We spend a lot of time in our homes. In reality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being inside accounts for 90% of our time. Although, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outside your home.

That’s because our houses are securely sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is great for your utility bills, it’s not so fantastic if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

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

You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and usual housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms while you’re at home, an air purifier might be able to provide relief.

While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have settled on your couch or carpeting, it can help clean the air moving around your residence.

And air purification has also been scientifically confirmed to help reduce some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It might also be appropriate if you or a family member has lung trouble, such as emphysema or COPD.

There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the advantages so you can figure out what’s appropriate for your house.

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 treat your entire house. Some types can work by themselves when your HVAC system isn’t running.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

Go after a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and deliver the greatest filtration you can find, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.

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

Avoid getting an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the main element in smog. The EPA advises ozone could irritate respiratory problems, even when released at low settings.

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

  • What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be freshened more quickly.)
  • How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I complete that without help?
  • How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?

How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Want to have the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification equipment? The Mayo Clinic advises doing other procedures 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 worsen symptoms. If you have to do these jobs alone, you might want to consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also shower right away and put on clean clothes once you’re completed.
  3. Avoid drying laundry outside your home.
  4. Turn on air conditioning while at home or while you’re on the road. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your home’s home comfort system.
  5. Even out your home’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring types for reducing indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Pros Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements

Want to take the next step with installing a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 785-269-0465 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you find the right equipment for your residence and budget.