Cart 0

Are Room Air Purifiers Really Effective?

Administration Staff

Clean Air Healthy Home Image-Clean Air PlusThese days, the problem of indoor air pollution is becoming common knowledge. That's the main reason why room air purifiers have enjoyed such a spike in popularity over the last decade or so. The health benefits that are associated with high quality air purifiers have convinced millions of people to invest in these machines. With the EPA reporting that indoor air quality is three to five times worse than outdoor air, many people are considering the purchase of a quality room air purifier. But how can you tell if an air purifier will be truly effective?

The concept behind an air purifier is simple: It draws in air from the surrounding area, filters it of impurities and then returns it back as clean air. The most basic models of air purifiers eliminate things like mold, pollen, pet dander, dust mites and other common airborne particulates. However, there's a whole lot more that goes into making an effective room air purifier. The size of the particles that it is capable of filtering and the volume of air that it is capable of handling are the most important considerations.

What Makes An Effective Air Purifier?

Before buying an air purifier to improve the indoor air quality of your home, it helps to have an idea about what an effective one will do. As mentioned above, an effective room air purifier will be able to draw in very small particles - and it will be able to process a large volume of air. If not, there is no point in having one in the home. After all, if your air purifier can only process a tiny fraction of the air in a room, and can only capture a tiny percentage of the pollutants in that air, then it's not going to bring many health benefits to the table.

The Importance of Air Filters

The most important component of any air purifier is, unquestionably, its air filter or filters. For this reason, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) certifies and tests room air filters in order to gauge their performance and their effectiveness. Two basic ratings are involved: The Initial Staining Dirt Efficiency, which measures how effective a filter is against tobacco, grease and other things, and the Average Arrestance Test, which measures what percentage of things like hair, lint and dust are processed. Room air purifiers that use well-rated filters work the best.

About Air Contaminants

When we talk about air contaminants and airborne particulates in regards to size, it's important to note that these microscopic particles are measured by the micron. One micron is very small - only about 1/25,400 of an inch. It is critical to use an air purifier that can cull even incredibly small and microscopic particles from the air, and not just those that are visible to the naked eye. After all, much of what we breathe in is not even apparent to us.

Why HEPA Is the Gold Standard

Now that you have a bit of an idea about how airborne particulates are measured - and why it's important to find a room air purifier that can pull even impossibly small particles from the air - it's time to talk about the gold standard in air filters: HEPA. HEPA - or High Efficiency Particulate Air - filters are the absolute best in existence today. They can pull 99.97% of airborne particulates from the air - including those as small as 0.3 microns in size. Therefore, HEPA air purifiers are the machines that you should turn to when you seriously want to clean the air in your home.

Clean Air Plus Logo

Clean Air Plus is a veteran and family owned small business. We represent the leading manufacturers in HEPA filtration including Austin AirIQAirAmaircareOransi and  Airpura. Shop online or call one of our friendly experts at 888.247.1147. We'll be happy to help.




← Older Post Newer Post →