We spend a good majority of our time inside. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building accounts for 90% of our days. However, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outside your home.
That’s because our residences are tightly sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling costs, it’s not so great if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is insufficient, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get trapped. Consequently, these pollutants might irritate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with clean air and regular cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms while you’re at your residence, an air purifier may be able to help.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have landed on your couch or flooring, it could help freshen the air traveling across 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 could also be helpful if you or a loved one 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 right for your home.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier works alongside your HVAC system to treat your entire home. Some models can clean by themselves when your heating and cooling system 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 most comprehensive filtration you can find, as they trap 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more useful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty blend can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the best in air purification, consider a system that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household smells.
Avoid using an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the main component in smog. The EPA warns ozone may aggravate respiratory issues, even when discharged at minor concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a list of questions to think over when buying an air purifier.
- What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be cleaned more rapidly.)
- How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I complete that by myself?
- How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic recommends doing other procedures to limit your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are high.
- Have someone else cut the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can aggravate symptoms. If you must do these jobs alone, consider trying a pollen mask. You should also shower immediately and change your clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outside.
- Use air conditioning while at your house or while you’re on the road. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s heating and cooling 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, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Prepared to progress with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 903-284-2612 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you choose the ideal unit for your family and budget.
