Air Purifier Winter Allergies

Winter has traditionally been the time when human beings slow down a bit to enjoy the hearth and home. The quiet months of winter are supposed to renew us for the more active months of spring and summer. That can and should still happen, but these days it takes a little more organization and preparation to enjoy home and hearth. If you already own an air purifier and did not maintain it or check your filters in the autumn months, it is particularly important that you do so before winter. Although it may not be time to change your HEPA filter, if your air purifier has a pre-filter which can be changed, it would be a good idea to do so.

There are several reasons why. The pre-filter in your air purifier is designed to remove the larger pieces of dust, dander, and hair that are pulled into the air purifier. When you turn the furnace on for the first few times, or light the woodstove, or bring out the winter blankets, you introduce billions of particles into your environment that were sedentary during the warm months. It’s always a good idea, whenever you do any of these things, to turn your room air purifier on the highest speed for an hour or two to get the new whirlwind of particles. The dust itself can be loaded with pollens, mold spores, mites and mite fecal matter, so you want the air purifier to have full reign to pull that dust in. A clogged pre-filter will not allow this.

When we realize the aggregate of all of the allergens, particles, irritants, and just plain pollution that is in our indoor air, it is a wonder that we can breathe at all. Thankfully, the human body is an extraordinary thing and a good deal of it is prevented from getting into our lungs through the design of our noses and sinuses and the cilia which catch particles before they enter our lungs. However, the number of people who suffer from allergies is growing exponentially every year, so the body does need help. Another reason to make sure your air purifier is in good working condition, and that you have air purifier units in the key locations of your home (the places where you spend the most time) is that with winter, the last vestiges of ragweed (which can last until the end of October) and mold in dying leaves add to the list of irritants that can cause allergy symptoms.

Often the allergy symptoms are misperceived to be the common cold. A great deal of study has been done in this area in recent years. Because the symptoms are similar, runny nose, sniffles, congestion, scratchy throat, etc, many people attribute these maladies to the common cold. But the cold typically lasts about ten days, and in many of ClearFlite’s customers, these symptoms go on much, much longer. That is an indication that the problem is an allergic reaction to bad air. In the winter, when the house is closed up, it is extremely important that allergy or asthma sufferers sleep in a clean bedroom. The bedroom should have a HEPA air purifier in good working order. The air purifier should be sized appropriately for the bedroom. Pets and smoke of any kind (cigarette or woodstove) should be kept out of the bedroom. The door should be closed and the air purifier allowed to operate 24 hours a day. This will create a clean sleeping environment which will allow the respiratory system to truly rest from fighting the influx of allergens during the day.