We spend a good majority of our time inside. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being within a building makes up 90% of our days. Having said that, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s since our houses are securely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your utility bills, it’s not so good if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get captured. As a consequence, these pollutants could aggravate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with clean air and regular dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms when you’re at your house, an air purifier could be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furniture or carpeting, it could help purify the air traveling across your residence.
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 may also be helpful if you or a family member has lung trouble, including 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 determine what’s correct 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 system to treat your complete residence. Some types can clean independent when your HVAC equipment 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 offer the greatest filtration you can find, as they trap 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 standard allergens. For the greatest in air purification, think over equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household vapors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the top element in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might aggravate respiratory troubles, even when released at small settings.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a list of questions to think over 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 better figure means air will be freshened more quickly.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched]? Can I complete that on my own?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic recommends completing other procedures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have someone else mow the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can irritate symptoms. If you are required to do this work alone, consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and change your clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
- Turn on air conditioning while indoors or while in the car. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC system.
- Equalize your home’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring types for lowering indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Specialists Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Prepared to progress with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 478-200-5689 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you locate the right unit for your home and budget.