Air Purifiers

An air purifier is a device that removes particles from the air by forcing air through a dense filter to trap small particles smaller than 0.3 microns in size. Air purifiers are often called air cleaners as they both refer to the same thing.

The reason air purifiers or air cleaners are used is to improve the air quality in your home and to reduce allergic reactions that many allergy and asthma sufferers have to pollen, dust, molds, pollution and pet dander.  There are several air purifiers that remove odors and second hand smoke as well as harmful gases such as VOCs, Formaldehyde, Ozone and Ammonia.

The EPA has conducted research with evidence that the quality of air inside homes are inferior compared to the outside air. This is a serious problem especially when homes are designed to be air tight to conserve energy and to improve efficiency. This results in a higher level of stagnant air that is poor quality and can create additional health issues. 

The most common air purifiers from Alen™, Honeywell and BlueAir, reduce the level of allergens such as dust, pollen, pet dander and mold spores. There are specialized units from IQAir and Austin Air that remove hazardous smoke particles and airborne gases.  For more information on selecting and choosing air purifiers, please visit our Air Purifiers site.

What should you look for when purchasing an air purifier?  Customers should investigate several factors such as the air purifier’s particle removal performance and effectiveness since the better the unit is at removing most of the harmful particles, the better you will breathe and feel in the morning.  Many customers also have a high preference for the look and feel as it may be important how the air purifier looks in your bedroom or living room.  The noise level is especially important when you put the air purifier in your bedroom or in your living room.  A noisy unit may interfere with your sleep or when you watch television.  Lastly, the frequency of filter replacements are important as it is better to replace air filters on a regular basis to avoid mildew, mold and other contaminants from growing in your air purifier.

At Air Conditioners America, we recommend purchasing only HEPA air purifiers as it has been proven to reduce allergies and asthma.  Electrostatic air purifiers where you can wash the metal filters are harmful to humans as a level of ozone is generated from these machines.  For more information on selecting an air purifier, visit our air purifier buying guide.