Are Air Purifiers Worth It: The Truth and 9 Causes to Buy One in Your Home
Are air purifiers worth it or are they a sham by home appliance manufacturers? They can help reduce dust, and pollutants and improve indoor air quality. Yet, air purifiers have a few limitations.
Let’s head towards the quick answer to know if they suit your space!
Quick Answer
The following things give proof that Air Purifiers are worth it:
Traps Pollutants: Air purifiers filter can also catch dust mites, bacteria, and viruses in the air. The prefilter catches larger particles, while High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA Filter) traps up to 0.3 microns of small ones.
Reduce allergy: These are highly essential purchases for those with respiratory diseases who are sensitive to pollens, animal fur, and strong scent odors.
Eliminates odors: This is particularly helpful for people who smoke or cook frequently. This can be useful in homes with poor ventilation. These eradicate odors and paint smells.
Decreases Smog: People who reside in urban areas or in close proximity to wildfire-prone areas must have these.
With its numerous benefits, it does have limits to its abilities. What are those? Read below.
The Working Phenomenon of Air Purifiers Explained!
Air Purifiers models have a few differences among them however majorly their operations are the same. Here is how it goes:
These devices utilize fans to draw air into one or more filters.
It then successfully captures various harmful pollutants.
The cleaned air is then reintroduced into the surrounding environment.
They may differ in weight and shape, portable air cleaners can be conveniently moved from one room to another. In some cases, they can even be attached to a wall or placed on desktops.
For more details on the working phenomenon, check out this video.
Should I Invest in an Air Purifier?
Now how can you decide if you need an air purifier or not? I have listed its functions and advantages below.
Let’s read to see if it fulfills your requirements and if you will be getting value for the money.
1. Effective for Cleaning Dust Particles
Air purifiers are not just effective in purifying the air in a room. They also help to keep the home cleaner overall. With the aid of a HEPA filter, a purifier can capture many types of airborne particles such as:
Dust,
Mold spores,
Dust mites,
Human skin cells,
Hair,
Pest debris.
2. Help Dealing with Asthma and Allergies
If anyone suffers from respiratory diseases, asthma, or allergies due to other pollutants, air purifiers can be counted in the treatment plan.
So using these appliances, one can get rid of the problems mentioned above.
3. Tackle Unpleasant Smells
In order to make the home lively and filled with great energy, it needs to be pleasant smelling. An air purifier featuring an activated carbon filter can effectively eliminate odor-causing elements.
This is particularly useful for people who are allergic to air fresheners.
The smell can stem from:
Cooking
Tobacco smoke particles
Garbage
Fungus
Even humans
4. Air Purifiers Clear Shedded Pet Hair
Pet owners can rely on them as they:
Collects hair that your furry friends shed.
Sucks dead skin cells and pet dander from the air.
Removes any stink caused by the pets.
This is particularly useful to those who are allergic to pet hair. By running an air purifier anyone can make the indoor environment safe for themselves and friendly for their animals.
One should know that many household items can release harmful toxins into the air for up to two long years. This process is known as chemical off-gassing.
It happens through the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These items can include:
Building materials
Adhesives
Wall paint
Furniture
Cleaning products.
If one is exposed to these, especially in poorly ventilated spaces it is likely to cause harm. Use an air purifier to decrease its concentration from indoor air and healthy living.
6. For Trapping Airborne Viruses and Bacteria
Microbes and pathogens such as bacteria and viruses can be present in the home. These can cause various illnesses. Air Purifiers are considered a valuable investment in order to get rid of these. Here’s how:
Bacteria: Purifiers with a True HEPA filter can effectively capture most of these as air circulates through the system.
Virus Particles: Using an air purifier equipped with an ultraviolet light that destroys the DNA structure of viruses may be more efficient.
Airborne mold spores can be a significant problem for many households. The use of a portable air purifier can help capture these spores.
They will not be able to grow. To effectively kill their growth, a purifier should have:
True HEPA filter,
Activated carbon filter,
Ultraviolet light.
It will also reduce unpleasant odors providing a cleaner and healthier environment that is considered ideal for living.
8. Effective in Clearing out smoke
Air Purifiers can help remove smoke particles and odors. These cause annoyance and are also harmful to health. This is how it works:
Activated carbon filters: They can remove the odor caused by any type of smoke.
True HEPA filters: can catch visible airborne particles and smoke grains.
People who smoke, have poor ventilation in the kitchen, or live near an area that is prone to wildfires should definitely get an air purifier.
9. Keeps Informed about House’s Indoor Air Quality
Many air purifiers come equipped with sensors that can measure the following:
Level of pollution in the surrounding air.
It detects indoor temperature, and,
Humidity levels.
This information is commonly displayed on the air purifier unit itself or on a connected app:
It displays detailed particle counts or simple colored indicators such as green, amber, or red.
Color coordinates with the quality of the air.
Are Air Purifiers worth it? Check out this video for clarification.
What Are the Limitations of an Air Purifier?
As mentioned before, these devices have some limitations. The Home air purifiers work and clean only the room they are placed in. The rest of the house remains full of indoor pollutants.
Read on as we explore more of its drawbacks!
1. Can Not Completely Get Rid of Germs
Air purifier does a great job of catching germs and breaking down viruses. However, you can not rely fully on it. The reasons are:
Other Rooms Remain Untreated: Portable air purifiers can filter out germs, but only in the room it’s placed in.
Viruses on the Surface Can’t be Trapped: If the germs are not airborne, it is not possible for air filters.
You have to wash your hands, clean the surfaces and help to not introduce outside germs in the house while you use the air purifier.
2. Can Not Always Keep Up with All the Pollutants
Portable air purifiers are excellent to clean air pollution and enhance indoor air quality but arrangements for natural ventilation should also be made. Fresh air breeze can help get smoke and odors out speedily, letting the oxygen in, and cooling the indoors.
Note: In case you can not open windows and doors, go for the mechanical ventilation system. These have HVAC air filters that do let dust and other undesired particles enter.
3. Most Air Purifiers Can Not Clean Dangerous Chemicals
Unfortunately, only some advanced air purifiers help remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor spaces. It needs to have carbon filters to remove (to some extent) the smells of:
Paint
Furniture
Cleaning products
Aerosol sprays
VOC can contain formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, and acetone. This causes allergies, irritation, and breathing problems. An air filter can fail to remove these. In this case, utilize natural ventilation and mechanical air purification systems.
4. Dusting is Still Mandatory
Air purifier does improve indoor air quality, making the air cleaner and dust free. However, you will still need to wipe the surfaces, mop the floors, and do the vacuuming.
Should I Buy Air Cleaners for My Home?
You by now know, what can air purifiers do and can’t do. Let’s settle if you should be buying one and if is it suitable for your home or office. Read the checklist below.
Who Should Buy Air Cleaners?
Use the list below to assess what task you want an air purifier to accomplish. If 2 to 3 points align, then it will be a useful purchase. Here you go!
Do you or anyone in your household suffer from allergies or asthma? An air purifier can help to remove allergens and irritants from the air, potentially reducing symptoms.
Are you looking for a cleaner home with less dust, pet dander, and other particles floating around? It can trap these particles before they settle on surfaces.
Want to reduce odors in your home, such as from cooking, smoking, or pets? Look for an air purifier with an activated carbon air filter to remove odors.
Concerned about airborne toxins and pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and mold spores? Air purification can help to remove these from the air you breathe.
Do you want to reduce your risk of getting sick, especially during cold and flu season? A good air purifier can trap viruses and bacteria, potentially reducing the spread of illness.
Who Should Not Buy Air Cleaners?
Portable air purifiers help with improving air quality but do you require one? If you do not experience the following, do not invest in an air purifier. However, if 3 to 4 are correct for you, purchasing one can be great for your health. Let’s read!
Your home is consistently dust-free and doesn’t require frequent cleaning.
There are no unpleasant or persistent odors in your home.
You have a robust immune system and are rarely affected by common bacteria and viruses.
Neither you nor anyone in your household smokes.
You do not have severe allergies or asthma and can tolerate airborne allergens like dust, pollen, mold spores, and pet dander.
Your pets do not shed excessively or produce noticeable odors.
You haven’t recently renovated your home or used household cleaners that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The air quality in your home is already excellent.
Yes. A good air purifier does make a difference. It can trap particles such as pollen and dust that cause allergies, clear smoke, reduce odors, and clean air. This enables you to breathe in a healthier environment.
Is there a downside to air purifiers?
There is no downside to an air purifier. Portable HEPA air cleaners are safe and do not produce Ozone gas like Ionizers. The only thing one must consider is that they can be damaged and need filter replacement.
It is possible that its clean air delivery rate becomes less with usage. Clean and replace the multiple filters to ensure their best performance.
Is it good to use an air purifier every day?
It is good to use an air purifier every day to continuously improve air quality and get rid of airborne pollutants. As the air change will keep bringing these into your home. Just make sure to timely clean and replace the HEPA filters and Pre-filters.
Conclusion
If you are looking to breathe cleaner air indoors and want to rid of gaseous pollutants, then an air purifier is worth your money.
Having a filter that helps trap harmful particles like pollutants and allergens, makes air purifiers safe to use. This results in clean air and ultimately a healthier lifestyle.
So are you purchasing one of these? Let me know in the comments section. I would love to know about your decision.
Danny is a passionate writer who loves to share his knowledge about air purifiers. He’s been writing for 10 years, and he’ll share all that experience with Very Well Home viewers to help you make the best decision when it’s time to buy an appliance!
