We spend a good majority of our time indoors. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being indoors makes up 90% of our schedule. Although, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outside your home.
That’s due to the fact our houses are firmly sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy expenses, it’s not so fantastic if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get captured. As a consequence, these pollutants could aggravate your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with fresh air and usual dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms when you’re at home, an air purifier might be able to provide relief.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have landed on your furniture or carpet, it could help purify the air traveling throughout your house.
And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed to help lower some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It could also be appropriate if you or someone in your household has a lung condition, such as 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 right 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 unit to purify your entire home. Some types can clean by themselves when your home comfort equipment isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and deliver the best filtration you can get, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic combination can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the best in air purification, evaluate a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household smells.
Avoid buying an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the top ingredient in smog. The EPA advises ozone might worsen respiratory troubles, even when emitted at minor settings.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a listing of questions to think over when purchasing 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 higher number means air will be freshened more rapidly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I finish that by myself?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic suggests doing other procedures to limit your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are high.
- Have someone else cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can irritate symptoms. If you are required to do these chores alone, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and put on new clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
- Turn on the AC while indoors or while in the car. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC system.
- Balance your residence’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring materials for lowering 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 Necessities
Want to progress with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 918-333-0376 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you locate the right system for your residence and budget.