We spend lots of time indoors. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being indoors comprises 90% of our time. Having said that, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outside your home.
That’s because our residences are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy bills, it’s not so great if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is limited, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. Consequently, these pollutants might aggravate your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and regular cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms during the time you’re at home, an air purifier may be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have landed on your furniture or flooring, it might help purify the air moving across your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically proven to help lower some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It may also be useful 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 advantages so you can determine what’s appropriate for your house.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your home comfort equipment to clean your entire residence. Some models can clean by themselves when your HVAC equipment isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Look for an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and provide the greatest filtration you can get, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic combination can eliminate 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 reduce household odors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the top ingredient in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might aggravate respiratory issues, even when emitted at minor amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a list of questions to ask when purchasing an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher number means air will be freshened faster.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched]? Can I complete that without help?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic suggests doing other steps to decrease your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have other family members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can worsen symptoms. If you are required to do these jobs on your own, you might want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also bathe right away and change your clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outside your home.
- Turn on air conditioning while at your house or while you’re on the road. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC unit.
- Even out your home’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring types for lowering indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Ready to progress with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 515-450-8739 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best system for your residence and budget.