We spend a good majority of our time inside. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being inside makes up 90% of our time. However, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.

That’s because our houses are firmly sealed to enhance 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 outside ventilation is restricted, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may get captured. Consequently, these pollutants can worsen your allergies.

You can boost your indoor air quality with fresh air and regular housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms while you’re at home, an air purifier could be able to provide relief.

While it can’t remove pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furniture or carpeting, it could help purify the air moving around your residence.

And air purification has also been scientifically proven to help lower some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It could also be appropriate if you or someone in your household has lung trouble, such as emphysema or COPD.

There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the advantages 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 works alongside your home comfort system to purify your full residence. Some types can work by themselves when your heating and cooling unit isn’t on.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

Look for a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and offer the best filtration you can find, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.

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

Avoid getting an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the top ingredient in smog. The EPA warns ozone could irritate respiratory troubles, even when emitted at small concentrations.

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

  • What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be purified more rapidly.)
  • How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched]? Can I finish that on my own?
  • How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?

How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic suggests taking other procedures to limit your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.

  1. Stay inside and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are elevated.
  2. Have other family members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can irritate symptoms. If you must do this work yourself, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also rinse off right away and change your clothes once you’re done.
  3. Avoid hanging laundry outside.
  4. Use air conditioning while indoors or while you’re on the road. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s heating and cooling system.
  5. Equalize your house’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring kinds for lowering indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Specialists Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements

Ready to move forward with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 863-216-2923 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you locate the right equipment for your home and budget.