How to Choose the Best Air Purifiers
Nowadays, indoor pollution has become a serious problem. Modern buildings are designed to be energy efficient, keeping warm and cool air inside. Because of this the air inside your home can be up to five times more polluted than the air outside. And this dirty air is trapped in the home. With the average American now spending a lot more of their time indoors, it is more important than ever to keep the air in the home or office as clean as possible. The best air purifiers will remove allergens and other pollutants to help you breathe cleaner, fresher air.
The Most Common Indoor Pollutants
In the average home, molds and dust are very common pollutants. Bacteria and viruses, along with pollen are also major problems. And if you are a pet owner you will know the problems that this brings.
VOC’S or Volatile Organic Compounds, like solvents, pesticides or cleaning materials all hang about in the air. Even fragrances from perfumes can cause allergy and other health problems.
What To Look For In An Air Purifier
The best air cleaners will be able to remove dust, smoke, odors and pollen from the home or office. To ensure you have the best air purifier for the job you will need to consider some options.
- The air cleaner should have a high Clean Air Delivery Rate, or CADR, which is a measure of how many cubic feet of clean air the unit can deliver per minute. You will get best results if you choose an air cleaner which has a CADR rating of at least 50 for every 80 square feet of space in the room.
- HEPA filters in an air cleaner are best at removing airborne allergens and other pollutants. These filters are known to remove at least 99.97% of pollutants measuring as little as 0.3 microns.
- There are some air purifiers now which have electrostatic ionizers, enabling them to charge the airborne particles and trap them, or make them heavy enough to fall to the floor. But this can bring it’s own health problems, as during operation the cleaner produces small amounts of ozone.
- Many of the best air purifiers are fitted with activated carbon filters that take away unwanted smells, tobacco smoke, toxins and gases. They will also trap VOCs.
Do your homework when you are researching your air cleaner. Some purifiers can be annoyingly noisy, so make sure you check out the reviews.
The Best Air Purifiers
Look for online reviews of air purifiers that you are interested in. Top selling HEPA air purifiers include IQAir, Honeywell, Allerair, and BlueAir. The variety of brands and models to choose from is huge, and can become confusing to consumers. But reviews written by people who are actually using the product provides you with valuable information, and can help you to make your mind up on the make and model that is best for you.