We spend lots of time in our homes. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building accounts for 90% of our schedule. However, the EPA also says your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outdoors.

That’s because our residences are securely sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is good for your energy costs, it’s not so fantastic if you’re among the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outdoors ventilation is limited, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get captured. Consequently, these pollutants can aggravate your allergies.

You can enhance your indoor air quality with fresh air and usual dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms when you’re at home, an air purifier might be able to provide relief.

While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have settled on your furniture or flooring, it can help clean the air moving across 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 can also be helpful if you or someone in your household has a lung condition, such as emphysema or COPD.

There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the distinctions so you can learn what’s correct for your house.

Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers

A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier works with your HVAC equipment to clean your full house. Some kinds can purify on their own when your home comfort unit isn’t running.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

Seek an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and deliver the best filtration you can buy, as they trap 99.97% of particles in the air.

HEPA filters are even more powerful when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty blend can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the greatest in air purification, consider equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household odors.

Avoid using an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary ingredient in smog. The EPA cautions ozone might worsen respiratory troubles, even when discharged at small concentrations.

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

  • What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it take out?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher figure means air will be freshened faster.)
  • How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be switched]? Can I complete that without help?
  • How much do spare filters or bulbs cost?

How to Decrease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

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

  1. Stay inside and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are elevated.
  2. Have someone else trim the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do these jobs yourself, you might want to consider using a pollen mask. You should also bathe right away and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
  3. Avoid hanging laundry outside.
  4. Turn on air conditioning while at home or while driving. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC 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 reducing indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Specialists Take Care of Your Indoor Air Quality Needs

Ready to take the next step with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our professionals a call at 203-357-5913 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal equipment for your family and budget.