Air Purifiers - Are they Necessary?
An air purifier is an electronic appliance that cleans the air by removing harmful particles from the air, which can be harmful to your health. They achieve this by filtering and eliminating these harmful particles. A major indicator that you need to buy a purifier is if anyone in the family has asthma or any allergy and if you have pets. Other reasons such as insecticides, or a smoker that resides in the house. If this is the case, then you may need to get an air purifier which can get rid of a wide range of pollutants.
The quality of the air that you breathe in affects our bodies in different ways. There are things that pollute air in a home such as pet dander, cigarette smoke, pollen and dust. These particles can cause allergies or asthma. The interior of a home can contain a lot more contaminants than the outdoors. Some buildings may not be well ventilated thus making air circulation within the home inadequate. Research points to such poorly ventilated buildings as the leading cause for the rise in a number of diseases such as asthma, legionnaires disease, humidifier fever and other problems of the respiratory system.
An air purifier does not only filter these particles out of the air, it can also remove odor and second hand smoke from the air leaving the home smelling clean and fresh. A major problem with contaminated air is that you might not even know it is contaminated or what is actually causing that allergy. The animal dander, pollen and mould might go unnoticed for a while. Using an air purifier continually cleans the air and helps get rid of harmful germs, chemicals and allergens that cause disease.
Types of Air Purifiers
Air purifiers use varied technologies to clean the air. These systems include HEPA filter systems, ozone air purifiers, ionic air cleaners, and electrostatic filters among others. HEPA filter system draw air through filters, thus cleaning it while ozone air purifiers generate ozone molecules which purify the air. You can also choose the option of air purifier rentals.
Ozone purifiers may however not be the best among people who suffer from allergies and asthma as they can irritate the lungs and respiratory tissue. They are able to clean about 99% of pollutants from the air and are well suited in homes where some people have allergies or asthma.
Ionic air cleaners, on the other hand work by negatively charging air particles and are a favorite for keeping the air fresh as they get rid of odor, smoke and pollen.
Electrostatic purifiers create a static charge which attracts particles in the air effectively purifying it and are good for getting rid of odors, mold and other microorganisms such as bacteria. These are a bit complex and may require a professional to set it up. They may also be a bit more costly.
Buying Air Purifiers
Just like when buying any appliance, it is important to take a number of things into consideration before you buy a purifier. The size of the room determines the size and type of purifier to purchase. Smaller purifiers will be suitable to small to medium sized rooms, but not as effective for larger rooms which may require bigger more powerful purifiers. Consider the cost, not just of buying the purifier, but also the maintenance costs that will be incurred such as costs for replacement of filters. High performing purifiers may require the filters to be replaced more often yet the low performing ones may not be as effective.