We spend a lot of time in our homes. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being inside makes up 90% of our days. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.
That’s since our houses are securely sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is good for your energy expenses, it’s not so great if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is insufficient, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get captured. Consequently, these pollutants may aggravate your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and usual cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms while you’re at your house, an air purifier could be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have settled on your furniture or carpet, it can help freshen the air moving across your residence.
And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help lower some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It may also be appropriate if you or someone in your household has lung trouble, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the advantages so you can learn what’s appropriate for your home.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a lone room. A whole-house air purifier works with your home comfort equipment to clean your complete residence. Some kinds can clean independent when your home comfort unit isn’t on.
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 offer the best filtration you can buy, as they trap 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic mixture can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the greatest in air purification, think over equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household odors.
Avoid getting an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the main element in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might worsen respiratory problems, even when released at low concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a list of questions to ask when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger number means air will be cleaned more quickly.)
- How regularly 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 Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to have the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic suggests taking other measures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are high.
- Have other family members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can aggravate symptoms. If you are required to do this work yourself, consider using a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and put on new clothes once you’re completed.
- Avoid drying laundry outside your home.
- Run your air conditioner while at your house or while in the car. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your home’s heating and cooling unit.
- Even out your house’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring kinds for reducing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Want to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 641-812-2028 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you locate the right equipment for your home and budget.