We spend a lot of time indoors. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being indoors comprises 90% of our schedule. Having said that, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s since our residences are tightly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great for your utility bills, it’s not so fantastic if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get trapped. As a result, these pollutants may irritate your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with crisp air and routine housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms while you’re at your house, an air purifier might be able to help.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have landed on your furniture or flooring, it might help freshen the air moving throughout your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help reduce some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It might also be useful if you or a family member has lung trouble, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the distinctions so you can learn 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 works alongside your heating and cooling system to clean your complete home. Some types can purify independently when your heating and cooling unit isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and provide the most comprehensive filtration you can find, as they trap 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more beneficial when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic combination can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the greatest in air purification, evaluate a system that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household vapors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the main ingredient in smog. The EPA cautions ozone could aggravate respiratory symptoms, even when emitted at minor amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a listing of questions to consider when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it take out?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger figure means air will be freshened more rapidly.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed? Can I do that on my own?
- How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the best results from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic suggests completing other steps to reduce your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have other household members mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can worsen symptoms. If you have to do this work yourself, you might want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also bathe without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re completed.
- Avoid hanging laundry outdoors.
- Turn on your air conditioner while indoors or while driving. Consider installing a high-efficiency air filter in your home’s HVAC unit.
- Even out your residence’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring types for reducing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Want to move forward with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 251-471-2674 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best unit for your needs and budget.