Living with allergies can be a constant burden. Whatever time of year it is, you may feel your symptoms come full-fledged. Beyond over-the-counter or prescription medication and nasal sprays to help deal with your allergy symptoms, maintaining clean indoor air can help combat seasonal allergies.
More homeowners are relying on UV light air purifiers to help for a healthier environment in their household. Here are just a few ways that these UV units are helping people with their overall wellness.
1. They help boost your indoor air quality.
While using air purifiers is nothing new for homeowners to help maintain cleaner air, ultraviolet light purifiers use a special type of radiation that makes them stand out from the pack. Traditional air purifiers rely on filters that require regular cleaning and changing to increase your home’s indoor air quality.
Even top-of-the-line HEPA filters can become clogged, rendering an air purifier ineffective. UV lights provide a unique option that kills off harmful contaminants. Energetic waves of ultraviolet light, known as germicidal UV, delivers a dose of radiation that wipes out viruses and other dangerous microorganisms. Research has shown these UV rays can effectively inactivate airborne microbes, and they have actually resurfaced recently in helping to combat the spread of the coronavirus in high traffic areas.
2. They help reduce allergens in your home.
UV air purifiers are a great option for people who suffer from asthma and allergies, as well as people with a compromised immune system. Instead of relying on air filters, UV light purifiers actually eliminate many of the triggers that can cause an allergic reaction or an asthma attack.
Removing these allergens and dangerous contaminants from the air and surfaces also comes in handy during cold and flu season. It’s during this time of year that the common symptoms arise from postnasal drip and the sniffles to a consistent cough and watery eyes. While the culprit can sometimes be cold viruses, there are times it’s actually your allergies doing a number on your health.
There are easy ways for you to figure out how to tell if you have allergies vs. cold. If you have a cold, that can last anywhere from a few days to a week dealing with sneezing, sore throat, and possibly a runny or stuffy nose. It’s rare to have itchy or watery eyes with a cold, but it’s not impossible. While many of the symptoms of an allergy attack, you may deal with more of a scratchy and sore throat and no general aches or pains and fever as associated with the common cold.pp
3. Filtration is consistent in your house.
No matter how often you scrub down your house, it doesn’t hurt to have a leg up on germs. Ultraviolet radiation can help to remove the particles of contaminants that can get suspended and eventually wind up on your surfaces. Air purifiers with UV light rely on both powerful light and a filter to help kill these potentially harmful particles.
Recent research has shown that 90% of airborne particles of viruses can be inactivated by ultraviolet light in about 16 seconds. Other viral illnesses may require a higher dose of UV from the electromagnetic spectrum. These UV-based units are proving to be an asset for direct air disinfection, with some purifiers being capable of replacing the air in an indoor room up to 24 times in an hour.
In conjunction with regular cross ventilation, indoor air quality can improve significantly and help to keep the symptoms of allergies, asthma, and more at bay. This type of UV radiation will have you breathing easier and not running for nasal steroid sprays or ibuprofen when the symptoms come your way.