Air Filters for Allergies – 4 Useful Tips
While it may not seem like it, spring is right around the corner. In just a few weeks, the grass will be green and lush again, crocuses will spring up, and trees will be bursting with new leaves. The season of hope and rebirth is a joy to nearly all unless you suffer from allergies.
Once spring springs and the pollen count is out of control, allergy sufferers want to hide indoors again until fall. Unfortunately, even this strategy won’t help.
It’s easy to think that your home’s air conditioning system will remove the allergens from the air. But without suitable air filters for allergies, you’ll still sniffle and sneeze your way through the season.
For those not allergic to pollen, you’re not immune to allergy symptoms either. Heat and humidity in the summer create the perfect conditions for the growth of mould and mildew, which can bring on allergy symptoms.
If your home has a central HVAC system, it can easily be turned into a “whole-home filtration system” by installing a better air filter. The most cost-effective option is a disposable filter with a MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating of at least 11 — the higher the MERV rating, the better. This type of filter will catch particles including pollen, pet dander and mould, without impeding airflow.
Learn the facts about choosing the right air filters for allergies with these tips that can help reduce your suffering this season.
Tip # 1 About Air Filters for Allergies
Regular Air Filters Cannot Trap Allergens – They may be a great deal at the big box store, but ordinary paper filters are designed to catch large particles like dust, which can accumulate on the unit and reduce its efficiency. Tiny particles like bacteria, pollen and mould slip right through, recirculating throughout your home.
Air filters for allergies can block smaller particles, cleaning your air more thoroughly. They are called “High Energy Particulate Air” filters or, more commonly, HEPA filters. HEPA filters are constructed from densely packed layers of glass fibres, and the best ones can trap more than 99% of the dust, smoke and pollen in your home.
Tip # 2 About Air Filters for Allergies
Your ordinary HVAC filter is designed to protect the equipment, not your sinuses and lungs. Sure, when changed regularly, they will keep some dust from the sir, but they have little effect on the microscopic particles that cause the sneezing and wheezing of allergy season.
If you suffer from allergies, you need special air filters designed to filter out those tiny particles.
Tip # 3 About Air Filters for Allergies
Filters need to be changed more often than you may think – To be truly effective, HEPA filters for allergies need to be changed more frequently, particularly during the heavy pollen season. They need to be changed at least every other month, and in some cases monthly.
Tip # 4 About Air Filters for Allergies
Not all HEPA filters are equal – Having a HEPA filter installed in your HVAC system is essential to alleviating allergy symptoms. However, to get the best results, you need to check the MERV ratings of the filter.
HVAC HEPA air filters for allergies are rated by how well they block different sizes of particles. This rating system is called MERV, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. These ratings range from MERV 1 to MERV 20, and the higher the number, the more capable the filter is of removing the tiniest particles, including pollen. You’ll want a filter with a minimum MERV rating of 11 in your home to block the particles that cause allergy symptoms.
If you want an air filter that will help ease your allergy symptoms, Reliable Home Environment carries a wide range of MERV 11 and higher air filters for every make of HVAC system. If you’d like advice, installation help or a high-quality air filter for allergies, give us a call!