We spend lots of time in our homes. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building makes up 90% of our time. However, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outside your home.
That’s since our houses are securely sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is good for your energy bills, it’s not so great if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is restricted, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get trapped. Consequently, these pollutants might irritate your allergies.
You can improve your indoor air quality with crisp air and usual housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms when you’re at your residence, an air purifier may be able to provide relief.
While it can’t remove pollutants that have settled on your furnishings or flooring, it may help freshen the air circulating around your home.
And air purification has also been scientifically proven to help reduce some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It might also be appropriate if you or someone in your household has a lung condition, like emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the advantages so you can determine what’s appropriate for your residence.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier works alongside your heating and cooling equipment to clean your complete home. Some types can work by themselves when your HVAC unit isn’t running.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Go after an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and provide the greatest filtration you can buy, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.
HEPA filters are even more useful when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty blend can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the best in air purification, consider a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household odors.
Avoid purchasing an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary ingredient in smog. The EPA advises ozone might worsen respiratory troubles, even when emitted at small amounts.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has made a list of questions to consider when purchasing 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 number means air will be cleaned more rapidly.)
- How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched? Can I finish that without help?
- How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?
How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms
Want to get the top performance from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic advises doing other measures to limit your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.
- Stay inside and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are elevated.
- Have other family members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can worsen symptoms. If you must do this work yourself, you may want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also bathe right away and change your clothes once you’re finished.
- Avoid drying laundry outside.
- Run the AC while at your house or while you’re on the road. Consider adding a high-efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC system.
- Even out your house’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Let Our Pros Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities
Prepared to move forward with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our pros a call at 541-286-6617 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you choose the right equipment for your home and budget.