Air Purifier Buying Guide

 

 

As winter fades into distant memory and we delve ever deeper into hay fever season, it is becoming more important to keep the air in your living spaces clear of irritants that can have an adverse effect on your quality of life. 

Allergens. Allergens Everywhere!

The world is filled with microscopic substances that are an almost ever-present feature of the landscape. With flowers, trees, animals and interior living, comes allergens, dust, pollen and other irritants.

With the advent of interior heating and cooling, as well as a heightened collective consciousness about energy conservation, we have made our homes almost airtight. While this is great for saving power and for keeping that crucial hot or cold air inside, it also means irritants can remain trapped. 

What are Air Purifiers?

In a nutshell, air purifiers do exactly as advertised. They purify the air. When turned on, purifiers constantly cycle the air around them, removing pollutants and allergens, then pushing the filtered air back into the room. This process is then repeated, making the air cleaner with each pass. 

While the basic functionality of an air purifier may remain the same across many brands, each offers unique features and performance. Explore the range of top brands including Russell Hobbs, Philips and so many more

What are the Most Common Reasons for Getting an Air Purifier?

Air purifiers are quite diverse in form and function and, while they all essentially do the same thing, each one is geared towards a different household need. This begs the question: who could benefit from using an air purifier? 

Allergy sufferers: Pollen and dust are two very common allergens, especially in the spring months when all the flowers begin to bloom. Pollen can enter your home thanks to people going in and out, or it can be blown directly into your house through windows and doors. Removing these particles reduces the impact of breathing difficulties, sneezing, runny noses, itchy eyes, and irritated skin.  

 

Asthmatics: Asthma is a common breathing issue that affects people with varying intensity. As with hay fever and other allergic reactions, utilising an air purifier can reduce the amount of irritants in areas you spend the most time in, such as your living room or bedroom. In fact, asthma sufferers have reported sleeping better with an air purifier active in their room.

 

Households with smokers: Especially important in households that have a mix of smokers and non-smokers, an air purifier can trap and cycle the contaminants, reducing the impact of second-hand smoke. It can also prevent intense smoky odours from lingering in your home. 

 

Pet owners: Life would be a lot duller without our feathered, furry, and scaly friends, but the presence of pets generally means an increase in pet hair and dander. Think about a dog that alternates between indoors and outdoors, and how these movements would lead to the wide spread of contaminants. Pets may also pick up pollen, dust, and other irritants in their coats or on their skin, carrying them all about the house. An air purifier keeps cycling to make sure you can spend time with your best friends and not worry about air quality. 

 

Young children: For babies and young children, living in an unpolluted environment is incredibly important as their immune systems have not fully developed. In the case of younger children, their constant exploring and mischief could bring potential contaminants into your home. An air purifier will ensure that your kids are always breathing high-quality air.  

 

Find the Right Filter Technologies

It may not be surprising to learn that there are a few different types of air purifiers, each catered to a different function. You can purchase multiple types of purifiers to cover all the bases, but some models incorporate two or more filters, for a multi-purpose unit. Let’s dive into the various air purifier types.

 

 

HEPA Filters

Standing for High-Efficiency Particulate Arresting, HEPA filters are the most effective at trapping allergens. These filters capture 99.95% of microscopic allergens and pollutants as small as 0.1 microns. For this reason they are utilised in hospitals and numerous other clinical settings where it is paramount to maintain clean air. 

 

 

Ozone Filters

Ozone filters target lingering odours but do not clear any allergens or chemical pollutants that may be present in the air. 

 

 

Ionic Filters

Ideal for removing small pollutants from large spaces, Ionic filters use a small but intense electrical field, known as a corona discharge, to grant a positive or negative charge to airborne particles. The charged particles are then drawn to special plates within the purifier, pulling them out of the air. 

 

 

Carbon Filters

Carbon filters pass air through an activated charcoal screen, making them ideal for clearing smoke, odours, chemicals, and any gases from the air. As they are extremely porous, activated carbon traps passing contaminant molecules before removing them from the air. However, since they do not confine allergens and bacteria, they are often paired with HEPA filters. Activated carbon filters are quite useful as they absorb the chemicals found in domestic cleaning products, such as window cleaners, multi-purpose sprays, and disinfectants.

 

 

Ultraviolet Filters

While ineffective against allergens, odours, smoke, and chemical fumes, ultraviolet filters bathe passing air in UV light. This renders bacteria and microbes within the air harmless. 

 

How to Properly Size an Air Purifier for a Room:

An air purifier that is too large for your room is going to result in an energy bill that is unnecessarily high, while a unit that’s too small may not wipe out all contaminants in your space.

Finding a purifier with the right footprint begins with measuring your floor area. If you’re using the purifier to treat adjoining rooms, you will need to know the combined area (m2) of these rooms. To calculate the floor area, simply multiply length by width.

Most models will specify their recommended coverage area on the packaging or on the unit itself, and so it’s just a matter of matching your room size with the specifications. A good sweet spot is ensuring the purifier can handle a room that is at least one third greater in size than the space you are filtering.  

 

 

Additional Features to Consider:

The magic of the air purifier depends on what type of filter you need and decide to utilise, but there are numerous additional features found on purifying units, designed to make your life easier. 

Filter life indicator: Depending on the type of filter, they will need to be changed to ensure consistent purifying of your air. So you always stay on top of it, a filter life indicator automatically alerts you when it’s time to change the filter. 

 

Quiet operation: Whisper-quiet operation on some air purifier models makes them ideal for babies, small children, and light sleepers. 

 

Automatic air quality monitor: While your air purifier is running, special sensors monitor the air and automatically adjust the cleaning speed accordingly. 

 

Antimicrobial agents: These agents prevent mildew and mould from growing on the filters.

 

Light indicator: Some models come with sensor lights that tell you, at a glance, what the air quality is like in a room. 

 

Speed settings: Adjust how rapidly you want your air to be filtered with multiple speed settings.