We spend a lot of time inside. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being indoors comprises 90% of our days. However, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.

That’s since our residences are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is good for your utility bills, it’s not so fantastic if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outside ventilation is insufficient, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may get stuck. As a result, these pollutants could worsen your allergies.

You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and regular housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms during the time you’re at home, an air purifier could be able to provide relief.

While it can’t remove pollutants that have landed on your furniture or carpeting, it can help purify the air circulating around your home.

And air purification has also been scientifically proven to help lessen some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It may also be useful if you or someone in your household has a lung condition, like emphysema or COPD.

There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the advantages so you can determine what’s correct for your house.

Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers

A portable air purifier is for a lone room. A whole-house air purifier works alongside your HVAC unit to purify your complete house. Some kinds can clean independent when your heating and cooling equipment 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 provide the best filtration you can get, 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 dynamic blend can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the best in air purification, consider equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household vapors.

Avoid using an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the main component in smog. The EPA warns ozone could aggravate respiratory issues, even when discharged at minor settings.

The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a list of questions to ask when buying 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 purified more rapidly.)
  • How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I do that without help?
  • How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?

How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Want to have the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic advises taking other procedures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.

  1. Stay in your home and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are high.
  2. Have other household members mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can worsen symptoms. If you must do these chores alone, you may want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
  3. Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
  4. Use your air conditioner while at your house or while in the car. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your home’s HVAC equipment.
  5. Equalize your house’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring types for reducing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities

Ready to take the next step with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 319-208-2351 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best equipment for your residence and budget.