
- How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I finish that on my own?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic suggests doing other measures to limit your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have other family members mow the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can trigger symptoms. If you are required to do this work on your own, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid drying laundry outside your home.
- Use air conditioning while at home or while you’re on the road. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your house’s heating and cooling unit.
- Equalize your residence’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Ready to progress with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at (818) 727-9993 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you locate the best system for your residence and budget.
