Air purifiers can bring many benefits to the home. Whether individuals suffer from bad allergies, or homeowners want to rid their home of the dander that their pets leave behind, home air purifiers are best suited to the task. But choosing the right air purifier is not always an easy task. There’s a lot of jargon to understand, and some purifiers are better suited to some tasks than others.
So how exactly does one choose the best air purifier for their needs?
Start with the Reasons for Buying an Air Purifier
When trying to choose the right air purifier, it’s essential to evaluate what the air purifier is being bought for. Is it going to remove odors, for example? Or is the aim to eradicate the harmful allergens from the room?
The reason this consideration is so important is that each air purifier is tailored to a specific solution. While one air purifier may specialize in removing cooking smells from a room, another may be great at removing harmful bacteria.
Knowing which contaminants are the focus will help to narrow down the search for the right purifier. Once decided, it’s important to review the different types of air purifiers to understand how each method works.
What Are the Different Types of Air Purifiers?
Broadly speaking, there are two dominant types when it comes to air purifiers. One is ionic air purifiers, and the other is true HEPA filter air purifiers.
Ionic Air Purifiers
This technology does not use a paper filter to capture harmful particles within the air. Instead, it operates by emitting charged particles into the immediate atmosphere that attach themselves to pollutants and contaminants.
After they combine, they either drop to the floor, or they are collected on an electrostatic plate if the purifier is equipped with one. Ionic technology has the benefit of being able to microscopic particles, often smaller than the HEPA filter is capable of.
However, there is a big issue with ionic air purifiers, which is that while the harmful particles fall to the floor, they can quite quickly become disturbed and redistributed back up into the atmosphere, starting the whole process all over again. What’s more, the charged particles emitted by an ionic air purifier can have harmful effects on asthmatics.
It’s for these reasons that ionic air purifiers are at the cheaper end of the air purifier scale since they often cause as many problems as they solve
True HEPA Filter Air Purifiers
A better solution is to buy an air purifier that comes with a true HEPA filter. Not only is it a better choice for those who suffer from allergies and asthma, but this filtration system also has the ability to remove 99.97% of harmful particles from the air.
Potentially harmful toxins such as pollen, pet dander, mold spores, and dust are all collected by a physical filter contained within the air purifier. Better still, those particles remained trapped within the filter, making reentry into the air impossible.
When assessing HEPA filet air purifiers, it’s vital to look for the term “true HEPA” as this distinction serves as the benchmark of the Department of Energy (DOE) standard of filtration (99.97%). “HEPA Type”, “HEPA Like” and other similar terms denote filters that are not of the same quality.
Additional Air Purifier Features to Be Aware Of
While there are two main types of air purifiers, there is a range of other features that will help to understand both the properties and performance of an air purifier. By assessing those metrics, homeowners can make an informed decision about which is the best air purifier for their particular needs.
Carbon Filters
While ionic and true HEPA filters are efficient technologies for capturing harmful contaminants, neither of them is particularly useful at removing odors or smells. However, by adding a carbon filter, manufacturers can offer odor elimination qualities to air purifiers.
This great for eliminating unwanted cooking smells, smoky odors, and unwelcome aromas produced by household pets. Those looking to have both the freshest smelling air as well as the cleanest are best suited to an air purifier with a carbon filter attached.
Clean Air Delivery Rate
This metric is more commonly referred to as CADR. This numerical value will demonstrate how quickly an air purifier can clean the air within a room. A CADR rating is given in CFM, which stands for cubic feet per minute.
Generally speaking, the highest the rating, the faster the specific particles are cleared from a room. For example, a 300 CFM purifier will clean a 300 sq. ft. room faster than a 200 CFM. This measurement is most commonly used for pollen, smoke, and dust, which are both the smallest and most unwanted harmful air particles.
Air Purifier Size and Range
Air purifiers vary on their size or range for optimal performance. Those looking for an air purifier must choose one that is capable of cleaning all of the air within the intended space. Purifier ranges are usually denominated in sq. ft. within the product’s specifications.
As a general rule, the bigger the air purifier, the more extensive the range. That’s why it’s essential to measure the room in question before ordering an air purifier to make sure that a purifier's field of operation matches the room’s size.
So which are the best air purifiers to buy?
Best for Large Rooms – Colzer True HEPA Air Purifier for Allergies Mold Dust Up to 1300 Sq Ft
This air purifier has a vast range, cleaning the air in rooms up to 1300 sq. ft. It has a CADR of 400 CFM for dust, pollen, and smoke. It comes with both HEPA and activated carbon filters, and it’s great for trapping allergens, mold spores, and dust in particular. This Wi-Fi-enabled model has a child lock, sleep mode, and an automatic mode.
Best for Allergies – Inofia True HEPA Air Purifier with 2 Filters for Pet Dust Smoke Allergens
This is another model from the Inofia brand at a more affordable price point. It still manages in a pack in a range of over 100 sq. ft. with two filters specially designed to pet, dust, and smoke allergens with a rating of 330 CFM for each. This model has smart monitoring with a colored LED display that visually represents the air quality.
Best Compact Model – Colzer EPI-186 Air Purifier
This compact and lightweight Colzer air purifier only weigh an astounding 8.1 pounds! Despite its small size, it still manages to pack in a true HEPA filter, and a composite material filter which helps to take care of smoke, dust, allergens, odors, pet dander, and harmful bacteria over an area of 450 sq. ft. It’s also perfect for bedrooms with a quiet sleep mode that keeps noise down to just 29 decibels.
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Conclusion
Air purifiers offer an excellent way for homeowners to clean the air they breathe, either for themselves or for their children. By purchasing an air purifier, individuals can eradicate bad odors, eliminate harmful pollutants, and remove items such as pet dander with just one device.
The models mentioned above represent just a fraction of the available products; the full range of air purifiers can be viewed here. Shop now to take advantage of our free shipping and a 10% discount with code “SALE10”.