Breathe Easier At Home

If you are among the 25 percent of Americans who suffer from allergies or you live with someone who does, you know that the cleaner the air you breathe, the healthier you will be.

Danny Lipford, host of "Today's Homeowner," visits The Early Show to show co-host Julie Chen some product options for improving the quality of air in homes.

Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors. Because homes are being sealed more tightly than in the past, it has been said that the indoor air is three- to five-times more polluted than the outside air. There are several ways to improve the air quality in your home, with single room air cleaners, filters or whole house filtration systems.

Single Room Air Cleaners

Hamilton Beach TrueAir 350 Sq. Ft. Air Purifier with AirSmart System is the only Ultraviolet (UV) air purifier that retails for under $200. The Ultraviolet Germicidal Light helps kill bacteria, viruses and mold (this is the same technology that hospitals use). The Air-Smart System senses air quality and automatically adjusts for cleaner air. This air cleaner also features a Quiet WhisperClean setting that is perfect for bedrooms or nurseries.

MSRP: $199.99
Available through mass retailers, HamiltonBeach.com or call 1-800-851-8900.

Filters

There is a wide variety of filters and filter systems that you can purchase from your local home store or your heating and cooling dealer. These samples vary from $3 to over $500.

A regular furnace and air conditioner filter is available at numerous home centers and mass merchandise stores across the nation. Just remember to change your filter about once a month. Prices vary.

The Filtrete Allergen from 3M captures 90 percent of large allergens – like mold spores and pet dander – from the air passing it. This includes microscopic allergens like dust, smoke and smog particles in addition to bacteria and particles that can carry viruses. These filters can last up to three months and meet the American Lung Association Health House Indoor Air Quality Guidelines.

MSRP: $14.99 - $17.99 per filter
Available at home centers, mass merchandise and hardware stores across the nation.
3M.com

There are a variety of washable filters that are available at your home center. Simply cut the filter to the size that fits your return air grill. Instead of changing the filter, you just pull it out of your return air grill and wash it about once a month. Prices vary.

The American Standard Perfect Fit air cleaner is a system that can be added to your existing central air conditioning and heating system that can make an enormous difference in the indoor air quality of your home. The American Standard 5-inch filter is great for those who don't want to change their filters monthly. Depending on conditions, this filter needs to be changed only every six to nine months. This 5-inch filter is up to 15 times more effective than a standard throwaway filter. It filters 100 percent of the air.

$500 - $1,000 (includes installation of the American Standard Air Cleaner System)
AmericanStandard.com

Whole House Air Filtration Systems

The Broan NuTone GuardianPlus ERV Air System can be installed on a new or existing home and will filter every cubic foot of air in your home. The GuardianPlus HEPA Air System offers consumers the first affordable, practical and complete answer to controlling indoor air pollution throughout sn entire home – up to six bedrooms. The system introduces fresh outside air into the home, pre-heating or pre-cooling and minimizing the humidity prior to circulating the HEPA filtered air throughout the house. It's iportant to note that this system has been approved for FDA Medical Device Registration, which is great news for the millions Americans who suffer from extreme asthma and allergies.

MSRP: Prices start at $1,600
Available through your local HVAC professional or
GuardianPlusAirSystems.com