We spend lots of time inside. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approximated being indoors accounts for 90% of our days. However, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times dirtier than outside your home.

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

When outdoor ventilation is limited, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may get trapped. Consequently, these pollutants might aggravate your allergies.

You can enhance 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 provide assistance.

While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have settled on your couch or flooring, it might help purify the air traveling around your residence.

And air purification has also been scientifically verified 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 lung issues, such as emphysema or COPD.

There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the advantages so you can determine 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 works alongside your heating and cooling equipment to clean your complete house. Some kinds can purify independent when your heating and cooling system isn’t on.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

Go after a purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are placed in hospitals and provide the greatest filtration you can find, 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 dynamic blend can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the best in air purification, consider equipment that also has a carbon-based filter to eliminate household smells.

Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary element in smog. The EPA warns ozone could irritate respiratory problems, even when released at minor concentrations.

The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a checklist of questions to consider when purchasing an air purifier.

  • What can this purifier extract from the air? What doesn’t it take out?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be purified faster.)
  • How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I do that by myself?
  • How much do new filters or bulbs cost?

How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

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

  1. Stay in your home and keep windows and doors shut when pollen counts are elevated.
  2. Have other family members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can worsen symptoms. If you have to do this work on your own, you might want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also shower without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
  3. Avoid drying laundry outside your home.
  4. Use your air conditioner while at home or while in the car. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your house’s home comfort system.
  5. Balance your home’s humidity saturation with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring kinds for reducing indoor allergens. If your house has carpet, add a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Specialists Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities

Want to move forward with adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 763-535-2000 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal system for your home and budget.