We spend a good majority of our time indoors. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being within a building makes up 90% of our schedule. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.

That’s due to the fact our residences are securely sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your heating and cooling bills, it’s not so fantastic if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outdoor ventilation is limited, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get stuck. Consequently, these pollutants might worsen your allergies.

You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and routine dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms during the time you’re at your house, an air purifier could be able to provide relief.

While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have landed on your furniture or carpet, it might help clean the air circulating around your house.

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 might also be helpful if you or a loved one has lung trouble, such as emphysema or COPD.

There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the differences so you can determine what’s appropriate for your home.

Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers

A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your heating and cooling equipment to purify your full home. Some types can work on their own when your HVAC unit isn’t on.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

Go after an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and deliver the most comprehensive filtration you can find, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.

HEPA filters are even more powerful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This powerful combination can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the best in air purification, consider a system that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household vapors.

Avoid using an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the top component in smog. The EPA advises ozone could irritate respiratory problems, even when released at small amounts.

The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a checklist of questions to think over when buying an air purifier.

  • What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher number means air will be purified faster.)
  • How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I do that on my own?
  • How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?

How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

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

  1. Stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are high.
  2. Have other household members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can irritate symptoms. If you have to do these jobs alone, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off immediately and put on new clothes once you’re completed.
  3. Avoid hanging laundry outside.
  4. Turn on your air conditioner while at your house or while driving. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC system.
  5. Even out your home’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Specialists Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements

Prepared to progress with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 541-286-6617 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you locate the best unit for your home and budget.