Air Filters and Allergies
If you or someone you know has seasonal allergies you are probably looking for ways to lessen the severity of the symptoms. There are many effective medications on the market today but not everyone likes to take drugs unless they are essential. You may particularly worry about the effect of medications on your child, but you don’t want to see him suffer with itchy eyes and a stuffy nose either. You may be considering buying an air filter. But do they really work?
Most experts agree that an air filter shouldn’t be relied upon as a first line of defense against indoor or seasonal allergies. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a useful purpose but it does mean if you don’t remove the source of the allergen from your home, an air filter may not do much good.
Minimize Exposure – First Line Of Defense
The first steps you should take when dealing with an allergy sufferer is to minimize exposure to the allergen. If smoke is the culprit, you should ban smoking in or near your house. If your child has an allergy to the family dog, the dog may have to go live with other relatives or stay in a restricted area of the house. By all means, you should keep the dog out of your child’s room.
In fact, the bedroom of the allergy suffer should be a sanctuary from allergens as much as possible. Depending upon the type and severity of the allergens you can do the following. Remove the carpeting and as many knick knacks as possible so dust cannot collect in the room. Use hypoallergenic bedding and change it frequently. Wash bedding in hot water to kill dust mites that might be a source of allergy problems. If your child has a collection of stuffed toys you may need to store them in a separate room as these have a tendency to collect dust and irritate allergies.
For seasonal allergies, you should keep your home closed and the windows rolled up in your car as well. Run the air conditioner when it is warm rather than opening the windows in your home as that will allow allergens to float inside.
Air Filters – Second Line Of Defense
Most of the allergens in your household will settle onto the floor and your furniture. However, some will be suspended in the air. For these an air filter may be beneficial. An air filter will not do anything to rid your home of settled allergens, that is why keeping your home clean and well ventilated is the first line of defense. If you have a busy household, it may be very difficult to keep your entire home allergy free and if that is the case you should focus your efforts on the sleeping area since that is where your allergy sufferer will spend most of his indoor time. To be the most beneficial, you can place an air filter in the bedroom if it is intended for single room use.
There are several types of air filters you can choose from. HEPA air filters are commonly recommended for helping allergies. HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air. To have this designation, the filter must be capable of removing 99.97 percent of particles that are at least 0.3 microns in size. HEPA filters are mechanical air filters meaning they are driven by fans. These work by forcing air through a filter that traps allergens like dust mites, pet dander, and cigarette smoke.
Electronic air filters use electrical charges to attract allergens onto collecting plates. Some air filters use a combination of mechanical and electronic means to clean the air in your home. There are also air filters called gas phase filters. These work to clear odors like perfume from the air but they are not effective at removing allergens. Another type of air filter is the ozone generator. These may be capable of removing a certain amount of allergens from the air but they also put unacceptable levels of ozone into your home and for that reason they are not recommended for allergy use. These shouldn’t be confused with ion generators which is just another name for an electronic air filter.
Before buying an air filter to help you combat allergies you should determine if it is capable of cleaning a room the size of your bedroom and if it has quiet operation so you can sleep. In addition, you should find out how much trouble it is to replace the filters and make sure they can be easily found and are affordable. You also want to make sure the air filter is HEPA rated and does not exceed acceptable ozone emission levels. Above all else you want to buy an air filter that is capable of trapping the allergens that you are susceptible to.
While air filters may not be the first line of defense when it comes to clearing your home of allergens, they do have their place and may help you or your loved ones sleep better and breathe easier.
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