What do we do about the allergy triggers in the home?

The question should be, "how do we manage our lives well with allergies?" The answer must be found in source control. Know what you're allergic to. Where is that showing up in your daily workflow? Is there a mold issue in the house? What's the ventilation like? Are there allergy triggers in my bedroom? 

I maintain that we use a whole-house approach — washing your linens, your bedding, removing allergens, looking at cleaning products, looking at the "cozy culprits," like candles, and cooking. The latter are things that increase particulates in the indoor environment. Can they be avoided?

It's all about controlled burden. For allergens, just as we saw with covid, it's wearing face coverings and washing your hands and, then, it's ventilation: as much as you can, move the air and bring in clean air. There are obviously issues regarding heating and energy efficiency, and sometimes you aren't able to move the air or open windows, but once that's controlled, then filtration plays a role.

What are air filters?

Air filters are the devices that are built into your home's HVAC system, which you normally have to change out every few months. They clean your HVAC system and can remove large particles such as dust mites, pollen, mold spores, and lint. Some air filters are HEP (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters and can filter out smaller particles like tobacco smoke, bacteria, and pet dander. 

An air purifier removes or neutralizes contaminants that a standard air filter cannot. Some can be installed in your HVAC's air handler, and some are portable. 

However, there needs to be more work done around these definitions. People think purification needs augmented technology like UV Light, oxidation, and plasma technologies. Generally, people bucket those in their minds. They purify the air as an ionic component, and an air filter is just a medium. And it can be expensive to pull all your air through media-based filtration.

The conversation really needs to be around the outcome. What's my outcome? My outcome is healthy air, which can probably be delivered in many ways. Ultimately, we're after healthier air with fewer contaminants in it.

Do air filters and air purifiers help with allergies?

Both air purifiers and air filters help with allergies, but it's not one size fits all. For instance, if your asthma allergies don't have an airborne trigger, an air purifier probably won't benefit you as much as if your allergies are triggered by an emotional or a stress response. It's about doing a bit of investigating and knowing what you are allergic to, and air filters can be part of your overall approach. And healthy indoor air is good for everybody, not just those with allergies or asthma.