We spend a good majority of our time indoors. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building accounts for 90% of our schedule. Although, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outdoors.
That’s because our houses are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling expenses, it’s not so good if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is insufficient, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get stuck. As a result, these pollutants can irritate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with clean air and usual dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms during the time you’re at your residence, an air purifier might be able to help.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have settled on your couch or carpet, it might help freshen the air traveling around your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically proven to help reduce some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It can also be useful if you or a family member has lung trouble, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the distinctions so you can learn what’s right for your residence.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a single room. A whole-house air purifier works with your home comfort unit to purify your full residence. Some types can work independent when your HVAC system isn’t operating.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and offer the most comprehensive filtration you can get, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more useful when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty blend can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, think over equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household smells.
Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the top element in smog. The EPA cautions ozone may worsen respiratory problems, even when emitted at small amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a listing of questions to ask when purchasing an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be purified more quickly.)
- How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched]? Can I finish that without help?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic advises completing other measures to decrease your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are high.
- Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can irritate symptoms. If you have to do this work on your own, you might want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and change your clothes once you’re completed.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outdoors.
- Use the AC while at your house or while you’re on the road. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your home’s home comfort equipment.
- Even out your home’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested 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 Needs
Want to progress with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 219-872-2198 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you locate the best unit for your home and budget.