Every day we come into contact with pollution: when we walk to work we’ll pass cars, trucks and all sorts of vehicles pumping out extensive amounts of pollutants. When we’re at work, they’ll doubtless be some sort of air conditioning system in place and how often do we open the window to let fresh air in and circulate? Then when we’re back at home we’re probably breathing in endless amounts of dust and dirt – especially if we live in a built up area like a city.
With all of these factors to contend with, it’s no wonder so many people are turning to air purifiers to help improve their air quality. If you’re considering buying an air purifier but aren’t sure of the benefits, read on to find out…
You might think that by shutting the doors and closing all the windows you’ll be doing you and your family a favor in terms of keeping unwanted pollutants out of the home, but think again. Inside air, in fact, usually has higher pollutant levels than air outside the home. Pollutants like gases, chemicals, and airborne particles are all rife inside the home and an air purifier really can help with the problem.
Let’s take indoor mold as an example. Perhaps your bathroom doesn’t have very good ventilation, and even though you clean regularly you’ve noticed a build-up of mold. You might think ‘oh well, that’s life’, but actually mold releases spores into the air which can be bad for your health and wellbeing. Even if cleaning and plenty of ventilation doesn’t work, your best bet is to get an air purifier to help get to the root of the problem.
Then there’s the allergy factor. Many people suffer with allergies from things like hayfever to problems with dust. Lots of the time the actual problem can be down to dust mites themselves and the little ‘presents’ or droppings they leave behind – the naked eye can’t see them so it’s not actually as gross as it sounds.
However, if you find that you’re sneezing and blowing your nose a lot, give your mattress a good vacuum, or even better, get yourself an organic latex mattress which promotes a healthy, allergy-free sleeping environment and has no chemical odor. If the problem still exists you might be allergic to the pillows you use – lots of top-quality pillows are stuffed with feathers and these can cause many people problems, so swap to a pillow filled with synthetic fiber and you might be better off. If, even after you’ve tried all these things you still find you’re allergic to something in your bedroom, bring an air purifier into the room and you’ll hopefully see a marked improvement.
But it’s not just dust and mold that can cause problems – pollen too can be an issue. It might seem odd because pollen is associated with plants and being outside, but during the spring and summer when pollen counts become high, pollen gets airborne and can travel anywhere it wishes. So, if you’ve got your windows and doors open on a hot sunny day (and let’s face it, most of us will have), you’ll probably start sneezing even though you’ve not been anywhere near any flowers.
And finally, air purifiers can really help with any unwanted odors you might have in your house. Obviously, if there’s a persistent smell and you don’t know where it’s coming from it’s best to do a bit of detective work in case the problem is a health risk. If, however, it’s just a case of cooking odors that you’d like to get rid of, then an air purifier can really help speed the process up.
So what should you consider when buying an air purifier?
- Air coverage – as every purifier states how many square feet it covers, make sure you know the size of the room where you’ll be putting your air purifier. If in doubt, go for an air purifier with a slightly larger coverage than one with a slightly smaller coverage.
- Filter Replacements – every air purifier has a filter and these vary in price. Make sure you find out how much these filters cost and factor them in to the price of the purchase.
- ACH or air changes per hour – if you suffer from allergies make sure you go for a high ACH rating as it determines how quickly the air purifier can exchange the air in one room per hour.
- Noise – make sure you try before you buy because some air purifiers can be a bit loud while others are as quiet as a mouse.

