We spend lots of time indoors. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being indoors makes up 90% of our days. Having said that, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.
That’s since our homes are tightly sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is good for your utility bills, it’s not so good if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. As a consequence, these pollutants may worsen your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with fresh air and regular dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms during the time you’re at your residence, an air purifier may be able to help.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have gotten trapped in your couch or flooring, it can help clean the air traveling across your residence.
And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help lessen some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It can also be helpful if you or a family member has lung trouble, such as emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the differences so you can learn 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 accompanies your HVAC equipment to treat your entire home. Some types can purify on their own when your home comfort equipment isn’t operating.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Look for an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and deliver the greatest filtration you can buy, 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 mighty mixture can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the best in air purification, consider equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household smells.
Avoid getting an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the top element in smog. The EPA advises ozone might irritate respiratory problems, even when discharged at minor settings.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a listing of questions to consider when purchasing an air purifier.
- What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger amount means air will be purified more rapidly.)
- 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 Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic suggests completing other procedures to reduce your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are high.
- Have other family members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can worsen symptoms. If you are required to do this work yourself, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also bathe immediately and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
- Run the AC while at your house or while in the car. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s heating and cooling equipment.
- Equalize your home’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring kinds for reducing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities
Prepared to move forward with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 308-995-8177 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you choose the ideal equipment for your house and budget.
