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We have often wondered about air purifiers and their use. And when we did get requests from some of you, We thought it made sense to create a couple of posts on air purifiers. Let’s cover the question is an air purifier necessary? In what conditions does it work, and in what conditions it does not work? You can also refer to our buying guide for Air Purifiers to get brief knowledge.
Let’s talk about…
Air purifiers are becoming increasingly popular as people become more aware of the health risks posed by indoor air pollution.
In today’s world, air pollution is a major health concern, and air purifiers offer a simple way to help reduce the levels of airborne pollutants in the home.
To understand how air purifiers work, it’s important to first understand how indoor air pollution occurs. Pollution from smoke, pet dander, dust mites, mold, and other airborne particles can build up in indoor air, which can make breathing difficult and cause respiratory irritation.
Air purifiers are designed to clean the air by removing these pollutants, improving air quality, and making it easier to breathe.
How do air purifiers work?
Air purifiers work by trapping airborne particles such as dust, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens. These particles are then collected in a filter, which can be changed or replaced periodically, depending on the type of filter and the amount of airborne particles present.
Usually, there are three different filtration methods, which are using HEPA filters, activated carbon filters, or ultraviolet light to capture airborne particles. Hepa filters work by trapping larger particles and allergens in a mesh of fibers, while activated carbon filters capture smaller particles, and the ultraviolet light helps to kill bacteria, viruses, and other micro-organisms in the air.
What are the benefits of air purifiers?
Effectiveness of air purifiers. When it comes to effectiveness, it’s important to remember that air purifiers are not a cure-all. It’s important to use them in combination with other methods, such as regular cleaning, vacuuming, and dusting to ensure your air is as clean as possible.
Furthermore, according to a study done on air purifiers in 2017, they may not be as effective in reducing certain types of particles, such as nicotine particles from the indoor air. But still, according to many studies, the benefits of using air purifiers are numerous. Not only do they improve the air quality and make it easier to breathe, but they can also help reduce the presence of dust mites, mold, and other allergens, which can cause asthma and other respiratory problems.
Air purifiers are also great for people who suffer from allergies, as they help reduce the presence of pollen and other allergens in the air. When using an air purifier, there are a few best practices to keep in mind. First, make sure to avoid smoking in the house. Also, make sure to change out the filter of the purifier every three months as this will help keep the air purifier working at peak efficiency.
What are the best practices for using air purifiers?
Additionally, you should keep any furniture, curtains, and any other items away from the purifier, as these can block the airflow and reduce its effectiveness. Also, if you have pets, make sure to vacuum the area around the purifier regularly to reduce the amount of pet dander in the air. It’s also important to note that air purifiers should be used in conjunction with good ventilation practices as they can’t completely replace the need for fresh air from outside.
When do you need an air purifier?
Let’s have a look at the below Air Pollution category.
The first is the air quality index. Now, the air quality index, as the name suggests, determines the quality of air in your area. It’s typically measured on a scale of 0–500. 0–50 is an acceptable number. From 50–100 is moderately acceptable. Anything beyond 100 is not acceptable.
Now, on the screen, as you can see in different parts of the country, the air quality level is very, very different. In some major cities, the air quality is fairly low. To get an accurate air quality index in your house, in your conditions, you might need to get an air quality index meter. Most air purifiers come with an air quality index. So, based on what you saw above the screen what areas have a high air quality index?
If you do decide that you need an air purifier, then you don’t need a specific meter because the air purifier comes with the meter. The next reason you do need an air purifier is if you stay close to an area that has high-density traffic. Now, you might be staying in a city where the air quality index is not so bad. But in that city, you might be staying in an area where the traffic density is really high. Because of this high density of traffic, nitrogen and carbon monoxide can stay for long periods of time in an enclosed space. An air purifier is useful to purify that air.
The third reason you might need an air purifier is if you have smog in your area. People in the Delhi NCR region are probably familiar with this. Yes, soot and smoke that is present in smog can be captured by an air purifier. But there are also certain particles in smog that are really small, and cannot be captured by some of the filters in an air purifier. So, although you use an air purifier, you’ll get some relief from the smoke and the smog. But not completely because some particles are not captured. I just want you to keep this in mind when you do make a purchase based on whether you have smog in your area or not.
The next reason you might want to purchase an air purifier is if somebody in your family has asthma or allergies. Now, depending on where you live, pollen and dust might be floating around in your air. And this pollen and dust typically cause allergens in people who have asthma and are susceptible to allergies. Dust mites are also fairly common within the indoor spaces of a house. You might have seen in your house in certain areas where your broom or your vacuum or your robot vacuum do not go. You might have seen cotton-like dust in those areas, or on the fans. And those are also allergens that can affect people with asthma or different types of allergies. And yes, the air purifier can clean out the dust mites that are floating in the air. But you might need to vacuum the areas where the dust mites are settled on surfaces or on the floor.
The next reason you might need an air purifier is if you have somebody who frequently gets colds and flu. Cold and flu are generally airborne. It spreads because of pathogens in the air. And that is the reason why when one person in the family gets a cold or the flu. The rest of the family also generally catches it.
So, an air purifier, in this case, is useful to clean out the air. Hence, reduces the bacteria and viruses that are spreading the cold and flu.
Another reason is if you have pets at home. So, similar to humans, pets also shed skin and hair. So, this can cause runny nose, sneezing, and other types of allergies in some people. If that is the case, you might need an air purifier in that scenario.
In what conditions an Air Purifier does not work?
It is important to know that air purifiers cannot get rid of all impurities or all pollutants in the air. Yes, it does reduce the amount of pollutants in an enclosed space. Whether an air purifier works or not in your house depends on the size of the particles in your house. So, most air purifiers use something called a HEPA filter, which actually can reduce particles only up to 0.1 microns. What this means is that it can get rid of dust, smoke, pollen, mold, as well as soot. What it cannot get rid of is odors like pet odor or smoke odor. And it also cannot get rid of volatile organic compounds like paint, smells, and so on. As I mentioned, for odors you need to purchase an air purifier that has an activated carbon filter as well.
Another thing is it does not prevent the coronavirus. There have been some news articles and some marketing that has been saying that it does prevent coronavirus. But it does not. Primarily because coronavirus is less than 0.1 microns, which is the limit for the HEPA filter. Air purifiers primarily work in enclosed spaces. So, if in your house you predominantly keep your doors and windows open even at night, then an air purifier will not work or the efficiency of the air purifier will be much lower for you.
Air purifiers actually started in western countries where they use a lot of air cooling and heating and predominantly stay in enclosed spaces. So it kind of became a mandatory requirement. Along with ACs, the ducts also have an air-purifying duct. But in India, in your homes, if you’re used to keeping your doors and windows open, unless you actually create an enclosed space, the efficiency of an air purifier will be really low or almost negligible.
While it can help with asthma and allergies, it does not help with sinus problems. We know that there have been some cases where people with sinus issues have been recommended by air purifiers. But I’ve been told that it does not work in those conditions. While in some of these cases you definitely do need an air purifier, there are some basic practices you might want to follow to make sure that the amount of dust in the air within your house is minimized. The first is, you should almost always try to choose to vacuum over dusting or brooming. Primarily because when you dust and broom, the dust just resettles from one surface to another, and it gets spread in the air. Hence it’s preferable to do vacuuming over dusting and grooming. You should plan to vacuum your upholstered surfaces, like your mattresses, your sofas, and other upholstered surfaces, frequently, at least once in two weeks. This helps to minimize the amount of dust in your house.
Lack of ventilation has increased the demand for air purifiers. So, keeping your area well-ventilated with cross-ventilation helps with making sure that the air quality within your house is good. Of course, don’t keep your windows open if the air quality outside is bad.
Next is to make sure that you use an exhaust in your kitchen and your bathrooms every time you use it make sure that the pollutants don’t stay within the house but are sent outside the house. Minimize smoking within the house or use of candles within the house because it does add to the pollutants in the air. And when you are using candles and incense sticks in your house, make sure that you keep that space well-ventilated.
Also, you should know that is to wash your linens often, your pillow covers, your bedsheets, and your bedspreads. And also make sure you have a bedspread over your bedsheet where you’re sleeping so that the dust on the bedsheet is minimized.
Conclusion
In the end, the main conclusion is that according to research, air purifiers actually provide a simple and effective way to help improve air quality in the home. They can help reduce the presence of pollutants, allergens, and other airborne particles, making it easier to breathe. However, it’s important to remember that they should be used in combination with other measures, such as regular cleaning and ventilation, to ensure the best results.
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