We spend a good majority of our time inside. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being indoors makes up 90% of our days. However, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outdoors.

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

When outside ventilation is restricted, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may get captured. Consequently, these pollutants might worsen your allergies.

You can improve your indoor air quality with crisp air and usual cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms during the time you’re at home, an air purifier could be able to help.

While it can’t eliminate pollutants that have gotten trapped in your furnishings or flooring, it may help freshen the air moving across your residence.

And air purification has also been scientifically proven to help lessen some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It can also be helpful if you or a loved one has lung trouble, 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 accompanies your HVAC equipment to treat your full house. Some kinds can clean independent when your HVAC unit isn’t operating.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

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

HEPA filters are even more useful when installed with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This powerful mixture can eliminate 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 reduce household vapors.

Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the primary ingredient in smog. The EPA warns ozone might aggravate 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 remove from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better figure means air will be cleaned faster.)
  • How often does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I complete that without help?
  • How much do replacement filters or bulbs cost?

How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

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

  1. Stay inside and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are elevated.
  2. Have other family members mow the lawn or pull weeds, since these jobs can trigger symptoms. If you are required to do these jobs yourself, consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and put on new clothes once you’re finished.
  3. Avoid stringing up laundry outdoors.
  4. Turn on your air conditioner while at your house or while in the car. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your house’s HVAC equipment.
  5. Even out your residence’s humidity levels with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring kinds for reducing indoor allergens. If your residence has carpet, install a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Specialists Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Requirements

Want to move forward with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 803-265-4208 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal system for your family and budget.