For a person to get their money’s worth from purchasing an air cleaner, three criteria need to be met:
- A person must have severe enough allergy or asthma symptoms to warrant aggressive avoidance measures.
- A person must be allergic to these airborne indoor allergens, verified through testing.
- A person’s home must have a significant level of airborne indoor allergens, such as pet dander or indoor mold.
The first criterion is best answered both by the person affected with allergy or asthma symptoms, and by the physician taking care of that person. I often consider any person who requires a daily controller medicine for their allergies or asthma, caused by indoor allergen exposure, severe enough to warrant the use of an air cleaner. A person’s allergist, with the use of allergy testing, best answers the second criterion.
The third criterion is probably the most important and yet the least understood. Some allergens, such as pet dander, particularly dog and cat dander, and common indoor molds are typically small enough that they will be airborne and therefore able to be filtered using an air cleaner. Larger particles, however, such as dust mite allergens, cockroach allergens, pollens and outdoor molds typically settle on the ground and so can't be normally filtered from the air.
In my opinion, using an air cleaner for filtering outdoor allergens, such as pollens, from the indoor air, doesn’t make a lot of sense. Since you can’t easily carry an air filter around with you, it doesn’t make sense to have an air filter in the home to filter outdoor pollen out of the air. A cheaper and better option is the close windows and doors in the home in order to prevent the outdoor pollen from coming indoors in the first place. If a small amount of pollen enters the home when windows or doors are opened momentarily, the pollen is large enough to settle to the floor, where an air filter can’t catch it.
What type of air cleaner should you purchase? Find out what Dr. More recommends.
Source:
Sublett JL, Seltzer J, Burkhead R, et al. Air Filters and Air Cleaners: Rostrum by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Indoor Allergen Committee. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010;125:32-8. DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this site is for educational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for personal care by a licensed physician. Please see your physician for diagnosis and treatment of any concerning symptoms or medical condition.
