We spend a lot of time indoors. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being within a building makes up 90% of our schedule. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside.
That’s since our residences are firmly sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is great for your utility costs, it’s not so fantastic if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get trapped. Consequently, these pollutants might irritate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with fresh air and usual cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms while you’re at home, an air purifier may be able to help.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have settled on your furniture or carpet, it could help purify the air traveling around your home.
And air purification has also been scientifically proven to help lessen some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It can also be appropriate if you or a loved one has lung issues, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the differences so you can determine what’s right for your home.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a single room. A whole-house air purifier works alongside your heating and cooling unit to clean your entire residence. Some kinds can purify on their own when your home comfort system isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after 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 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, evaluate a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household odors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the main component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone may aggravate respiratory troubles, even when released at low amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a list of questions to consider when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- 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 replaced? Can I complete that on my own?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the best outcome from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic suggests taking other steps to reduce your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have other household members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can irritate symptoms. If you are required to do this work alone, you might want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and put on new clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outside.
- Use your air conditioner while indoors or while in the car. Consider installing a high-efficiency air filter in your house’s heating and cooling unit.
- Even out your residence’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Prepared to progress with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 602-832-7808 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal system for your home and budget.