Most of us suffer from the same, endless problem of having dust in our homes. No amount of dusting and cleaning helps and you can literally see particles floating in the air. Fortunately, there is a solution today – air purifiers. These rather affordable solutions claim to reduce the amount of particles in your room drastically and thus improve the quality of air. They are a new technology and there are features about them that you ought to be aware of, before you go out and get one.
Why buy an air purifier?
An air purifier is not a vacuum cleaner replacement. It isn’t going to suck in all the dirt and grime off the floors. Its primary purpose is to use fans to pass air through filters that remove particles from the air. This means the air purifier is great for cleaning up the air of fine fur, smoke, dust, odours and pollen, and more.
Where should I use the air purifier?
The air purifier is most effective when left in a room with the doors and windows closed, or it defeats the purpose, if you have dust blowing in through the windows. Air purifiers rarely purify the air in your room in 15 to 30 minutes, so you need to keep them running for extended hours in a single room, rather than move it from one room to another. Once the quality of air has improved, the usage can then be adjusted. A good idea is to keep the air purifier running at night, perhaps when you have your air conditioner running.
How do I know what capacity is right for my room?
There are no strict parameters to let you decide on what air purifier will be most effective for your room. Some terms used by manufacturers are Air Change Rate (ACR) and Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). Higher the value, the higher capacity the air purifier is. Some manufacturers might even tell you what volume of air they can purify. The higher capacity, the more air the purifier is likely to purify. Most of these performance numbers are contributed by the number of fans, their sizes, their speeds and filters. The higher performance air purifier merely speed up the process of cleaning the air, but they are not as critical as say, choosing the right capacity air conditioner for your room.
What types of filters should I look for?
Air purifiers come with a whole bunch of filters that can filter all kinds of particulates. Having more of these typically gives you the sense of security and good hygiene. Most of the products are marketed having the HEPA filter which cleans very fine particles from the air. There also different grades of pre-filters that filter out slightly larger particles. Some products use UV lamps that kill organic bacteria too. These features are found on more expensive products. Another feature on advanced models are ionizers that can help settle very fine particles in the air. Activated carbon filters are designed to remove odours from the air. The more filters the better, but pay close attention to the pricing that best suits your needs and how polluted the air is in your area.
What about maintenance and filter replacement?
Air purifiers use filters that get dirty over time. This mean they either need to be cleaned, while some others need to be replaced. Figure out beforehand, what kind of filter your air purifier might use, how much it costs to replace it, and how often you need to do this? Filters typically aren’t too expensive to replace. Some purifiers might even have washable filters that you can clean yourself and re-fit into the purifier.
Smart features are part of air purifiers
Some of the newer air purifiers come with all kinds of smart features. This means, you can now control your air purifier using your phone. All the necessary statistics and information are also available at your disposable. Most of these air purifiers use WiFi and connect with your home router to transmit the information to you. These air purifiers might have apps available for your device.
Finding a quiet model
Air purifiers need to function for long hours, so it is important they don’t emit a constant hum because of the fans. Manufacturers typically list out the noise levels for the air purifiers in the specifications listing. Some air purifiers even come with a turbo mode that speeds up fan to improve performance but this mode is typically audible and recommended, when you’re not in the room.
The finer things
Not everything about the air purifier is about the purifying features. Aesthetics and design are part of the deal. Look for products with good designs that fit perfectly in your living room or bed room. Products even come with intuitive features such as speed indicators, and indicators meant to remind you to clean or replace the filter. Some air purifiers might indicate the quality of air and even let you set timers so the air purifier turns itself off after a specific time. Some of these features are also available through purifiers that use apps.
We offer a wide range of air purifiers on our site that you can purchase straight off our web site. If you would like to see an air purifier in person, you can also visit our stores.
