Are you “Air Purifier Confused?”

With so many different types available, it can often be hard for consumers to decide which one is best for them. All of these air purifiers work to some degree but some work better than others. Many of them will not meet your particular health needs. Before you select an air purifier, it is important to understand how they are rated.

How To Identify Your Air Purifier Needs

When considering an air cleaner for your home or office, you must first decide if you need it for allergen, bacteria, odor, or fume control. Or, would you prefer a unit that removes all airborne pollutants?  Air purifiers are rated according to the functions they perform and well they perform for the following:

Allergies: If you are just looking for a way to reduce allergens such as pollen, than you will be looking for an air purifier that is rated as an allergen air purifier. The first choice for allergens is a HEPA air purifier (watch the Hepa Air Purifier video) because it contains a filter that captures and removes allergens. You should have an air purifier that is rated effective at removing large particulates such as pollen, as well as having a filter that removes smaller allergens such as pet dander. A quality air cleaner should be able to remove particles from 0.3 to 5 microns in size. The better rating an allergy relief air purifier has, the better it is at cleansing the air of a variety of different airborne allergens.

Viruses, Germs, Mold and Immunity: Air purifiers are also rated on how well they remove certain airborne contaminants. For instance, machines using ultraviolet light are designed to kill bacteria, mold spores, and other microorganisms. These air cleaners are tested for how efficient they are at killing different types of microorganisms. Units with a high rating indicate they are effective because there dosage is a high enough strength to sufficiently kill airborne microorganisms. Units with a low rating will not be as effective.

Odor and gas: Air purifiers are tested to see how efficient they are at removing chemical fumes, cigarette smoke, and unpleasant odors. Gas molecules are very small at 0.001 and smaller. Units that successfully remove the majority of the fume particulates in a pre-filter and then the gases and odors are removed by a gas filter will have a high rating.  Quality air purifiers that have activated carbon which contain tiny pores will be able to absorb the tiniest gas molecules. Another method of gas and odor removal is through chemical absorption. The gas molecule is exposed to a chemical agent, which breaks down the gas molecule into a harmless byproduct.

When rating air purifiers, room size, noise level, reliability, airflow, warranty, guarantee, and how well the air purifier performs (filtration) are assessed. Some of the highest rated air purifiers are those that utilize all of the technologies that remove all of the different types of airborne pollutants that include the microorganisms, allergens, chemical fumes, and smoke. Here’s a helpful video for determining the right brand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzLmRaNxYIk.

It is important to make sure that the air purifier you choose can filter all of the particles that you want removed from the air. In most cases you will find that the better and more advanced the technology, the higher the price. However, the price is often worth it as they can better cleanse the indoor air of your home or office.