We spend a good majority of our time indoors. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building comprises 90% of our schedule. Although, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.

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

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

You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and usual dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still struggling with symptoms during the time you’re at home, an air purifier could be able to provide relief.

While it can’t remove pollutants that have landed on your furnishings or carpet, it may help freshen the air circulating around your house.

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 useful if you or someone in your household has a lung condition, like emphysema or COPD.

There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll examine the advantages so you can learn what’s right 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 accompanies your home comfort equipment to clean your entire home. Some models can clean by themselves when your home comfort unit 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 installed in hospitals and deliver the greatest filtration you can buy, 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 dynamic combination can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are common allergens. For the best in air purification, consider a system that also has a carbon-based filter to reduce household smells.

Avoid getting an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the top element in smog. The EPA warns ozone might irritate respiratory troubles, even when released at low concentrations.

The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has compiled a listing of questions to think over 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 better amount means air will be cleaned faster.)
  • How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? 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 equipment? The Mayo Clinic suggests doing other procedures to reduce your exposure to problems that can cause seasonal allergies.

  1. Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are heightened.
  2. Have other household members mow the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can trigger symptoms. If you are required to do this work yourself, you may want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and put on clean clothes once you’re done.
  3. Avoid stringing up laundry outdoors.
  4. Run air conditioning while at your house or while you’re on the road. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your house’s home comfort system.
  5. Balance your house’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the suggested flooring kinds for decreasing indoor allergens. If your residence 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 adding a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 662-269-8716 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you find the best equipment for your residence and budget.