Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned that indoor air is actually between two and five times more polluted than outdoor air. The agency also estimates that we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors. There are three main ways to reduce indoor air pollution, according to the American Lung Association. One is the use of an indoor air purification system. But not all air purifiers are created equal, nor are the different types of purifiers equally as effective.
HEPA
High efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filters are rated to remove at least 99.97 percent of particles from the air. They consistently outperformed the other types of air purifiers in tests, according to Air Purifier Ratings. The site also notes that HEPA air purifiers are preferred by the EPA and the American Lung Association. The site's top three rated purifiers are all HEPA purifiers, manufactured by Oransi, Quixtar and Winix.
Consumer Reports (CR) and Consumer Search (CS) also have HEPA purifiers listed as their top-rated air purifiers. CR rates Hunter, GE, BlueAir, Holmes, Airgle, Amway, Kenmore, Idylis and Honeywell as "excellent." CS rates IQAir, Austin Air HealthMate and Honeywell as its top three.
Ultraviolet (UV)
These are relatively new purifiers that usually combine ultraviolet light with a HEPA filter. A recent trend is for manufacturers to include UV lights in their purifiers because they "can greatly improve indoor air quality," according to Air Purifier Ratings. UV air purifiers are made by AllerAir 5000, Germ Guardian and Oransi Pro.
Smoke
Smoke purifiers are the next highest rated, according to Consumer Reports. The Filterstream AirTamer received a rating of "very good" at removing dust, pollen and smoke from the air. This purifier is one of only two non-HEPA purifiers that received a grade of "very good" or "excellent," the two highest ratings given by Consumer Reports.
Electrostatic
Electrostatic purifiers capture particles, give them an electrical charge, and then capture them by using an opposing electrical charge. The 3M Filtrete is the other non-HEPA air purifier to be rated as either "very good" or "excellent" by Consumer Reports for removing dust, pollen and smoke from the air. These purifiers are very effective, according to Air Purifier Ratings, but they have a permanent filter, and can become ineffective if they're not cleaned regularly. They also produce and release ozone, which has been noted as another negative.
