How Air Purifiers Can Double The Quality Of Your Home Air.

Air Purifier: Air purifiers are best described as appliances designed to remove impurities from the surrounding air. Hygienically treated air has been scientifically proven to be of value to asthmatics and those inclined to allergies. If you are in the market for a good quality air purifier then you should find the following information invaluable in your decision making.

What are the Benefits of Air Purifiers?

Benefits vary from person to person but in particular those that are sensitive to allergens - for example dust, pet dander, pollens, mould spores, dust mite faeces and even smoke particles. A good air purifier will reduce house cleaning due to high levels of dust removal from the air. Energy use and electromagnetic radiation emissions are minimal and completely safe.

What Air Purifier Should I Choose?

Not all air purifiers will remove the same types of impurities so it is important to make sure you understand what your personal needs are. If trapping larger particles is important then you would need a HEPA filter. HEPA filters can remove 99% of 0.01 to 0.3 micro-meter particles. They are not effective for particles of 0.01 micro-meters or less. For particularly dusty rooms you should attempt using a pre-filter in front of the HEPA filter to arrest the very fine particles.

Air particulates of 0.3 micro-metres or more are best extracted with an HVAC at MERV 13 or larger. If you are wanting to extract powerful chemicals and strong odours then it is suggested you use activated carbon filters and then follow this up with a HEPA filter to remove the smallest particles. Moulds, bacteria and viruses should be removed with photo-catalytic oxidation (PCO) - this is quite often incorporated with HVAC systems.

Ionizer air purifiers operate with charged electrical surfaces to bond to air impurities. These are very effective for large size homes, however, they do emit small amounts of ozone which is environmentally unfriendly so they are much less popular. A further suggestion for larger full size houses are Ozone Generators - these are excellent for removing strong odours that are not easy to remove with other types of air filters. They generate large amounts of ozone gas and are only suitable in unoccupied properties.

What to Look for When Investing in an Air Purifier?

Some of the things you should be looking for include making sure the air filter does not produce any unhealthy gas by-products, generates a low level of noise, how often the filters need to be replaced, level of power consumption and that the visual aesthetics are to your liking. Most air purifiers generate very low levels of ozone gas and, with the exception of Ozone Generators, are perfectly safe air purifiers to use. Be careful not to buy an air filter that is described as HEPA-type, HEPA-like or 99% HEPA as these are not true HEPA filters as far as govt standards are concerned.

U S Consumer Reports recommends air purifiers, air cleaners or air filters for your home and your office - particularly where people experience allergies or asthma. If you’re looking for more detailed information on this topic then I unreservedly recommend the U S Environmental Protection Agency and its Science Advisory Board directive called Indoor Air Quality.