We spend lots of time inside. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being indoors makes up 90% of our days. Although, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.
That’s due to the fact our homes are securely sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your utility expenses, it’s not so fantastic if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoors ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get trapped. As a consequence, these pollutants could irritate your allergies.
You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and regular housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms during the time you’re at your residence, an air purifier may be able to provide relief.
While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have landed on your furnishings or carpeting, it can help freshen the air traveling around 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 can also be useful if you or someone in your household has lung issues, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the advantages so you can learn what’s correct for your home.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier works with your HVAC system to purify your full residence. Some kinds can purify on their own when your HVAC unit isn’t on.
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 provide the best filtration you can find, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty mixture can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the greatest in air purification, consider a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household smells.
Avoid getting an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the primary element in smog. The EPA warns ozone might irritate respiratory troubles, even when emitted at low amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a list 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 higher figure means air will be purified faster.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced? Can I complete that without help?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to have the top performance from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic recommends completing other steps to decrease your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have other household members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can trigger symptoms. If you must do these chores on your own, you may want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid hanging laundry outdoors.
- Use your air conditioner while at home or while driving. Consider adding a high-efficiency air filter in your home’s heating and cooling unit.
- Equalize your residence’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring kinds for reducing indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities
Want to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 336-853-6070 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you find the best unit for your house and budget.