If you have ever suffered from indoor allergies, then you know the pollutants inside your home can be as bad or worse than any allergens from nature. While regular cleaning can help keep indoor air as clear and clean as possible, if you have pets or any other major allergen sources, you might want to invest in an air purifier to help mitigate your symptoms.
How It Works
The basic design of an air purifier is simple. A fan draws room air through a filter, expelling the filtered air back into the environment. Gradually, the purifier cycles all the air in the room through the filter, clearing it of allergens such as dust, spores, and smoke. Most purifiers use replaceable filters that you must change regularly for the purifier to remain effective; check your owner's manual for details.
HEPA
While there are many different types of filters on the market, High Efficiency Particulate Air filters are the most effective. To receive the HEPA classification, a filter must catch 99.97 percent of all particles 0.03 microns in size or larger. Non-HEPA filters may still be reasonably effective at clearing your home's air, but for best results, always look for a HEPA designation on your air purifier.
Activated Charcoal
Another common feature of air purifiers is some sort of odor filter, usually involving activated charcoal. The charcoal in the filter attracts particles from the air, much in the same way impurities in water are attracted to the charcoal in a water filter. This additional filtering step helps reduce airborne pollutants and keeps the filtered air output smelling fresh and clean. Charcoal alone can't filter out every type of airborne contaminant, however, so these types of filters are almost always secondary to a standard air filter.
Ultraviolet
Another form of air purification technology involves ultraviolet light. Much as ultraviolet can be used to kill bacteria and viruses in water, it can also be used to kill microorganisms and spores in your air. This technology offers health benefits, but alone can't do anything to capture or destroy particulates in the air such as pollen or smoke particles; therefore, ultraviolet purification is almost always coupled with a standard filtration system for maximum effect. Also, you should change your ultraviolet bulbs regularly to keep them effective.
Ionization
Another popular technology for air purifiers is ionization, or the introduction of an electrical charge to airborne particles. This encourages them to clump together, where they tend to fall out of the air or stick to walls or other surfaces. While this helps remove allergens and other pollutants from the air, this can cause them to form a visible film on walls and furniture, requiring regular cleaning.
