We spend a lot of time indoors. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being inside makes up 90% of our days. Although, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outdoors.
That’s because our homes are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is good for your utility costs, it’s not so great if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is insufficient, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get trapped. As a result, these pollutants might irritate your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with crisp air and usual cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms when you’re at your residence, an air purifier may be able to provide relief.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have settled on your couch or flooring, it might help freshen the air moving around your home.
And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed to help lower 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, such as emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the advantages so you can learn what’s right for your house.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a single room. A whole-house air purifier works with your heating and cooling system to clean your complete home. Some types can work independent when your HVAC unit isn’t operating.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and provide the best filtration you can buy, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more useful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic mixture can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the best in air purification, consider a system that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household vapors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the main component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone could worsen respiratory problems, even when emitted at small amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a listing of questions to think over when buying an air purifier.
- What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger number means air will be cleaned more rapidly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I finish that by myself?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to have the {top|most excellent|best] results from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic suggests completing other measures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have other family members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do this work alone, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also shower without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid hanging laundry outdoors.
- Use air conditioning while indoors or while you’re on the road. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your house’s home comfort equipment.
- Even out your residence’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Prepared to progress with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 605-206-3766 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you find the right unit for your residence and budget.
