In the midst of all of this craziness with the coronavirus, my family has been active in pursuing better indoor air quality.
I read recently that the coronavirus can be airborne, so air purification has never been more important.
We purchased some portable air purifiers for our rooms, but we wanted to make sure we had whole home air purification as well. As I was reading online, I saw something about how hospitals use HEPA air filters. I didn’t know what a HEPA air filter was so I did a little research. HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air filters) air filters are better equipped to filter out dust, dust mites, pollen, pet dander, mold, skin flakes and- most importantly- viruses. I found out that, like most homeowners, I was using MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) air filters! There is really nothing wrong with MERV air filters and, in normal cases, I would be happy to stick with the MERV air filters. We are blessed to not have to worry about seasonal allergies in our family, so the MERV air filters typically get the job done. The HEPA filters come at a cost- well, two costs because they are more expensive. HEPA filters, since they have such a high particle-capture rate, do restrict airflow much more than do MERV air filters. This essentially means that I am trading quick indoor comfort and climate control for a higher particle capture rate and indoor air quality. Given the current state of affairs, I’ll take the hit to indoor comfort and climate control in favor of improved indoor air quality (at least for the next few months or so).