We spend lots of time inside. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated being inside accounts for 90% of our time. Although, the EPA also has found your indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside your home.
That’s since our houses are tightly sealed to boost energy efficiency. While this is good for your heating and cooling bills, it’s not so great if you’re amid the 40% of the population with respiratory allergies.
When outdoor ventilation is limited, pollutants such as dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) might get stuck. Consequently, these pollutants might worsen your allergies.
You can boost your indoor air quality with clean air and usual dusting and vacuuming. But if you’re still having problems with symptoms during the time you’re at your residence, an air purifier might be able to provide assistance.
While it can’t get rid of pollutants that have landed on your furniture or carpeting, it may help purify the air moving around your house.
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 could also be helpful if you or a loved one has lung trouble, including emphysema or COPD.
There are two options, a portable air purifier or a whole-home air purifier. We’ll go over the differences so you can determine what’s correct for your residence.
Whole-House Air Purifier vs. Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is for one room. A whole-house air purifier accompanies your heating and cooling equipment to treat your complete residence. Some kinds can work independent when your HVAC unit isn’t on.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
Seek a model with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are used in hospitals and deliver the most comprehensive filtration you can buy, 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 combination can destroy dust, dander, pollen and mold, all of which are standard allergens. For the ultimate in air purification, consider equipment that also has a carbon-based fi