If you’re shopping for an air purifier, you may be realizing that some manufacturers are spouting lots of claims. And some of those claims might appear too good to be true. So, it’s only natural that you could be questioning are air purifiers a waste of money.
They’re useful, according to the EPA, since they’re a fantastic approach to enhance your Streamwood home’s indoor air quality. Modern homes are solidly sealed and thoroughly insulated, which is good for energy efficiency, but not so excellent for indoor air quality.
As newer residences don’t typically allow in as much outside air as older residences, pollutants including dust, pet dander and cleaning products can accumulate indoors. The consequence? Air that’s more polluted than the outdoors, which is a problem if you are dealing with allergies, asthma or are sensitive to respiratory irritation.
Our indoor air quality professionals at Pure Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning can help you cut through the clutter and find the best home air purifier. Just call us at 630-313-2509 and we’ll be happy to assist you. For now, learn more about how air purifiers work, their perks and our suggestions to help you find the best air purifier.
How Do Air Purifiers Improve Indoor Air Quality?
Most home air purifiers use a fan to draw in air. Then, the air passes through one or more filters to catch contaminants before being sent out again.
These filters might 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 miniscule particles down to .3 microns, like dust, pollen, mold and some bacteria.
An air purifier can be lightweight and used to filter an individual space. Or they can be installed inside your HVAC system, delivering powerful filtration for your complete residence.
The EPA says it’s important to know that air purifiers can’t eliminate all the contaminants from your home’s air. But when used along with a better filter for your HVAC system, they can greatly decrease the concentration of indoor air pollution.
4 Benefits of an Air Purifier
Adding an air purifier to your residence can deliver many outstanding health advantages. Here are just a few of them.
1. Decreases Allergy and Asthma Triggers
Air purifiers lower pollutants in your residence, like some of these common triggers:
- Dust
- Pollen
- Mold
- Volatile organic compounds, including cleaners, air fresheners and personal care products
2. Lowers Other Issues Related to Poor Indoor Air Quality
Even if you or someone in your household doesn’t experience allergies or asthma, an air purifier can lower other issues related to poor indoor air quality. These involve:
- Itchy throat, eyes, nose or skin
- Headaches
- Sneezing and coughing
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Nausea
It can be hard to identify issues related to indoor air quality, because they can be linked to lots of other illnesses. However, if you’re noticing that you feel better after you leave your residence, your indoor air quality is probably causing trouble.
3. Eliminates Odors
Lingering odors, including cigarette smoke or cooking smells, can be difficult to get rid of. If you having issues with eliminating heavy smells in your residence, our pros suggest getting an air purifier with a charcoal or activated carbon filter.
4. May Lower Your Chance of Becoming Sick
An air purifier can inactivate some bacteria and viruses under certain airflow conditions, keeping you and your loved ones in good health even more so during winter months. To receive complete advantage of this perk, our professionals recommend a UV air purifier. Disinfecting ultraviolet light delivers an additional layer of defense against airborne pathogens.
Air Purifiers to Avoid
You’re better off without select air purifiers. Here are several features to stay away from when choosing a system for your residence:
- Creates ozone. Some air purifiers produce ozone, which can aggravate your lungs. The EPA recommends avoiding ozone air purifiers.
- Doesn’t include HEPA filters. For the best outcome, you’ll want a HEPA air purifier. Considered the gold standard for clean air, HEPA filters are used in many healthcare settings, such as hospitals.
- Only purifies an individual room. We suggest installing a whole-house air purifier, which purifies the air throughout your home. This option operates alongside your heating and cooling system.
When you partner with the indoor air quality experts at Pure Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning, we make it easy to choose the best air purifier for your home. Give us a call at 630-313-2509 to get started breathing cleaner air right away!