We spend a good majority of our time indoors. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being inside accounts for 90% of our days. Although, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier 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 bills, it’s not so good if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outside ventilation is restricted, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could get captured. Consequently, these pollutants could worsen your allergies.

You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and routine cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms when you’re at your house, an air purifier may be able to provide assistance.

While it can’t remove pollutants that have gotten trapped in your couch or carpeting, it might help purify the air traveling across 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 a family member has lung trouble, like emphysema or COPD.

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

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 home comfort unit to treat your entire house. Some types can purify on their own when your HVAC unit isn’t running.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

Seek a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and deliver the best filtration you can get, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.

HEPA filters are even more beneficial when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty mixture can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the best in air purification, evaluate a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household odors.

Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary element in smog. The EPA warns ozone might worsen respiratory issues, even when emitted at minor concentrations.

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

  • What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it take out?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be cleaned more quickly.)
  • How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I finish that without help?
  • How much do new filters or bulbs cost?

How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] results from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests taking other measures to decrease your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.

  1. Stay indoors and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are elevated.
  2. Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can irritate symptoms. If you are required to do these chores yourself, you might want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off immediately and put on new clothes once you’re done.
  3. Avoid hanging laundry outside.
  4. Run air conditioning while indoors or while driving. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC equipment.
  5. Even out your home’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring materials for lowering indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Specialists Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements

Ready to progress with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 724-425-5852 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you locate the ideal unit for your residence and budget.