We spend a lot of time in our homes. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined being within a building makes up 90% of our time. However, the EPA also has determined your indoor air can be three to five times worse than outside your home.

That’s because our houses are securely sealed to increase energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your heating and cooling bills, it’s not so great if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.

When outdoors ventilation is limited, pollutants like dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may get stuck. As a consequence, these pollutants can aggravate your allergies.

You can enhance your indoor air quality with clean air and usual housework and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms while you’re at home, an air purifier might be able to provide assistance.

While it can’t remove pollutants that have landed on your couch or flooring, it can help freshen the air traveling across your residence.

And air purification has also been scientifically verified to help lower some allergic symptoms, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. It can also be appropriate if you or a family member has lung issues, like emphysema or COPD.

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

Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers

A portable air purifier is for a lone room. A whole-house air purifier works with your heating and cooling equipment to treat your full home. Some types can purify on their own when your heating and cooling unit isn’t operating.

What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?

Go after an option with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are installed in hospitals and offer the best filtration you can get, as they eliminate 99.97% of particles in the air.

HEPA filters are even more beneficial when combined with an ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light. This dynamic mixture can eliminate dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the greatest in air purification, evaluate a unit that also has a carbon-based filter to decrease household smells.

Avoid buying an air purifier that makes ozone, which is the main component in smog. The EPA advises ozone might irritate respiratory troubles, even when released at low concentrations.

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

  • What can this purifier take out from the air? What doesn’t it remove?
  • What’s its clean air delivery rate? (A better number means air will be purified more rapidly.)
  • How frequently does the filter or UV bulb need to be changed]? Can I complete that without help?
  • How much do new 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 seasonal allergy triggers.

  1. Stay in your home and keep windows and doors closed when pollen counts are elevated.
  2. Have other household members cut the lawn or pull weeds, since these tasks can aggravate symptoms. If you have to do this work alone, consider trying a pollen mask. You should also rinse off without delay and put on new clothes once you’re done.
  3. Avoid stringing up laundry outside your home.
  4. Turn on your air conditioner while at home or while you’re on the road. Consider adding a high efficiency air filter in your residence’s HVAC unit.
  5. Even out 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 home has carpet, use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.

Let Our Professionals Manage Your Indoor Air Quality Necessities

Prepared to progress with getting a whole-house air purifier? Give our specialists a call at 361-217-7080 or contact us online to get an appointment. We’ll help you find the ideal unit for your family and budget.