Air Purifiers

Clearing the Air on What to Look for in an Air Purifier

Looking For Home Air Purifiers
When looking for a home air purifier, there is such a wide range of options that finding the right .....

If you are dedicated to improving the indoor air quality of your home, youre aware that there are certain steps you need to take to reduce the amount of allergens and airborne particles. Two of these, source control and ventilation, you may have already addressed. But the third, finding a good air purifier, can be confusing if you arent sure what to look for in this type of home appliance.

Fortunately, once you understand the basic types of air cleaners and how they work it becomes easier to select the right style of air purifier for you and your family. There are also organizations like the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) who review and certify air purifiers annually using a standardized testing and ratings system to make it easy for you to compare different models to one another.

What Kinds of Air Purifiers Are There?

Ozone Air Purifiers These release small amounts of ozone (positively charged oxygen molecules) into the air to reduce airborne

pollutants. They also are very effective at reducing odors, and will sometimes give off a fresh, sharp scent rather like the odor after a

thunderstorm.

Electrostatic Air Purifiers These use static electricity to draw airborne particles to the filters contained in the unit. The particles stick

to the filter. (Who knew something so annoying could be so handy?) When the filters are full, you throw them out and replace them. These are usually used as a furnace filter or as a pre-filter component on some other type of air purifier (such as an ozone or ionizer system).

Electro-Static Precipitators Similar to an electrostatic purifier, these also use a static charge, but there are no filters to throw

Air Purifier Ratings
Before you shell out any money for an air purifier, you want to make sure you are getting your money's worth. You can find this out .....

away. Instead, two metal plates create two opposite electrostatic charges.

These attract airborne particles, including dust, smoke and pollen, to one of the plates. When the plate is coated, you can remove it, rinse clean and use it again. Ionizers These release a magnetic charge into the air that will cause airborne particles to stick to the filter.

HEPA Filters HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters, and are designed to remove 99.97% of airborne pollutants as they

pass through the filter. Trapped germs die from lack of moisture, making them ideal for operating rooms and electronic labs. HEPA filters are sometimes added to an existing system such as your heating and/or air conditioning unit.

Air Purifier Types And Benefits
Considering the amount of irritants that are present in the air today, those who suffer from allergies and other .....

Each of these types is good for different situations, and you can also find many air purifiers that combine two or more methods for greater efficiency. More important than the particular method you choose is how effective it actually is. No matter which kind you have or how much you paid for it, if it isnt doing the job, youve wasted you money.

How Do I Know if the Air Purifier Im Considering Will Do the Job?

There are two things to look for any time you shop for an air cleaner: the MERV and the CADR. These are ratings developed to help you compare one brand and style of air purifier to another, regardless of whether they are ionizers, electrostatic, or ozone, and get an idea of their relative efficiency.

Whats a MERV?

MERV means Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) developed a range of numbers to help consumers compare filters. The higher a MERV number, the better a filter performs.

A filter generally has two features that will be important to you: how quickly the air can flow through it and how well it filters out pollutants. The higher a MERV number, the more dense the filter and the more particulates it will capture.

Okay, whats a CADR?

We mentioned CADR earlier, and it is the most important rating to look for overall. It stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate, and is exactly what it sounds like it tells you how quickly it will circulate clean air throughout the room, filtering all of the air through the filtering system once. Currently, twenty-nine manufacturers of air purifiers list their CADR rating on their packaging so that you can easily compare them to each other.

Standard Air Purifier Vs. Ionic Air Purifier
There is increasing awareness among consumers today about the need to have clean air within a room, home, and building. Living in towns and .....

You should look for an air purifier with a CADR number that is equal to about two-thirds the size of the room you will be using it in. For instance, if you have a 10 X 15 room (150 square feet), then you should get a purifier with a CADR number no less than 100.

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