The air inside a home can be up to four or five times more polluted than outdoor air. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend almost 90% of their time in a day in indoor areas. So, there are chances of breathing almost polluted air all the time. In this situation, the addition of an air purifier could be beneficial for a home in many ways.
The primary function of an air purifier is to filter out harmful particles, dust mites, allergens, chemical gases, etc. from the air and to supply purified, fresh, and clean air to the indoor space. It improves the indoor air quality. The installation of an air purifier with a proper filtration mechanism can help you get rid of dust, and mold spores, protect you from allergic and asthma symptoms, and trap harmful viruses.
Read the full article and get a clear answer to the commonly asked question “How Do Air Purifiers Help?”, and the several benefits of using an air purifier inside your home.
Do Air Purifiers Get Rid of Dust?
Types of Dust
The dust that you find in your home is not only dirt or, dead skin cells, but it is a complex mixture of 3 major things.
- Pollutants from the outdoor air
- Soil that is followed inside the home with footsteps
- Organic material
Again, the organic material is of various types. It includes
- Pet dander
- Pollen
- Dead skin cells
- Mold
- Insect body parts
- Food particles
How Does an Air Purifier Help Reduce Dust?
The dust in the form of tiny particles moves around indoors until they get settled on the surface. An air purifier draws in the polluted indoor air inside it, traps the tiny particles, and releases fresh and clean air free from dust to the environment. This process repeats several times a day to remove almost all the dust from the air.
The air purifier traps the particles before they get settled on the surface. This improves the air quality and also creates a healthy environment to breathe.
The most common and effective air purifier comes with the HEPA filtration technique. This technique has an efficiency of 99.97% and it traps particles of up to 0.3 microns. A true HEPA air purifier removes both the larger and smaller particles from the air.
Air purifiers remove dust mites, other toxins, and allergens from the air which triggers asthma and allergic symptoms. Installing an air purifier inside your home or, in the bedroom or living room provides a healthy environment to breathe. It also relieves people suffering from various respiratory diseases including asthma and allergy.
Do Air Purifiers Get Rid of Smell?
Yes, air purifiers work very well in removing bad smells from a room. While purchasing an air purifier just make sure that the air purifier has activated carbon, or it uses PECO (Photo Electrochemical Oxidation) technology.
Air Purifier with Activated Carbon Filter:
This filtration technique traps odors and contaminants through absorption. It absorbs airborne chemicals such as VOCs that make up odors.
While purchasing, always prefer an activated carbon filter with a higher weight of carbon. The thick and expensive carbon filters are very effective in removing odors, chemical gases, and contaminants from the air.
When the carbon inside the filters is saturated, or, disturbed by rapid changes in humidity or temperature, it releases the VOCs back into the air. This process is known as off-gassing. To maintain the effectiveness of the carbon filter, replace the filters at a regular interval to avoid saturation and off-gassing.
Air Purifier with PICO Technology:
Another preferable option in dealing with odors inside a room is an air purifier with PICO technology. The PECO technology generates free radicals that break down all odor-causing VOCs. Thus, it eliminates odors from the surrounding air by breaking down molecular bonds. This technology does not trap the chemical gases but completely destroys them.
The installation of an air purifier with proper filtration technology like an activated carbon filter or, PICO technology removes not only bad odors but VOCs from cleaning products, viruses, bacteria, carbon monoxide, etc. from the air. It improves the indoor air quality, removes unpleasant odors from the air, and makes you feel refreshed and energized.
Does Air Purifier Help with Allergies?
Tiny allergen particles such as dust mites, pollen, pet dander, mold spores, etc. present in the indoor air. These particles are very small in size and they cannot be seen in human eyes. When these particles enter the airways, it results in a runny or blocked nose and itchy red eyes. It also worsens the allergic and asthma symptoms.
Regular medication helps to avoid severe allergic symptoms. But, the installation of an air purifier is better than this. According to the National Library of Medicine, an air purifier with HEPA filtration technology can significantly reduce the medication requirement of patients suffering from severe allergic symptoms.
The HEPA air purifier draws in the polluted air inside it and forces the air through a fine mesh that traps the harmful allergen particles and supplies the clean and purified air back into the room. If you are allergic to chemical gases, smoke, and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) then consider buying an air purifier with an activated carbon filter. This filtration technique is very effective in removing the gases and the unpleasant odors from the indoor air in an effective way.
The allergen particles exist not only in the surrounding air but also on the surface. Along with installing an air purifier inside the room, you should also clean the rugs, bedding, tabletops, countertops, and bookshelves, etc. to remove dust on the surface area. All these steps should be followed to protect yourself and your family from severe allergies and asthma symptoms.
How Does Air Purifier Help Covid?
We all know that the COVID-19 virus spread through the air. We can clean the surface and things by using disinfectants to remove harmful bacteria, germs, viruses, etc. But, what about the indoor air? This is where the importance of air purifiers comes in.
The air purifier uses various advanced filtration techniques such as HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters to remove contaminants and viruses from the air. The medical grade H13 and H14 HEPA filters can trap particles of up to 0.1 microns in size. The diameter of coronavirus particles is approximately 0.125 microns. It means H13 and H14 grade HEPA air purifiers can capture the coronavirus particles.
- The medical grade HEPA air purifiers draw in the indoor air which contains virus particles.
- These filters are made up of ultrafine mesh.
- As the particle size of the virus is larger than the holes in the mesh, the filter can easily trap these viruses.
- The purified air free from viruses and other contaminants circulates back into the room.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, an air purifier itself can not protect you from COVID-19. The installation of an air purifier helps in reducing the transmission of these viruses to some extent when it is used along with other practices such as social distancing, mask-wearing, etc.
So, the installation of an air purifier inside your home is part of a plan to reduce the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
How Does Air Purifier Help with Asthma?
What Is Asthma?
Asthma is a lung condition in which a person’s airways in the lungs become inflamed, narrow, and swell. When asthma is triggered, it creates extra mucus, the muscles around the airways tighten and it causes chest tightness, difficulty in breathing, coughing, wheezing, etc.
Asthma Triggers in The House
The major asthma triggers inside a house are
- Dust mites
- Pollen
- Mold
- Smoke
- Per dander
How Does Air Purifier Help with Asthma?
Air pollution and asthma are strongly linked. An air purifier traps pollutants such as dust mites, pollen, pet dander, smoke, etc. from the air and releases fresh and purified air into the environment.
While purchasing an air purifier to protect a person from asthma triggers, select one that filters out both large and ultrafine particles.
According to an article published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, an air purifier with HEPA filtration technology can remove particles from the air and also help in reducing asthma symptoms. Medical-grade HEPA air purifiers are used in hospitals to trap particles of up to 0.1 microns in size. These types of air purifiers also work best for persons with allergic and asthma symptoms.
The effectiveness of an air purifier in removing asthma triggers depends on various things like its filtration technique, size of the particles, location of the air purifier inside a home, etc.
How Does Air Purifier Help with Mold?
Mold is a type of microscopic fungus and it grows in warm, damp, and dark conditions. The areas with high humidity levels are ideal for growth. When the mold invades your home, it causes various health issues.
As the mold grows it releases reproductive spores. There are mold spores in the air before it is seen inside your home or, in walls. Even after you think you have removed all the molds from the house, some mold spores are still in the air.
When these tiny spores get into your lungs it irritates. It is very harmful to persons with allergic and asthma symptoms. It can aggravate the asthma symptoms.
In these cases, the installation of an air purifier protects you and your family from the adverse effects of mold growth inside your home. An air purifier with a HEPA filter traps the microscopic particles from the air. It has an efficiency of 99.97% in removing pollutants of 0.3 microns in diameter from the air.
The mold spores range from one to five microns in size. Thus HEPA filters are certified and proven to remove all airborne mold spores from the air. Place the air purifiers in areas where mold is frequently found such as in bathrooms, kitchens, basements, etc.
Conclusion
An air purifier contains a fan and a filter to remove allergens, pollutants, and chemical gases from the air. The main component of an air purifier is its filter. There are various types of advanced filtration techniques such as HEPA filters, activated carbon filters, UV filters, etc.
While purchasing an air purifier, always remember the purpose of your buying. You should buy it according to your requirement, whether you are buying it to reduce asthma, or allergic symptoms, or, to remove, dust, molds, and unpleasant odors.
People with asthma symptoms should avoid buying ionizing air purifiers, as these may produce ozone which is very harmful to the respiratory system. To remove unpleasant odors from a home you should prefer an air purifier with carbon activated filter. The HEPA filtration technique is best for removing pollutants, dust mites, pollen, etc. There are also H13 and H14 grade HEPA air purifiers available in the market that can capture particles of up to 0.1 microns in size.
FAQS
- Are air purifiers safe for the lungs?
Yes, air purifiers are safe for the lungs. The primary function of an air purifier is to remove harmful contaminants from the air. It supplies purified and fresh air inside your home and creates a healthy environment to breathe. It also relieves people suffering from various respiratory diseases including asthma and allergy.
People with asthma symptoms should avoid buying ionizing air purifiers, as these may produce ozone which is harmful to the respiratory system.
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