We spend a lot of time in our homes. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building accounts for 90% of our days. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.
That’s because our houses are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your utility costs, it’s not so great if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is limited, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get stuck. Consequently, these pollutants may worsen your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with fresh air and routine housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms while you’re at your residence, an air purifier may be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have gotten trapped in your couch or carpeting, it can help purify the air traveling across 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 can also be useful if you or a family member has lung issues, including 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 figure out what’s right for your residence.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a lone room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your home comfort unit to treat your complete house. Some types can clean on their own when your heating and cooling system isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and provide the greatest filtration you can get, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This powerful combination can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the greatest in air purification, consider a system that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household smells.
Avoid buying an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the main element in smog. The EPA advises ozone could aggravate respiratory troubles, even when released at small concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a listing of questions to consider when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better amount means air will be purified more quickly.)
- How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I complete 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] results from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests taking other procedures to reduce your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are heightened.
- Have other household members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can worsen symptoms. If you must do these jobs yourself, you may want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and put on new clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid drying laundry outside your home.
- Use the AC while at your house or while you’re on the road. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC equipment.
- Even out your residence’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring materials for decreasing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Prepared to take the next step with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 812-200-5844 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal system for your house and budget.