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

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

When outside ventilation is insufficient, pollutants including dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can get stuck. As a result, these pollutants may aggravate your allergies.

You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and routine cleaning and vacuuming. But if you’re still having issues with symptoms while you’re at your residence, an air purifier could be able to provide assistance.

While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have landed on your furniture or carpet, it might help purify the air circulating throughout 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 someone in your household has a lung condition, including emphysema or COPD.

There are two models, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll discuss the advantages so you can figure out 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 home comfort unit to clean your full house. Some models can purify independent when your home comfort 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 deliver the greatest filtration you can find, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.

HEPA filters are even more useful when used with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This mighty combination can wipe out dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, evaluate a system that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household vapors.

Avoid buying an air purifier that creates ozone, which is the main component in smog. The EPA advises ozone could worsen respiratory troubles, even when emitted at low settings.

The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has created a listing of questions to ask when buying an air purifier.

  • What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it extract?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A higher number means air will be cleaned more quickly.)
  • How regularly does the filter or UV bulb need to be replaced]? Can I complete that on my own?
  • How much do new filters or bulbs cost?

How to Lessen Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

Want to get the {top|most excellent|best] performance from your new air purification system? The Mayo Clinic recommends completing other steps to limit your exposure to things that can trigger seasonal allergies.

  1. Stay inside and keep windows and doors sealed when pollen counts are high.
  2. Have other household members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since this work can trigger symptoms. If you are required to do this work alone, you might want to consider trying a pollen mask. You should also bathe right away and put on clean clothes once you’re finished.
  3. Avoid drying laundry outdoors.
  4. Turn on the AC while at your house or while in the car. Consider installing a high efficiency air filter in your home’s home comfort unit.
  5. Even out your residence’s humidity percentage with a whole-house dehumidifier.
  6. Hardwood, tile or linoleum are the ideal flooring types for lowering indoor allergens. If your home has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Needs

Prepared to take the next step with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our experts a call at 573-635-3547 or contact us online to request an appointment. We’ll help you locate the best unit for your family and budget.