If you’re shopping for an air purifier, you may be finding that some manufacturers are making many claims. And most of those claims might appear too good to be true. So, it’s only expected that you might be thinking are air purifiers a waste of money.
They’re useful, according to the EPA, since they’re a fantastic approach to better your Greater Richmond residence’s indoor air quality. Modern homes are solidly sealed and thoroughly insulated, which is fantastic for energy efficiency, but not so excellent for indoor air quality.
As modern residences don’t naturally allow in as much outdoor air as aging houses, contaminants including dust, pet dander and cleaning products can build up in your home. The outcome? Air that’s more contaminated than the outdoors, which is a problem if you have allergies, asthma or are vulnerable to respiratory irritation.
Our indoor air quality pros at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling can help you cut through the clutter and choose the best home air purifier. Just contact us at 804-302-6657 and we’ll be happy to help. For now, discover more about how air purifiers work, their advantages and our advice to help you select the ideal air purifier.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
Most home air purifiers have a fan to collect air. Then, the air is pushed through one or more filters to trap pollutants before being redistributed.
These filters may include a charcoal filter, to remove odors, and a HEPA, or high efficiency particulate air, filter. A HEPA filter is at least 99.7% effective at catching tiny particles as small as .3 microns, including dust, pollen, mold and some bacteria.
An air purifier can be portable and used to treat an individual room. Or they can be fitted to your HVAC system, providing powerful filtration for your total house.
The EPA says you should know that air purifiers can’t eliminate every contaminant from your house’s air. But when used in combination with a better filter for your HVAC system, they can considerably decrease the level of indoor air pollution.
4 Pluses of an Air Purifier
Installing an air purifier in your home can provide lots of great health benefits. Here are just a couple of them.
1. Reduces Allergy and Asthma Triggers
Air purifiers lower contaminants in your house, such as some of these typical triggers:
- Dust
- Pollen
- Mold
- Volatile organic compounds, such as cleaners, air fresheners and personal care products
2. Decreases Other Issues Associated with Poor Indoor Air Quality
Even if you or someone in your residence doesn’t have allergies or asthma, an air purifier can alleviate other issues linked to low indoor air quality. These include:
- Itchy throat, eyes, nose or skin
- Headaches
- Sneezing and coughing
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Nausea
It can be hard to distinguish symptoms related to indoor air quality, because they can be triggered by many other illnesses. However, if you’re noticing that symptoms lessen after you leave home, your indoor air quality is probably causing trouble.
3. Gets Rid of Odors
Persistent odors, such as cigarette smoke or cooking smells, can be difficult to remove. If you struggle with removing persistent smells in your home, our professionals advise getting an air purifier with a charcoal or activated carbon filter.
4. Can Reduce Your Likelihood of Getting Sick
An air purifier can inactivate some bacteria and viruses under certain airflow conditions, keeping you and your household in better health even more so during winter months. To get total advantage of this benefit, our pros recommend a UV air purifier. Disinfecting ultraviolet light provides an extra layer of protection against airborne pathogens.
Air Purifiers to Skip
You’re better off without select air purifiers. Here are several options to skip when choosing a system for your home:
- Makes ozone. Some air purifiers create ozone, which can aggravate your lungs. The EPA advises avoiding ozone air purifiers.
- Doesn’t have HEPA filters. For the best outcome, you’ll want a HEPA air purifier. Regarded as the gold standard for pure air, HEPA filters are used in the majority of healthcare settings, such as hospitals.
- Only purifies a single room. We recommend getting a whole-house air purifier, which filters the air in every room. This solution runs with your home comfort system.
When you call the indoor air quality specialists at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, we make it simple to buy the best air purifier for your home. Reach us at 804-302-6657 to get started breathing cleaner air now!