We spend a good majority of our time indoors. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being indoors makes up 90% of our time. Although, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.

That’s due to the fact our residences are firmly sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is great for your energy bills, it’s not so good if you’re a part of the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outdoors ventilation is insufficient, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get stuck. As a consequence, these pollutants could irritate your allergies.

You can boost your indoor air quality with crisp air and routine cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms when you’re at your residence, an air purifier might be able to provide relief.

While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furniture or carpeting, it may help purify the air moving across your home.

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 can also be useful if you or a loved one has lung trouble, including emphysema or COPD.

There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the differences so you can determine what’s correct for your home.

Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers

A portable air purifier is for a lone room. A whole-house air purifier works alongside your HVAC equipment to treat your full residence. Some types can work independent when your home comfort system isn’t running.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

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

HEPA filters are even more beneficial when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This powerful blend can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, evaluate equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household smells.

Avoid buying an air purifier that generates ozone, which is the primary component in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might aggravate respiratory troubles, even when emitted at low concentrations.

The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a list of questions to ask when getting 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 cleaned more rapidly.)
  • How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched]? Can I finish that on my own?
  • How much do new filters or bulbs cost?

How to Reduce Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Want to receive the {top|most excellent|best] outcome from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic suggests doing other measures to decrease your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.

  1. Stay inside and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are heightened.
  2. Have other family members mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can aggravate symptoms. If you are required to do these chores on your own, consider wearing a pollen mask. You should also bathe without delay and put on new clothes once you’re finished.
  3. Avoid hanging laundry outside your home.
  4. Turn on air conditioning while at home or while in the car. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC system.
  5. Even out your home’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring kinds for lowering indoor allergens. If your residence 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 979-335-4262 or contact us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal equipment for your home and budget.