Best Air Purifier: Dust Removal During Modesto’s Almond Harvest

Everyone knows that around harvest time it can get a little nutty in Modesto. In fact, the San Joaquin Valley is the largest producer of almonds in the entire world. But along with that kind of production comes a lot of air pollution in the form of dust. Almond harvesting produces 41 pounds of dust per acre, almost ten times the dust created by wheat and cotton harvesting. But both local almond producers and the EPA have worked hard over the past twenty years to control and reduce the amount of dust creating poor air quality in Modesto. Thankfully, these efforts have stalled any advancement in air pollution in recent years, even though production has continued to grow. And efforts continue to be made to reduce the amount of dust polluting the air.

Homeowners in Modesto can protect the air in their homes by using an air purification system. They not only help with dust, but can eliminate other allergens like pet dander, smoke, and mold. While your air conditioning unit filter can remove some of the particles from the air that circulates throughout your house, it doesn’t have the fine sieves that an air purifier has to remove the smallest particles created by many airborne allergens from pollen, dust, and mold. So, what’s the best air purifier for dust removal in your Modesto home? The one you take the time to research, and install.   

Do Air Purifiers Remove Dust?

An air purifier works kind of like a colander in reverse, where you put in the fresh fruit or vegetables and wash away dust and dirt. Instead, air purifiers hold tight to dust particles so your air is what stays fresh and clean. Air purifiers must be capable of removing very fine particles from the air in order to be effective. The common air conditioner filter can capture particles 10.0 microns or larger, but this does not include many smaller particles like dust, smoke, chemicals, asbestos, pollen, and pet dander.

The two main types of particulate air purification systems:

• HEPA technology: These use a special type of filter, called a High-Efficiency Particulate Air ( HEPA) filter to remove fine particles from the air. The standard that HEPA filters must meet is to trap 99.7% of airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns. The more times air passes through this type of filter in an hour, the cleaner the air gets.
• Carbon technology: This of air purification system uses a filter made from activated carbon to filter out allergen and dust particles. This type of carbon is very porous, giving it a large surface area to absorb particles. Carbon is capable of filtering out many chemical particles from the air, making them ideal for people with multiple chemical sensitivity.

What Does an Air Purifier Do for Allergies?

A lot of people probably think of an air purifier as a machine that gets rid of all the bad smells in your home, but it’s actually a lot more. Depending on the type of system you use, you can eliminate a host of particles that can irritate allergies and cause respiratory issues for you and your family. A few of the major types of particles that an air purification system can eliminate are:

• Dust: For arid climates like we sometimes experience in Northern California, dust can be a real issue for allergy sufferers. This is doubled for residents of towns like Modesto where agricultural dust is also added into the mix. An air purifier with a HEPA filter, though, can eliminate most, if not all, of the dust that finds its way into your home.
• Pet dander: Pet dander isn’t just your cat’s hair, it’s the combination of saliva from your furry pal and their hair that creates it. The dander then finds its way all over your home, on furniture, in beds, causing anyone with a slight allergy to sniffle and sneeze. But an air purifier can snuff out dander in a matter of hours leaving you and your guests breathing easy.
• Pollen: Spring and summer bring beautiful flowers and greenery all across the countryside, but that also means more pollen. In some places, pollen particles can be so prolific that they can coat surfaces like your car in shades of yellow. Anyone that has allergies to pollen knows how miserable it can be to spend time outside during pollen season, but pollen can make its way inside on your clothes and pets too. That’s why it’s important to have an air purification system to filter those particles out. Some air conditioner filters can remove the larger particles, but those smaller ones are best handled by an air purification system with a HEPA filter.
• Mold: Mold and mildew can be a problem any time of year, indoors and out. All you need is a warm damp place for it to grow. Homes with basements are especially prone to mold. Spores from mold can travel from those damp, dark places to other rooms in your home, but an air purifier can filter them out of the air before they have a chance to affect you.

How Does the Best Air Purifier for Dust Removal Work?

Modesto is a city of health conscious folks. Exercise and healthy eating are a large part of keeping you and your family healthy, but one thing that’s hard to control are allergy symptoms. An air purification system in your home can have a huge positive impact on keeping you and your family safe from miserable symptoms from dust, mold, and allergens. So, how does the best air purifier for dust removal work?

• Eliminates dust: Dust is no joke in Modesto, especially during the almond crop season. But no matter what time of year, you can control the amount of dust in your home with an air purifier. Dust can travel in through windows and doors and even on your clothes and pets just like other outdoor allergens. But an air purifier can filter these fine particulates out of the air.
• Relieves allergies: Whether you have seasonal outdoor allergies or indoor allergies like mold and pet dander, an air purifier is the answer to keeping you breathing comfortably.
• Eliminates odors and freshens air: If you and your family are lucky enough to escape most common allergies, an air purifier can still be beneficial to your home. Any type of debris like dust, dirt, and smoke from fireplaces can be filtered through your air purifier keeping your air clean. It can also filter out odors like those from pets, keeping your home smell fresh.

With spring in full bloom and summer around the corner, it’s a great time to get out and enjoy some of the beautiful California weather. Allergy sufferers here in Modesto may have to take extra precautions while outside, but they can breathe easy inside with a home air purification system.

Air purifiers will eliminate most outdoor allergen particles that may find their way in, as well as those created in your home, like pet dander and mold. Even non-allergy sufferers can benefit from an air purification system that cleans and freshens air. An air purification system will keep you and your family illness free so you can enjoy the warm weather outdoors, then come in and enjoy the cool, clean air inside.

Any time of year is a good time to install an air purification system in your home. Bell Brothers can give you the information you need to find the right system for your home.

Image courtesy Unsplash user Austin Ban