What is an air purifier and why should you have it

What is an air purifier and why should you have it

An air purifier is a machine that eliminates contaminants from the air in a place. These contaminants are dust mites, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, germs, tobacco smoke, household goods and pesticides etc. Why should you eliminate these contaminants? These air pollutants can induce asthma attacks, as well as itchy eyes, sneezing, and runny nose. Tobacco smoke can create even more serious health effects, covering lung cancer, according to the American Lung Association.

The market is full of air purifiers and you have to understand why you should purchase one or another. When choosing an air machine, first consider your indoor air condition needs. If you have allergies, choose an air purifier designed for allergy, if asthma then air purifier for asthma and so on.

You don't need to have any specific need to purchase an air purifier.

You can use them to improve your indoor air quality and create a healthier living area for you and your family. I recommend you use an air purifier in your bedroom or in the room you waste the most time in. Regular air filtration helps reduce potentially dangerous contaminants from your air, either the pollutants are added during cleaning, drawn in from the outdoors, or just stirred up with day-to-day life.

What you should know about your next air purifier

•          Size and best location for it
•          Features
•          Noise level
•          Maintenance

Size and best location for it

Each air purifier can cover a certain area. The more powerful an air purifier is the larger space it can clean. This step is easy. Calculate your desired space area and compare it to air purifiers stated capacity. I just want to make a point here. If you have 500 square feet large area choose an air purifier which points 600-800 square feet. In this case, you will be able to run your air purifier with lower speed and so it will be cheaper to maintain and less noisy.

Now about actually air purifier's sizes. There are available small desktop air purifiers, tower air purifiers, medium to large-sized portable air purifiers and whole-home air purifiers. Well, in my opinion, it doesn't matter much because mostly the more powerful is an air purifier the larger it is in size. So for small rooms small air purifiers which you can place anywhere. For large rooms large machines.

The location is much more important than air purifier size. Always place an air purifier closest to the pollution source. For example, if someone is a smoker in your home then this is a place where you should locate an air purifier. In this way, an air purifier will quicker catch the particles that are providing you trouble.

Do not place an air purifier in the corner. They have air intakes near the front or back of the machine. You don't want to buy a plant and cover it, right? Air purifier doesn't want that either. Better hold several feet of room at the top, front, and sides for optimal performance.

Some resources says to keep air purifiers away from electronics. But I will leave this on your own responsibility because I have not tested that on my own.

If you put an air purifier close to the doors or windows make sure they are closed.

Anyway, if you have a portable air purifier you can transfer it from place to place throughout the day. You can always move it away from your way if it is disturbing you.

Anywhere you decide to place your air purifier, be sure to operate it daily so that your air purifier friend is managing your home clean and comfortable.

Air purifier features

Air purifiers have a lot of features.  Most of them you don't need. At least I don't. Some of them, on the other hand, are very useful.

Controls. For me, it doesn't matter if there are electronic buttons or digital. I just want them to be simple and understandable.

Monitor. Well, this is good but most of the air purifiers show information wrong because sensors are near an air purifier. Better use separate air quality monitors placed somewhere further away from the device.

Remote Control. This is for lazy people.

Multiple Fan Speeds. This is a must. At least 3.

Filter Replacement Indicator. I don't trust them. Just clean or replace filters by feelings.

Timer. Helps to turn on and off several times throughout the day. Helps to save energy.

Handles and casters. Great to have them. Easier to move the device.

Noise level

Most of the air purifiers have fans and they will definitely release some level of noise. If an air purifier has several fan speeds then always first ones will be quieter and last ones louder.

Most air purifier companies place a decibel (dB) number for each fan speed. Here you can see dB compared to other sounds.

Decibel (dB) Equivalents

0 dB    Hearing Threshold

10 dB    Normal Breathing Sounds

20 dB    Falling/Rustling Leaves

30 dB    Average Whisper

40 dB    Light Rainfall

50 dB    Heavy Rainfall

60 dB    Box Fan on High

70 dB    Vacuum Cleaner

Remember that noise levels are varied for each person. Even decibel results can sometimes be lying since many elements can change the sound level, including the position of the air purifier.

Maintenance

You will have to follow your air purifier condition. Regular maintenance will help you to keep your air purifier working efficiently for the longer time. The most work will be with the filters. Depending on how many air purifier filters your device runs, you might need to replace them or clean at various times. Pre-filters should be cleaned quite often. It can be 4 times per month or less depending on how polluted is your indoor air. HEPA filters last longer. You can clean them, you have to replace them approximately once a year. Sometimes more often, sometimes less. That's why when buying for an air purifier, be sure to consider the price and frequency of scheduled filter replacements.

The more often you will follow your air purifier condition the longer it will work.

Final words
More in-depth information about air purifiers you can read in this superb air purifier buying guide.