We spend a good majority of our time in our homes. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being within a building comprises 90% of our time. However, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.

That’s because our houses are firmly sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is good for your heating and cooling costs, it’s not so fantastic if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outdoors ventilation is insufficient, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may get trapped. Consequently, these pollutants could aggravate your allergies.

You can improve your indoor air quality with crisp air and routine dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms when you’re at home, an air purifier could be able to help.

While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have settled on your furniture or flooring, it may help clean the air moving throughout your home.

And air purification has also been scientifically proven to help reduce 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, including emphysema or COPD.

There are two kinds, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the distinctions so you can determine what’s appropriate for your residence.

Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers

A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your HVAC system to clean your entire home. Some models can purify independent when your HVAC equipment 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 used in hospitals and provide the most comprehensive filtration you can find, as they trap 99.97% of particles in the air.

HEPA filters are even more powerful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This powerful combination can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, think over equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household odors.

Avoid buying an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the main ingredient in smog. The EPA advises ozone may irritate respiratory issues, even when released at minor concentrations.

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

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

How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Want to have the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification unit? The Mayo Clinic advises taking other measures to reduce your exposure to seasonal allergy triggers.

  1. Stay inside and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are elevated.
  2. Have someone else cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do this work on your own, consider using a pollen mask. You should also bathe without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
  3. Avoid stringing up laundry outside your home.
  4. Turn on your air conditioner while indoors or while driving. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your home’s HVAC equipment.
  5. Balance your residence’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the best flooring materials for decreasing indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities

Ready to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 713-364-9957 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you locate the best system for your family and budget.