We spend a lot of time inside. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building 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 because our houses are securely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your utility costs, it’s not so good if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outdoors ventilation is restricted, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get trapped. As a result, these pollutants can worsen your allergies.

You can enhance your indoor air quality with crisp air and usual housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms when you’re at home, an air purifier might be able to help.

While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have landed on your couch or carpet, it could help freshen the air traveling throughout your residence.

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

There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over 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 a single room. A whole-house air purifier works with your heating and cooling equipment to treat your entire residence. Some types can purify by themselves when your heating and cooling equipment isn’t operating.

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 provide the most comprehensive 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 dynamic mixture can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are general allergens. For the best in air purification, think over a system that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household odors.

Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the top ingredient in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might worsen respiratory troubles, even when emitted at low settings.

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 extract?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher amount means air will be purified more quickly.)
  • How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I do that by myself?
  • How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?

How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic suggests taking other steps to decrease your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.

  1. Stay indoors and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are high.
  2. Have someone else cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can trigger symptoms. If you are required to do this work on your own, you may want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also shower immediately and put on new clothes once you’re finished.
  3. Avoid stringing up laundry outdoors.
  4. Use air conditioning while indoors or while in the car. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your home’s heating and cooling unit.
  5. Even out your residence’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Specialists Handle Your Indoor Air Quality Needs

Want to move forward with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 256-801-4701 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal unit for your house and budget.