We spend lots of time in our homes. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being within a building comprises 90% of our days. Having said that, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.
That’s due to the fact our homes are securely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your energy costs, it’s not so great if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is restricted, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may get stuck. As a result, these pollutants can aggravate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with crisp air and regular dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms while you’re at your house, an air purifier may be able to help.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have gotten trapped in your couch or carpeting, it may help purify the air circulating around your home.
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 could also be helpful if you or a loved one has lung trouble, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the distinctions so you can figure out 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 unit to purify your complete residence. Some types can work independent when your home comfort equipment isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and provide the most comprehensive filtration you can find, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more beneficial when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic combination can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the greatest in air purification, think over equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household odors.
Avoid using an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the primary component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone may aggravate respiratory troubles, even when discharged at minor amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a checklist of questions to consider when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it take out?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher figure means air will be freshened more rapidly.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I finish that on my own?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to have the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic advises doing other measures to reduce your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are high.
- Have other household members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can worsen symptoms. If you must do these chores on your own, you may want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid stringing up laundry outdoors.
- 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 system.
- Equalize your residence’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Prepared to progress with getting 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 choose the ideal unit for your home and budget.