We spend lots of time indoors. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being inside makes up 90% of our days. However, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s because our residences are firmly sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy costs, it’s not so great if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is limited, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. As a consequence, these pollutants might aggravate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with clean air and routine dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms while you’re at your residence, an air purifier might be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have settled on your couch or flooring, it may help freshen the air moving around your home.
And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help reduce some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It can also be helpful if you or a loved one has lung issues, such as emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the distinctions so you can figure out what’s right for your house.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a lone room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your heating and cooling system to clean your complete home. Some models can clean on their own when your heating and cooling unit isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and offer the greatest 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 combination can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the greatest in air purification, consider equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household smells.
Avoid getting an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the top element in smog. The EPA advises ozone could irritate respiratory troubles, even when emitted at low settings.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a list of questions to think over when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger number means air will be cleaned faster.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I complete that without help?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests taking other measures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have other household members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do these chores alone, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and change your clothes once you’re completed.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
- Use your air conditioner while indoors or while you’re on the road. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your house’s heating and cooling unit.
- Even out your home’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Want to progress with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 208-621-0129 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the ideal system for your family and budget.