Air Purifiers

The average person spends about 90% of their time indoors with countless pollutants floating around in the air around them. Pollutants like dust, bacteria, germs, mold spores, viruses, pet dander, smoke, pollen and more. They hide in your carpets, walls, even on our clothes. And thanks to today’s airtight doors and windows in our homes and offices, the air you’re breathing can be toxic. The situation can be exasperated when you have asthma or allergies. If you are in this predicament or just want to breathe in purer, fresher air then an air purifier can be your new best friend. An air purifier can help reduce pollutants and allergens in a room or in some cases your whole house. Some air purifiers can also lessen or eliminate odors.

In order to get the cleanest air, and the best value for your money, you will need to research air purifiers carefully before buying. One option is to find an air purifier by visiting stores and asking questions, but some of the best information to be found is online. Since many manufacturers are out to move their product first and foremost, they may make claims that their air purifiers don’t necessarily back up. To get the full truth, try to find as much independent testing information as you can. Here are a few key elements to look into when buying your air purifier:

Choose a type of air purifier. Most air purifiers use either ionic air purification or filters.

Ionic or ionizer air purifiers use very small levels of positively and negatively charged particles to attract particles to collecting plates or filters. For example, airborne particles entering an air purifier are positively charged; and the collection media is negatively charged causing the two to attract to one another.

Filters remove particles from the air by trapping them. The higher standard HEPA (high efficiency particulate arresting) filters are required to remove 99.97% of particles. Just be sure that you are getting the real deal and not an imitation. Models with true HEPA filters have the capacity to capture pollen, dust mite, mold spores, pet dander, and other common indoor allergens that are as small as 0.3 microns. Units that have HEPA type filters are less efficient as compared to ones that have true HEPA filters.

Decide if you want additional features. Air purifiers can come equipped special features, such as odor removal. Most air purifiers use activated carbon filters to help remove odors, such as pet odors, chemical smells and smoke from the air. Make sure the filter you choose removes or neutralizes the odors rather than just masking them.

Pick a size of air purifier. Some air purifiers are small enough to wear around your neck, while others are appropriate for an office desk, small room, large room or the whole house. An air purifier should say how many square feet of air it’s designed to filter.

Think about maintenance costs. Check to see how often the filters need to be replaced, and how much they cost. Some air purifiers have filters that can be vacuumed or washed, which can save money, but this may also cause more problems with allergies than replacing the filter. Make sure that replacement filters or parts are readily available.

Determine noisiness. Find out how much noise the air purifier makes, especially if you plan to let it run constantly or in your bedroom at night. The data sheet or customer service department should be able to give you the noise level in decibels.

Determine energy requirements. Find out how much energy the air purifier uses, especially if you plan to use it all the time. Some air purifiers are designed to be energy efficient, or certified by Energy Star.

Compare prices of various air purifiers. The costs for air purifiers vary widely, from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. Although price can be a sign of quality, more expensive air purifiers are not necessarily more efficient or reliable. Make sure to include the cost of running the air purifier, including filters or replacement parts and energy costs, in your comparison.

Pick a style of air purifier. Make sure it is a good fit in the area you want to use it. Keep in mind that many air purifiers need to placed at least several inches away from walls in order to maximize air circulation.

Do your homework on name brands. Check retail outlets, or surf the Internet, and find out what air purifier brands there are, what makes each one unique, and how much each brand costs. Some popular brands include Honeywell, Austin, Blueair an IQ Air.

Learn from others mistakes, or smart steps. Read air purifier customer reviews. There is nothing better than getting information straight from people who have went through the buying process before you. This can easily help you weed out the air purifiers that don’t do what they say they will do.