Indoor Allergies Prevention

Indoor Allergies Can Be Controlled

There has been much written on the subject of allergies and the indoor environment, but I am going to share with you some truths about the issue you will not read anywhere else. Over the years, I have developed a method to control indoor pollutants with ‘knowledge combined with technologies’. It is possible to make your home ‘a haven’ in a few weeks by using just one of these technologies.

The Cause of Indoor Allergens?

There are a few causes such as chemical sensitivities and pollen but for the most part indoor allergies are caused by microscopic (sub-micron) dust particles that contain allergens. Sub-micron particles that are less than 5 microns in size are referred to in the industrial hygiene field as ‘respirable’ particulates. You may be asking, “What does industrial hygiene have to do with in-home allergies”? It applies to any and all indoor environments which have dust particles. Breathing respirable particles long-term can lead from mild to severe allergic reactions including various chronic respiratory disorders.

What is a micron?

Each cubic foot of air in your home can contain up to millions of particles. Particles are commonly measured in microns, a metric unit of measure. There are 25,400 microns in one inch. Approximately 98-99% of all particles by count are in the size range of 10 microns or less and the majority of harmful particles are 3 microns or less in size. A human hair can range from 40 to 300 microns.

Why are Respiratory Particles Harmful?

The average person breathes in about 16,000 quarts of air per day. Each quart of air breathed in contains some 70,000 visible and invisible particles. That’s potentially a billion particles per day taken in by our respiratory system.

Respiratory particles typically remain in the lungs for the body to process. They will often lodge themselves in the mucous membranes and the linings of your lungs. Your body’s immune system can be seriously be impacted by certain particles in this size range when inhaled.

Respiratory Allergens?

Most all persons are allergic to the two allergens below; they just have different tolerances and symptomatic reactions. The two most common respirable allergens which are prevalent across the US are:

  • Dust mites and their fecal matter
  • Cockroach and similar insect parts

Even though these two allergens are generally considered the most prevalent, there are at least a hundred more which can cause allergic reactions in the indoor environment.

Controlling Respiratory Allergens?

Even though it is impossible to totally remove these sub-micron respirable particles, it is possible to control them to a level that you will have minimal allergic reactions from them. One concept you must first understand is that you are attempting to remove something from the indoor environment which you cannot see. A respirable particle is about 20 times smaller than a particle to which the human eye can see. In fact, I have measured respirable particles in home environment with a laser particle counter and have never seen any home with particle counts lower than 50,000 particles per cubic foot.

There is only one cleaning technology which will remove a respirable particle from your indoor environment. It is the High Efficient Particulate Air (HEPA) vacuum and HEPA air purifiers. Electronic or ion air purifiers will not remove them nor will any other Non-HEPA product claiming to do so. My warning to you if you plan on purchasing a HEPA vacuum or air purifier is that you do your homework and get a high-quality unit. There are many ‘HEPA Type’ models on the market that do clean particles from the air but do not trap the particles under 5 microns.

How do you Use the HEPA Equipment?

If you or others have allergies then I highly recommend the following cleaning schedules:

  • Daily use of a HEPA vacuum for the first week cleaning all surfaces throughout entire house
  • Weekly use of a HEPA vacuum thereafter
  • Daily use of a HEPA air purifier in commonly used rooms
  • Daily use of a HEPA air purifier in bedrooms of allergy sufferers
  • Use a high quality (the most pleats available) pleated filter in your air handling unit. This filter will not remove respirable particles but it will lesson the particle load your vacuum will pickup thus requiring less vacuum and purifier maintenance

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