What do a person with seasonal allergies and a piece of barbed wire have in common? They both feel awful.
If you live with any kind of allergy, you know just how awful they can make you feel. Between the watery, itchy eyes, scratchy throat and runny nose, every day can seem like you are battling a cold.
People with allergies have a few options when it comes to finding relief. Over-the-counter and prescription medications can help reduce some of the symptoms. Of course, not all allergy drugs are created equal. Some are fairly expensive, and others come with some unpleasant side effects.
Another option is to get allergy shots. If you don’t mind getting poked each month and waiting months to see if all that poking has even worked, this could be a possible treatment for you.
And finally, there are air purifiers, which can clean your home’s air of all offending allergens.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
Allergens such as pet dander, dust particles, mold spores, and pollen, though invisible to the naked eye, are floating around in your home’s environment and causing those allergic to them much grief. An air purifier’s filter traps particles and removes them from the air, so you no longer breathe them in.
But not all filters are created equal. When it comes to allergens, you’ve got to look for an air purifier that uses a HEPA filtration system. HEPA is the gold standard for air filters and for good reason: these filters are able to trap even the smallest of particles. How small?
Well, according to the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, true HEPA filters can trap 99.97% of dust particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter. To put that size into perspective, an average human hair is about 50-150 microns in diameter. So a HEPA filter can trap allergens that are several hundred times smaller.
Size Matters
Air purifiers are meant to be used in a specific-sized environment. There are industrial-sized purifiers that can clean several thousand square feet of space while other purifiers are meant to clean only a small bedroom.
You’ll first need to decide where you will want your air purifier to go and measure that room so you can purchase a unit that can handle the job. Many people purchase more than one air purifier so they can have one in each of the rooms they spend the most time in. For instance, one in the living room, one in the bedroom, and on in the home office.
How often an air purifier filters the entire volume of air in a space is called the Air Change per hour rate (ACH). If you are purchasing an air purifier to help with allergies, we recommend looking for units with a higher ACH rate.
Some other features you may want to consider are:
- Wheels for mobility
- Handle for picking it up and moving it from room to room
- Remote control access
- Digital controls
- Fan speed
- Programmable timers
- Filter change indicators
- Air quality sensors
The Best Air Purifiers for Allergies
Now that you know some of the features you should look for in an air purifier if you want it to help relieve your allergy symptoms, let’s look at some specific models that have been designed with allergies in mind.
Austin Air Allergy Machine® B405 Air Purifier
The Allergy Machine® is great for those suffering from seasonal allergies as well as asthma. In fact, in a third-party study, this air purifier was shown to reduce emergency room visits for allergy and asthma sufferers.
Austin Air features a 360-degree intake system, meaning air is drawn in from all sides. This allows for a higher ACH rate. A true HEPA filter will trap sub-micron particles such as pollens, dust mites, pet dander and mold spores.
Distinguishing Features
- Medical Grade Air Purifier
- 360° All Steel Perforated Intake
- 4 Stage Filtration
- 5 Year Warranty
Whirlpool® Whispure™ WPPRO2000 True HEPA Air Purifier
If you’re looking for a machine that can handle a large room and clean the air over 100 times per day, look no further. The Whispure can purify a 22 ft x 23ft room in as little as 13 minutes, or over 100 times per day! Plus, the unit features a smart auto sensor that monitors air quality and adjusts accordingly to keep you breathing easy.
And the unit isn’t called Whispure for nothing. This is one of the quietest units available, making it great for bedrooms. Beyond the true HEPA filter, which will trap those allergens, a charcoal pre-filter will also remove odors and VOC gases.
Airfree Onix 3000 Filterless Air Purifier
In order for your air purifier to work optimally, you’ve got to remember to change the filters, and often. If you’re not the type to remember, the Airfree may be just the purifier for you.
Airfree’s awarded design is filterless, so there’s no maintenance required. The highly efficient TSS air sterilizing technology zaps whatever lurks in your air, like pet dander, bacteria and pollen, eliminating it completely.
The Airfree also happens to be COMPLETELY quiet, so is excellent for bedrooms and home offices. It really doesn’t get any easier than this purifier, just plug it in and let it do its job.
To learn more about any of these purifiers and the features they offer, simply click on their brand name to be taken to their information page.
Need Help Deciding?
Are you on the fence about which air purifier you want to purchase? Don’t hesitate to give us a call. We can help you determine which unit will fit the size of your room(s) best and answer any other questions you may have.
We like to say we’re not in the business of selling air purifiers, we’re in the business of helping people breathe easier.
