How Your Allergies Can Benefit From Hepa Filters

Air Filters - What to avoid and how they can help allergies.

By:Bianca Bartegi

Hepa filters are the most effective air cleaning systems sold for home use. They are used in hospitals and doctors recommend them above other air filtration systems for patients with asthma or severe allergies. They aren’t energy efficient for whole house filtration systems due to the amount of energy needed to run them. For this reason, most are intended to treat one space. You may need to purchase one for the bedroom and another for the living area.

Hepa is an acronym for High Efficiency Particulate Air filter. This method is more effective at removing small particles from the air than any other filtration media. They can be used alone in an air cleaner or combined with another method, such as an electrostatic air purifier. These filters are sometimes used on another appliance, such as a vacuum cleaner or humidifiers in cold weather or a dry climate.

Effectiveness of Hepa Filters

The effectiveness of a filter is measured by the size of the particles it can remove from the air. This is stated in microns. The smaller the number, the more particles will be removed from your air. In general, you should look for a filter that will remove 99.97% of all particles 0.1 microns or larger.

These filters remove a wide variety of contaminants from the air. They are very effective at removing dust mites and pet dander, which are two very common allergens in homes. They also reduce smoke, pollen and mold spores from the air.

For the air cleaning system to be effective, it needs to fit the room. Most air purifier models are marked for the number of square feet they cover. Find out the square footage of the space where you intend to use the purifier before you go shopping. Choose one that works for a slightly larger area for best results. For example, if the room is 300 square feet, look for a system that will treat 400 square feet. A purifier that works for only 300 square feet will be less effective at removing all the particles in your air.

In most cases, these filters are disposable. For the system to be effective, the filter must be changed as needed. Follow the directions from the manufacturer for how often it needs to be changed. The more the air cleaner is used, the more the filters will need to be changed. In general, you will need to change it every three to six months.

Hepa Vacuum Cleaners

If you have an air cleaner, but you use a traditional vacuum cleaner, the air won’t be as clean as you would like. Dust and other particles in the carpet is kicked up into the air by vacuuming. This causes more irritants in the air for you to breathe. Hepa filters are being used in vacuum cleaners. The filter traps particles inside, leaving fewer irritants in the air.

Some vacuum cleaners use a single filter, while others use multi stage or multiple filters. These filters are cleanable and need to be replaced yearly. For the system to be effective, you should look for a filter that is capable of catching small particles. When replacing filters, be sure to buy the right size for your vacuum.

Bianca Bartegi works on topics like Hepa and others.

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