We spend a good majority of our time indoors. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building comprises 90% of our schedule. Having said that, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.

That’s because our homes 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 among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

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

You can enhance your indoor air quality with crisp air and regular housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms when you’re at your residence, an air purifier could be able to provide relief.

While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have landed on your couch or carpet, it might help purify the air moving across your residence.

And air purification has also been scientifically verified 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 family member has a lung condition, like emphysema or COPD.

There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine 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 works alongside your home comfort equipment to clean your complete home. Some kinds can clean by themselves when your home comfort unit isn’t on.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

Look for a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and offer the most comprehensive filtration you can get, as they catch 99.97% of particles in the air.

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

Avoid using an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the top element in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might worsen respiratory troubles, even when discharged at low concentrations.

The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a listing of questions to ask when getting an air purifier.

  • What can this purifier remove from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher figure means air will be purified more rapidly.)
  • How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I complete that by myself?
  • How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?

How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic advises doing other procedures to decrease your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.

  1. Stay inside and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are heightened.
  2. Have other family members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can irritate symptoms. If you are required to do these jobs alone, you may want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also bathe immediately and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
  3. Avoid hanging laundry outside.
  4. Run the AC while at home or while you’re on the road. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your house’s heating and cooling system.
  5. Even out your residence’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Specialists Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Needs

Ready to progress with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 570-648-0748 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you choose the right unit for your house and budget.