We spend lots of time in our homes. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being indoors makes up 90% of our days. However, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.
That’s because our residences are tightly sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is great for your heating and cooling bills, it’s not so good if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is restricted, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get captured. As a consequence, these pollutants might irritate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with clean air and usual dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms during the time you’re at your house, an air purifier might be able to help.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furnishings or carpet, it can help purify the air moving throughout your residence.
And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help lower some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It can also be useful if you or a loved one has lung issues, such as emphysema or COPD.
There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the differences so you can determine what’s appropriate for your house.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for a single room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your heating and cooling equipment to purify your complete residence. Some types can purify on their own when your home comfort equipment isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and deliver the most comprehensive filtration you can buy, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more beneficial when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty mixture can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the best in air purification, evaluate equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household vapors.
Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might irritate respiratory problems, even when released at small settings.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a list of questions to ask when getting an air purifier.
- What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
- What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger figure means air will be freshened faster.)
- How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched]? Can I finish that on my own?
- How much do new filters or bulbs cost?
How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic advises doing other measures to decrease your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have other household members trim the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can trigger symptoms. If you must do these jobs yourself, you might want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and change your clothes once you’re done.
- Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
- Run the AC while at home or while driving. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s home comfort system.
- Equalize your residence’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring types for decreasing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Needs
Ready to progress with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 319-208-2351 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best unit for your house and budget.