Buying an air purifier is a smart move to improve the indoor air quality where you live. In contrast to what many people think, the quality of indoor air at home and not the air outside, may be a contributing factor to various health conditions like asthma, hay fever, allergies, etc. Many of these can be eradicated by simply using a good quality air purifier in your home. So how do you choose a good quality air purifier? Here are six important factors to keep in mind when buying air purifiers.
Choosing an Air Purifier
1. Area: You should think about the area of the room in which you want to use the air purifier unit. One which is too small for the room will be inefficient and ineffective. An air purifier that is too large for the area in which it is used could result in higher energy bills than necessary. So, before purchasing one, take measurements of the room (or rooms) and then look for a purifier unit which will be ideal for the size of the area.
2. Purification needs: What is it that you want to eliminate indoors? Why does the air need to be purified? It is essential you consider the answers to these two questions before buying air purifiers. Let's look at each one individually.
In the first case, many people simply want to install an air purification system to improve their health by breathing cleaner air indoors. They want to eliminate annoying allergies and various other health conditions which may be caused by poor quality air indoors. If this is one of your reasons, you really should consider a central air purifier which can work throughout your home. In this way you will benefit from cleaner air in all parts of your home. Also ensure that any materials used in a purifier system, including the filters, are not likely to cause an allergic reaction for anyone in your home. On the other hand, if you only want to purify certain selected rooms or areas in your home, then it is probably best to opt for a portable room air purifier. This kind of air purifier unit can be used wherever you require it the most in your home.
In the second case, it is important to be clear about what exactly you want to remove from the air indoors. Do you need to eliminate undesirable odors and gases, pet dander, other potentially harmful germs, bacteria, or particulates which could cause diseases? If you primarily need to eliminate potentially harmful particulates, your best choice is a HEPA air purifier because it is effective in eliminating particles as small as 0.03 microns. If you need to effectively eliminate germs and other bacteria, choose an air purifier which has a UV filter system because this type destroys bacteria the most effectively. In general, to ensure the air you breathe is as clean as possible, the best choice of air purifier is one which uses a combination of filtration systems within it and not only one.
3. CADR Rating: This is a rating for the Clean Air Delivery Rate. The rating demonstrates how effective any air purifier unit is at eliminating smoke, dust mites and pollen particles from the indoor air. The higher the CADR rating, the more effective and quicker the unit is at eliminating such harmful substances, and the lower the rating, the less effective the unit is. Obviously, you should try and choose an air purifier with the highest CADR rating within your budget.
4. Rate of air change/hour: The number of times the air purifier unit is able to completely clean the air within a room within one hour. The more air changes/hour, the more effective the air purifier unit is. This applies to not simply purifying the indoor air but also being able to maintain air purity by eliminating impurities and pathogens quickly and consistently. Again, you should try to choose the air purifier unit with the highest rate of air changes/hour as possible within your budget.
5. Maintenance: While some people do not consider the ease of cleaning an air purifier when purchasing it, ideally you should take this into account to avoid getting frustrated later by possibly spending a lot of time or money on essential maintenance. When you are considering buying an air purifier you should know how often it will need to be cleaned, serviced or maintained. How often will filters need to be replaced? How much do replacement filters cost? This information will enable you to choose the air purifier unit which is effective and efficient while not being excessively demanding or costly in terms of maintenance.
6. Operating noise: There are some air purifier units which generate quite a bit of noise when they are running. The last thing you need is cleaner air but at the expense of suffering a noisy home environment. Make sure you check out the level of noise which any air purifier unit generates when operating before making your final buying decision.
Follow these six steps and you should be able to choose the ideal air purifier unit for your home.