We spend lots of time indoors. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being indoors makes up 90% of our days. Having said that, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside.
That’s since our homes are securely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling costs, it’s not so good if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is limited, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get stuck. As a consequence, these pollutants might aggravate your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with fresh air and routine housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms during the time you’re at your house, an air purifier might be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furnishings or flooring, it could help clean the air moving throughout 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 might also be useful if you or someone in your household has lung issues, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the differences 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 accompanies your HVAC unit to purify your full house. Some models can purify independently when your home comfort system isn’t operating.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Look for a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and deliver the best filtration you can find, 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 mixture can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, think over a system that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household vapors.
Avoid using an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the top element in smog. The EPA advises ozone may aggravate respiratory problems, even when released at small concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a list of questions to ask when buying an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger figure means air will be cleaned more quickly.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched? Can I do that by myself?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to have the top results from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests doing other procedures to limit your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do this work yourself, you might want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off immediately and change your clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outdoors.
- Use the AC while at home or while in the car. Consider using a high-efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC system.
- Even out your house’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring kinds for reducing indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Want to move forward with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 301-960-3247 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you locate the best equipment for your family and budget.