New to Air Purifiers? Start Here

Given the state of the world right now, it seems like everyone is frantically stress-cleaning their homes and trying to promote good health as much as possible. Don’t forget, in the chaos of sanitizing doorknobs and washing your hands, that the quality of indoor air is every bit as important as anything else inside of your home. An air purifier is one way to ensure that the air you’re breathing inside of your home is clean and fresh and not dust-clogged and choking.

What Does an Air Purifier Do?

As its name indicates, an air purifier works to purify the air inside of a room. The contaminants and germs in the air around you are filtered through the machine and it works as sort of a reverse vacuum, sucking the stale air in and pushing out clean air back into the room to circulate. This includes things like pollen, dust and other contaminants that might worsen the symptoms of allergies or asthma.

What Kind of Features Are Important in an Air Purifier?

If you suffer from hay fever or someone in your home is an asthma sufferer, then there are definite features you should be looking for when shopping around. Some of the most important features include:

• Getting the most air coverage that you can get for the price you pay. Measure the room that you plan on using the machine the most often (Area = Length x Width to determine square footage) and check out what the size requirements are for a typical air purifier. If the numbers are within the same range, then the machine will work in the room.
• The amount of time between replacing filters. It’s not cost-effective to be buying a new filter every week if your current filters are quickly overworked. The better your purifier regulates the air in the room, the less often you should be replacing the filters.
• Is the purifier multi-stage; that is, does it go through more than one part of the purifying process to ensure the air you’re breathing is safe and clean? A multi-stage purifier will have multiple layers of protection that include a HEPA filter (which will catch pet dander, pollen and mold spores, especially during allergy season) and a UV light (a silent airborne bacteria killer).

Are Air Purifiers Expensive?

Like anything else, it ultimately comes down to what you’re looking for in a product and where your budget lies. It also matters which brand you choose. You might be one of those people who have the utmost loyalty to a certain brand and only buy products bearing that name. Fair enough, you have your reasons. If, however, you are looking for a more affordable option then check out some lesser-known but still excellent brands, which might include:

• Levoit Vital 100 Air Purifier. Standing at only 12.8 x 6.4 x 16.1 inches, this portable little machine packs a mighty punch: It 100 covers 500 square feet in 30 minutes and 300 square feet in only 18 minutes. Its price is very affordable and best of all, it can be tucked out of sight when it’s not in use.
• GermGuardian AC4100 Air Purifier. Resembling a portable speaker, the GermGuardian has a multi-stage purifying process that filters up to 78 square feet of space.
• Holmes Desktop Air Purifier. Extremely affordable and user-friendly, 109 square feet of coverage is promised to you. It comes in three speeds and contains a multi-step process for cleaning the air.

Are They Worth It?

In the end, you are the one who knows best how your household operates and what works best for your family. If you think that you would benefit from using an air purifier, choose one and see if your notice a difference in your breathing quality. It might surprise you.