We spend a good majority of our time indoors. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being inside accounts for 90% of our time. 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 houses are securely sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling costs, it’s not so great if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outside ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get trapped. As a consequence, these pollutants could aggravate your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with fresh air and usual cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms when you’re at your residence, an air purifier may be able to provide relief.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have landed on your furniture or carpet, it could help purify the air moving across 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 can also be appropriate if you or a family member has a lung condition, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the advantages so you can learn what’s appropriate for your residence.
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 heating and cooling unit to purify your entire residence. Some types can purify independent when your heating and cooling system isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Look for a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and offer the best filtration you can get, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more powerful when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic combination can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the greatest in air purification, think over a system that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household odors.
Avoid getting an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the main ingredient in smog. The EPA advises ozone could worsen respiratory troubles, even when discharged at low concentrations.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a list of questions to consider when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger figure means air will be cleaned more rapidly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I finish that without help?
- How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?
How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests completing other steps to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay in your home and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can worsen symptoms. If you must do these chores yourself, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and put on new clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside.
- Run your air conditioner while at your house or while you’re on the road. Consider using a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC system.
- Balance your house’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring types for reducing indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements
Prepared to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at (616) 319-1436 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you locate the ideal system for your home and budget.
