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Some of you may want to buy an air purifier but then again since air purifiers are still relatively new there isn’t much clarity available compared to smartphones and tech gadgets.
So here you will find vital information with our How to Choose the Best Air Purifier for Your Home: A Comprehensive Guide 2024. This will assist you in buying the best air purifier according to your requirements.
Of course, there are a lot of other bits worth floating around like CADR, HEPA filter, etc. And to make it even worse there are a few gimmicks like a pm 2.5 rating on most of the air purifiers that don’t work after a limit and some people suggest using plants as an air purifier.
Look at the point there is a lot of misinformation and confusion when it comes to buying an air purifier.
So the question that has to be asked is what are the things that you need to consider before buying an air purifier? Well, here is the Buying Guide For The Best Air Purifier 2024 and a few things that you should consider before buying any air purifier. Let’s begin…
It is also important there is the EPA filter which is the most basic one and the one you should avoid and then you have H14, H13, etc. The higher you go in the HEPA grade the better cleaning it does.
Some companies advertise the HEPA filter on the website, for instance, they use H13 which is good but we weren’t able to find the HEPA filter grade used in MI air purifier.
A little bit of digging on the website turns out they use a HEPA filter which is not a true HEPA filter and should be avoided it. So before you buy an air purifier make sure it has a true HEPA filter and also check for the grade of the HEPA filter. H13 and H14 HEPA filters are usually better than the apo filters.
A true HEPA filter is another important feature that an air purifier must have. An air purifier brand claims that these filters can remove 99.9% of airborne particles including bacteria.
Smart air purifiers are easily available in the market these days and activate themselves whenever they detect pollutants.
2. What is HEPA filter?
True HEPA filters have a Merv of 17 or higher. This indicates they have a high efficiency at trapping airborne particles. HEPA filters trap 99.97% of air particles that are 0.3 to 1 micron in size.
HEPA filters can effectively trap dust, pollen, mold pores, pet dander, bacteria and smoke particles making them beneficial for those with allergies or respiratory issues.
HEPA filters are often used in vacuums and air purifiers and are combined with other filtering technology to improve indoor air quality.
While HEPA filters are highly effective. They do require regular maintenance and replacement to maintain their performance as the filter can become clogged over time.
The first thing you should look for in any air purifier is that it should have a true HEPA filter. Now, HEPA filter stands for high-efficiency particulate air but to understand it simply an air purifier is a big plastic box with two major parts.
A HEPA filter and a fan. The fan usually sits on the top of the HEPA filter that passes the air through it. Thus taking in the polluted air and the pollutant get trapped in the filter and the fan releases the purified air. And if you take a closer look at any HEPA filter, it’s fiberglass with very tiny holes in it. Which can trap a pm 2.5 pollutant.
To give you perspective, the PM 2.5 pollutant is 30 times smaller than your hair, that is the same reason plants can’t fix air pollution. Sure they will give you some fresh air but the effect is negligible compared to the pollutant suspended in the air.
The next thing you should look for in an air purifier is a CADR value.
3. What is CADR in Air Purifier?
A CADR value stands for clean air delivery rate. In simple words, you have to buy a different ton of AC based on the different sizes of a room. The air purifier also has a different CADR value.
If you have a bigger room you need an air purifier with a higher CADR. Such as 350 to 400 CADR for a master bedroom. And if you have a smaller room a typical 250 to 300 CADR will also work. CADR rating just informs you about the amount of clean air coming out of your air purifier.
4. How are CADR values calculated?
For example, in the description of an air purifier listed, the ceiling height is considered to be 8 feet. Well, this is quite unrealistic because most regular homes have a ceiling height of at least 10 or 12 feet. An air purifier claims the CADR is suitable for a master bedroom.
However, while testing it in any master bedroom, this air purifier started at 534 and after 30 minutes it was able to bring the pollution level to 90 which is good. But then again it stayed at 90 no matter what. Even after that, it remained constant at 90 and never came below 50.
The point is although it claims to be suitable for a bigger room. While in our testing it was ineffective to bring the pollution level below 50 since the room was too big for it.
5. What are the Smart features in an Air Purifier.
You need to keep in mind before buying an air purifier is to not get over-influenced by the smart feature of any air purifier. Now there is some air purifier out there which has app integration with Alexa, and a display showing air quality and UV lights to kill viruses was built for people worried about covid.
Wi-Fi connectivity and smartphone apps like features are also available. Also 1dB(A) low noise, Filter replacement reminders, 48m² large effective coverage area, 99.97% filtration of 0.3μm particles, dust and pollen filtration, negative air Ionization, etc.
These are all good things but the primary job of an air purifier is to effectively clean the air. If they can do that well and only after then do you have to factor in the extra smart feature. You should look for values like CADR and even a true HEPA filter in an air purifier.
6. In which room do you want to use an air purifier?
And the final thing to look for before buying an air purifier is to ask yourself which room you want to use it. Are you going to use it in a properly insulated room or are you planning to use it in a hall?
In the closed room where the air purifier is running the PM 2.5 level is below 50 which is good. But if I open the door or if I go to the hall with higher circulation the pollution goes to 400 highly unsafe. If I go all the way outside it’s 700 of course if I go back to the insulated room it brings the pollution level below 50 quite safe.
Also, a lot of people attach their air purifiers to the wall. But the right way to use it is to leave at least one foot of gab on all four sides for proper air circulation. In simple words using an air purifier is not similar to using an AC.
You need a properly insulated room for it to work well now I know this isn’t going to be practical for most of us so one way to fix this problem is to use an air purifier at night so this is the time and less likely to move in and out of my bedroom also during the day the pollution level it’s quite less in a typical morning in Delhi NCR the PM 2.5 pollution is usually going to 600 or 700 around afternoons it falls to 750 and the sun is at the peak the pollution is lowest.
And at night the position starts rising again to 600 or even 700. You can also find similar data for your city online and how pollution level changes throughout the day.
Now, this is not just helpful for air purifiers but if you or someone goes out for a run in the early morning or late at night then you are better off going a little bit late when the sun is up. Overall to sum it up when you are buying an air purifier you should look for these four things.
7. Conclusion
- True HEPA filter: Usually, H13 and H14 are good to go.
- CADR: Usually, 350 is a good CADR for most of the bedrooms.
- Don’t fall for the gimmicks like smart features and app compatibility.
- Use it in a properly insulated room.
- If you live with a child look for a noiseless air purifier. A standard decibel for an air purifier is 36 decibels and many such air purifiers are available in the market.
Just remember because you can’t see it doesn’t mean you breathing clean air. With How to Choose the Best Air Purifier for Your Home: A Comprehensive Guide 2024, you will select the best air purifier according to your requirements.
Thank you for visiting.
