A whole-home air purifier removes potentially harmful impurities to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). Whole-house systems can clean all the air in a home multiple times an hour. This can have a wide range of health benefits for your entire family.
Easier Dust Management
Dust is by far the most significant challenge when it comes to maintaining good IAQ. It’s more than just dirt. Dust is an amalgamation of dirt, pet dander, skin cells, insect matter, and other pollutants. In addition, dust soaks up gases and chemicals from the air around it. It extends the life of those toxins and continues to emit them into your air over time. Dust is inevitable. The best strategy to win the battle against it is regular dusting and using a vacuum with a HEPA filter. However, installing an air purifier can significantly boost your efforts by capturing dust particles every time your heating or cooling system runs, helping to keep your air and home cleaner.
Avoid Respiratory Irritation and Inflammation
Airborne pollutants irritate your respiratory system and make it more difficult to breathe. Pollution can irritate your eyes, nose, mouth, throat, and lungs. It can also impair cilia, which are the tiny hairs in your nose that filter out particles. Clogged cilia can exacerbate the situation by making your body’s filtration system less effective. Irritation makes you less comfortable and puts stress on your body. It can also lead to inflammation, which is your body’s immune response to the irritation.
Allergy Relief
Household allergens can cause temporary allergies in anyone. Symptoms can include headaches, watery eyes, running nose, sore throat, and other symptoms. The severity of the symptoms depends on how concentrated the allergies are. For millions of Americans, allergies are much more serious and the sixth-leading cause of chronic illness. Long-term allergen exposure can cause the onset of more serious allergies. Short-term exposure can trigger allergic reactions more often and make the symptoms more severe. Many air purifiers have a high-efficiency particulate air filter. HEPA filters trap over 99% of all allergens.
Mold
Air purifiers can effectively capture most airborne mold spores, especially those equipped with HEPA filters. Some advanced systems even use ultraviolet (UV) light to neutralize mold spores, reducing their ability to reproduce. However, if there’s a significant amount of mold in the air, this often indicates active mold growth within your home that an air purifier alone cannot address. It’s crucial to remove mold outbreaks and address the underlying moisture problems in your house that contribute to mold growth.
Asthma Management
Individuals with asthma and other serious respiratory conditions face increased health risks due to air pollution. Prolonged exposure to pollutants can contribute to the symptoms of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic respiratory illnesses. Manufacturers design quality air purifiers to filter the air throughout your home multiple times per hour, a metric known as air changes per hour (ACH). According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a minimum of 4 ACH is recommended for maintaining healthy indoor air quality. Many whole-home air purifiers on the market can achieve 5 ACH or higher. Healthcare providers often recommend systems capable of delivering 6 ACH or more to ensure cleaner, safer air for those with asthma, severe allergies, or other respiratory conditions.
More Restful Sleep
Modern sleep experts link poor indoor air quality to disrupted sleep patterns and exacerbated sleep apnea. Airborne pollutants can cause respiratory irritation and inflammation, which continue to affect your breathing even while you sleep. This irritation can lead to snoring in individuals who don’t typically snore and can worsen it for those who do.
Also, poor air quality can trigger sleep apnea episodes, both temporary and chronic, or exacerbate existing conditions. Even without severe symptoms, respiratory irritation can interfere with deep sleep cycles. Disrupted deep sleep can prevent you from reaching the most restorative stages of rest, impacting your well-being over time. By maintaining cleaner air throughout your home, an air purifier supports better sleep, helping you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day in the morning.
Less Fatigue
Poor indoor air quality can leave you feeling fatigued. Airborne pollutants, such as dust, mold spores, and chemical fumes, can irritate your respiratory system, making it harder to breathe and reducing the efficiency of oxygen intake. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests exposure to indoor air pollutants can cause symptoms like tiredness and headaches, which can affect your energy levels throughout the day.
In addition to respiratory irritation, pollutants can trigger inflammation in your body. This inflammatory response diverts energy from other bodily functions, leaving you feeling drained more quickly.
An air purification system can help alleviate these issues by filtering out airborne contaminants that contribute to fatigue. By improving indoor air quality, you can create a healthier living environment that supports better energy levels and reduces feelings of tiredness.
Better Cognitive Function
Scientific research has long shown a connection between air pollution and cognitive abilities. In areas with high ambient pollution, the older population experiences cognitive decline at a higher rate than elsewhere. People of all ages can experience the effects in the short term too, and it’s not limited to outdoor pollution. Cleaner air reduces stress, improves mental outlook, and enhances the speed and effectiveness of decision-making.
Reduced Risk of Airborne Illnesses
Airborne illnesses are often spread by bacteria and viruses lingering in indoor air. You are more susceptible to infection when your respiratory systems become irritated or inflamed due to poor indoor air quality. Reducing exposure to airborne irritants can help lower the likelihood of illness within a household.
While traditional air purifiers capture many particles, they don’t significantly reduce bacteria or viruses. However, advanced air purifiers with UV lamps or professionally installed UV systems within HVAC ducts can effectively neutralize pathogens. According to the EPA, UV-C light is particularly effective at inactivating viruses and bacteria. Quality systems eliminate over 99% of these contaminants from your indoor air. This makes UV-equipped systems a valuable addition for households seeking to reduce their risk of airborne illnesses.
Lower Exposure to VOCs and Other Toxic Gases and Chemicals
Air purifiers equipped with absorbent filters, like activated carbon, are highly effective at removing harmful gases and chemicals from indoor air. One of the biggest concerns in homes is exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They are released by household cleaning products, paints, and new furniture. VOCs can cause a range of health issues, from headaches and dizziness to more serious long-term effects. Activated carbon filters help capture these harmful compounds, significantly improving indoor air quality and reducing their potential health risks.
Install a Whole-Home Air Purifier in Canterbury or Nashua
If you want to install a whole-home air purifier, Joyce Cooling & Heating Inc. is here to help. We have served the residents of Nashua, NH and the surrounding areas since 2007. We can also help with all your heating and cooling needs. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced team members.
