We spend a good majority of our time indoors. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being indoors accounts for 90% of our time. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outdoors.
That’s since our houses are securely sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is good for your utility bills, it’s not so fantastic if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is limited, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get captured. As a result, these pollutants can worsen your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and routine housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms when you’re at your house, an air purifier could be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have gotten trapped in your couch or carpeting, it can help clean the air moving around your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically proven 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, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the differences so you can determine what’s appropriate 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 accompanies your heating and cooling equipment to clean your entire residence. Some kinds can clean by themselves when your HVAC unit isn’t operating.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and offer the most comprehensive filtration you can buy, as they remove 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty mixture can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the best in air purification, evaluate equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household vapors.
Avoid using an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the top element in smog. The EPA advises ozone might worsen respiratory issues, even when released at small amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a listing of questions to think over when purchasing 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 number means air will be cleaned more quickly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed? Can I do that by myself?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to have the best performance from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic recommends doing other measures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are high.
- Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can worsen symptoms. If you must do these jobs on your own, consider using a pollen mask. You should also bathe immediately and change your clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside.
- Use the AC while at your house or while driving. Consider adding a high-efficiency air filter in your home’s home comfort system.
- Balance your house’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Want to take the next step with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 918-333-0376 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal system for your house and budget.