We spend a good majority of our time in our homes. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being inside accounts for 90% of our time. Although, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.

That’s due to the fact our houses are firmly sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is good for your heating and cooling expenses, it’s not so good if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outside ventilation is insufficient, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. As a result, these pollutants may irritate your allergies.

You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and regular cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms while you’re at your house, an air purifier might be able to provide assistance.

While it can’t remove pollutants that have settled on your couch or carpeting, it might help freshen the air traveling around your residence.

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 could also be useful if you or someone in your household has a lung condition, including emphysema or COPD.

There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the differences so you can figure out what’s correct for your residence.

Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers

A portable air purifier is for a single room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your home comfort equipment to purify your complete home. Some models can clean on their own when your heating and cooling system 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 deliver the best filtration you can buy, as they trap 99.97% of particles in the air.

HEPA filters are even more powerful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty blend can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, consider a system that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household smells.

Avoid getting an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the primary component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone could irritate respiratory issues, even when released at low settings.

The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a checklist of questions to ask when purchasing an air purifier.

  • What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A bigger figure means air will be cleaned faster.)
  • How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I finish that on my own?
  • How much do new 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 suggests taking other procedures to reduce your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.

  1. Stay in your home and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are elevated.
  2. Have someone else mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can worsen symptoms. If you are required to do these chores alone, you might want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also bathe right away and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
  3. Avoid stringing up laundry outside.
  4. Turn on your air conditioner while at home or while in the car. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC unit.
  5. Even out your residence’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring types for decreasing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Pros Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements

Prepared to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 561-270-6228 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you choose the best system for your home and budget.