Why use an air purifier?
Formaldehyde decoration materials do not pass the test, and the volatilization time is long. High pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene are the culprits leading to acute leukemia.
During the high incidence of pollen in spring, people who are susceptible to allergies are likely to be recruited. Symptoms such as nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes sometimes occur. Children have poor resistance and are prone to abnormal behaviors such as anorexia, hyperactivity, irritability, and lethargy, lack of concentration, and discontinuous speech.
As long as the mites have bedding, there will be no escape from the mites in the house. In addition, the wet and rainy weather will accelerate the reproduction of mites. If you keep pets, it will undoubtedly worsen the situation.
Second-hand smoke contains more than 3,000 chemical substances, which are extremely harmful to children's health, induce asthma, coronary heart disease, and other diseases, and can also cause lung cancer, oral cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and other malignant tumors.
Natural air is PM2.5. It has a large area and strong activity. It is easy to carry toxic and harmful substances. It stays in the atmosphere for a long time and travels a long distance.
Quick tips for choosing an air purifier
- Find out where to place the air purifier so that you can choose the right size for your space.
- Find an air purifier that can filter out pollutants suitable for your family or health needs (for example, removing pet dander or cigarette smoke).
- Comparing CADR levels can show how effective air purifiers can filter specific pollutants.
- Choosing HEPA filter ( gold standard of indoor air purifier) device.
- Check the noise level (listed in decibels) in the product specifications. Depending on where you use the air purifier, quieter equipment may be required.
- Calculate the daily maintenance and electricity costs of the air purifier so that you can budget beyond the budget of the first purchase.
- Unless money is not an issue, skip bonus features, such as application integration.
Choose the right air purifier according to the size of your room
The first step in filtering out the air purifier (no pun intended) is to figure out how much space you want to clean the equipment. Small desktop devices cannot play a role in larger living spaces, and larger heavy-duty air purifiers may cause excessive lethality in children's bedrooms.
One way to find the most suitable is to look at "air changes per hour". This indicator may already be included in your air purifier specifications. It can help you understand the actual operation of filtration because a smaller air purifier can flip the air in a 350 square foot room eight times in an hour, while only processing it per hour in a 700 square foot room Four breaths.
You can also compare the delivery speed (CADR) of clean air, which we will introduce below.
If you are not sure how much space you need to clean, it is best to buy a larger air purifier than you think you need without exceeding your budget.
Types of pollutants filtered out by air purifiers
Some air purifiers are better at filtering certain types of pollutants than others. For example, if you are most concerned about cigarette smoke, you may need a different device than someone who owns a pet in a zoo.
The level of air purifiers depends on their filtering effect on pollutants of different sizes. Although most air purifiers are similar overall, some air purifiers are more effective than smoke in capturing dust and dander (and vice versa).
If there is an unpleasant smell, you will need to find a purifier with an activated carbon filter, such as Coway Airmega 400.
If you want to improve the overall air quality, look for a purifier, such as Coway AP-1512HH Mighty, which performs well in all aspects.
What does the CADR rating of an air purifier mean?
Most air purifiers are affixed with a clean air delivery rate (CADR) number, a metric developed by the Association of Household Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), which helps consumers understand how the equipment can filter various particles of a specific room size effect.
For example, a CADR of 200 for pollen means that the air purifier can reduce the concentration of pollen, which is equivalent to adding 200 cubic feet of fresh air per minute.
Generally, the greater the number, the more particles the air purifier can remove, and the larger the room for cleaning equipment can be reasonably expected.
If you want to buy an air purifier to clean the air of a COVID-19 patient, Consumer Reports recommends that its recommended room size be CADR 240 or higher.
Some air purifiers have a single CADR number, while other air purifiers have a different CADR number for smoke and similar small particles, dust, pollen, and similar large particles.
The EPA warns that for typical room size, the CADR rating of most air purifiers is insufficient to effectively remove large pollutants such as dust mites and cockroach-related allergens.
Also, remember that the CADR rating of the air purifier reflects the best situation. These numbers are determined in a controlled test environment. Various variables in the home (such as ventilation or humidity) may prevent the air purifier from reaching its optimal rating.
Finally, not all air purifiers are tested using CADR systems. The manufacturer of IQAir HealthPro Plus (one of our recommended models) did not submit the device to AHAM for testing. Read independent reviews to understand the operating conditions of the air purifier.
Types of filters used in air purifiers
We recommend that air purifiers use mechanical filtration, which means that their filters physically capture the pollutants that pass through them. Your air purifier may have at least two such filters: a pre-filter, which can capture large particles such as pet hair, and the main filter, which can absorb smaller pollutants.
There is not much difference between pre-filters. Some are washable (or vacuumable), while others are disposable. In the long run, the latter may cost you more, but other than that, there is nothing to compare.
What really matters is the main filter of the air purifier. Generally, you will need to look for an air purifier that uses a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which is a standard recommended by the EPA and the American Lung Association.
The HEPA filter can capture 99.97% of particles of 0.3 microns (one-millionth of a meter) or larger, and due to technical reasons, almost all smaller particles can be captured.
Looking through it, the smallest object that can be seen by the average human eye is about 70 microns in size. The human eye may be able to distinguish scattered light airborne particles that are only 10 microns in size.
You may find equipment that promotes "HEPA-type" filters, but in fact, it does not meet the HEPA filter level requirements. Due to the untested single HEPA filter, it is difficult to say that the performance of the HEPA-only filter is always worse than the actual HEPA filter.
However, the best option is to use a purifier that uses a HEPA filter or a "True" HEPA filter, which has the same meaning.
Some purifiers also have additional filters usually made of activated carbon or charcoal, which can trap gases, volatile organic compounds (VOC), and odor compounds.
If you live with smokers or have pets, these additional filters may help, but they are designed to absorb only a limited amount of specific compounds, so they must be replaced regularly to be effective.
Some air purifiers advertise relying on ionizers or ultraviolet (UV) filtration processes. The effectiveness of these devices has not been fully proven. They may also produce ozone, which is an irritant to the lungs, which may worsen, rather than worsen, any problems related to breathing.
The Howe AP-1512HH Almighty has an ion generator that can be turned off. The Blueair Blue Pure 211+ and Blueair Blue Pure 411 have negative ion air purifiers built into their proprietary HEPASilent filter, but their manufacturers say that they rarely produce ozone. This pure enrichment PureZone 3 in 1 true HEPA air purifier has UV light.
How much noise does the air purifier make?
Most air purifiers have internal fans, which draw air through a series of filters. Some of these fans have almost no sound, especially at low settings. When you turn on other sounds, the other sounds will buzz.
For example, if you use an air purifier in a bedroom or baby room, you may want to choose a device that is relatively quiet even at higher speeds.
You will find the noise level range measured in decibels in the device specifications. We have seen air purifiers, such as Blueair Blue Pure 411, which are rated as low as 17 dB (similar to rustling leaves). Other equipment, such as Austin Air HealthMate HM400, can reach noise levels above 60 dB (similar to AC equipment 100 feet away).
How portable is the air purifier?
Some air purifiers are lighter and more mobile than others. The smallest air purifier sits on a table or shelf and can be easily moved between different rooms.
Larger and heavier air purifiers are best kept fixed, although some have casters for easy carrying. If you want to use the air purifier in your home office during the day, in the living room at night, and in the bedroom at night, you need a smaller device or a rollable device.
As we have already mentioned, the size of an air purifier is closely related to the size of the room that can be effectively cleaned. Therefore, the best choice for a nursery is not the right choice for a family room that is three to four times larger. Bigger.
If you plan to install an air purifier throughout your home, then you will need to find a satisfactory medium between size and portability.
Maintenance cost of air purifier
If your budget is limited, the upfront cost of the air purifier is important, but don’t assume that once the equipment is installed at home, you can complete the payment for the equipment. You must change the filter regularly.
The cost of filter replacement varies from machine to machine: some filters are expensive and have a service life of several years, while others use cheap filters that require frequent replacement. In addition, although some pre-filters are washable, the HEPA filter itself is disposable and must be completely replaced.
Before buying an air purifier, calculate the annual maintenance cost and compare that cost with the cost of any other air purification equipment you might consider using.
The energy efficiency of air purifiers
Air purifiers are most effective when they are running almost continuously, so you also need to consider your electricity bill. Some of the air purifiers we recommend have passed Energy Star certification, but each air purifier consumes different power depending on the fan speed you use.
Small air purifiers like Levoit LV-H132 usually consume less energy than large air purifiers, but they clean much less space.
On the other hand, air purifiers rated for use in large rooms and with higher fan speeds (such as Coway Airmega 400) tend to absorb more energy.
Some air purifiers have an "energy-saving" mode that can power off the device and put it on standby when its sensors no longer detect pollutants in the air.
Generally, you can find the estimated energy consumption of the air purifier in the product specification. We have seen that low-power devices are said to consume only 1.5 watts, while high-power devices consume up to 200 watts. You may not even notice the former’s impact on electricity bills, but the latter may add up.
Additional features of the air purifier
Some air purifiers have other functions, such as:
- Filter replacement indicator
- Dimming and display of options
- Programmable timer
- remote control
- Smart functions (digital assistant and/or application integration)
These additional features may bring some convenience to the air purifier, but they may not be worth the extra money to get. For an example of what these functions do, you can set a calendar reminder to change the air filter according to the air purifier’s maintenance schedule.
Our top air purifier choice, Coway AP-1512HH Mighty, includes some of these good features and is reasonably priced. But in general, if you are concerned about budget issues, I suggest you prioritize other factors.
There is no single air purifier for everyone. When you buy an air purifier, always check the CADR grade and filter type first to understand how effective the air purifier is for your specific needs.
Once you have identified an air purifier that can provide the best filtering effect for common pollutants in your home and is sized to fit your space, please evaluate secondary features such as noise level and portability. Also, make sure that the energy cost and daily maintenance costs of the air purifier are within your budget.
Here we go with a brief overview:
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