We spend a good majority of our time indoors. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being within a building makes up 90% of our days. Although, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outdoors.
That’s due to the fact our houses are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is good for your utility bills, it’s not so good if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is insufficient, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get captured. Consequently, these pollutants may irritate your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with fresh air and regular dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms when you’re at your house, an air purifier could be able to help.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have settled on your couch or carpet, it might help purify the air moving across your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed 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 loved one has lung trouble, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the distinctions so you can learn 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 accompanies your home comfort system to purify your entire residence. Some kinds can purify independently when your home comfort equipment isn’t operating.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and offer the greatest filtration you can get, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more beneficial when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This powerful blend can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the greatest in air purification, evaluate a system that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household vapors.
Avoid getting an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary component in smog. The EPA warns ozone could worsen respiratory problems, even when discharged at small amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a list of questions to ask when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it take out?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better amount means air will be purified more rapidly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed? Can I complete that without help?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the best outcome from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests taking other steps to limit your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have other household members mow the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can worsen symptoms. If you are required to do these jobs on your own, consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also bathe immediately and put on clean clothes once you’re completed.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside.
- Run your air conditioner while at home or while in the car. Consider installing a high-efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC unit.
- Even out your house’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring kinds for reducing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities
Ready to progress with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 925-233-6238 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal system for your residence and budget.