The average adult inhales at least 17,000 times per day, with the vast majority of those breaths taken indoors. Most people in Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan would never think of guzzling unfiltered lake water or gulping down dirty food, but we take in dirty indoor air every day. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside our homes and offices is often many times more polluted than the air outside.
You can do something about it. Air filtration can remove over 99 percent of the pollutants in your indoor air. There are a range of air filtration systems on the market. Some are more effective than others.
As you might expect, most air filtration systems use some kind of filter to sift dust and other particles out of the air. However, the most effective systems combine air filters with other technologies, such as ultraviolet lights, which kill germs by altering microorganisms’ DNA or RNA, or ionizers, which use an electric charge to attract and trap air pollutants.
Each type of filter does a better job of reducing certain pollutants, so combining two or more types can give you the most effective air filtration system.
When comparing air filters, look at each one’s MERV rating, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. MERV is a scale, from 1 to 20, that rates a filter’s effectiveness. Though many home air filters rate low on the MERV scale, some rate as high as 16, which is considered clean enough for a surgery room.
To explore your air-filtration options for your Northern Indiana or Southwestern Michigan home, please contact the Home Comfort Experts anytime. As local indoor air quality professionals, we can help determine which system would work best for you.
Home Comfort services the Mishawaka/South Bend areas of Indiana.