We spend a lot of time inside. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building comprises 90% of our schedule. However, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s due to the fact our residences are firmly sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling costs, it’s not so fantastic if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is limited, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get captured. As a result, these pollutants could aggravate your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and routine housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms when you’re at home, an air purifier could be able to provide relief.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have settled on your furniture or flooring, it might help purify the air traveling around your home.
And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed to help lessen some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It might also be useful if you or a family member has a lung condition, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the advantages so you can figure out what’s correct for your home.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a single room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your home comfort unit to clean your entire home. Some models can clean on their own when your heating and cooling unit isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and offer the most comprehensive filtration you can buy, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty blend can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the greatest in air purification, evaluate a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household smells.
Avoid using an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the main component in smog. The EPA warns ozone could aggravate respiratory troubles, even when discharged at low settings.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a listing of questions to consider when getting 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 number means air will be cleaned more quickly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I do that by myself?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic recommends doing other measures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have other household members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can aggravate symptoms. If you are required to do these jobs yourself, consider trying a pollen mask. You should also shower without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid drying laundry outside your home.
- Run air conditioning while indoors or while you’re on the road. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s heating and cooling equipment.
- Equalize your house’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring types for reducing indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Ready to progress with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 715-318-6728 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best equipment for your residence and budget.