If you’re in the market for an air purifier, you could be realizing that some kinds are producing a lot of claims. And many of those claims may feel too good to be true. So, it’s only expected that you could be thinking are air purifiers a waste of money.
They’re worthwhile, according to the EPA, because they’re a fantastic approach to enhance your Jefferson City home’s indoor air quality. Today’s homes are tightly sealed and thoroughly insulated, which is excellent for energy efficiency, but not so good for indoor air quality.
As updated homes don’t typically allow in as much fresh air as aging homes, contaminants like dust, pet dander and cleaning products can concentrate inside. The result? Air that’s dirtier than the outdoors, which is a problem if you are dealing with allergies, asthma or are susceptible to respiratory irritation.
Our indoor air quality professionals at Stieferman Heating Company Inc can help you cut through the clutter and find the best home air purifier. Just contact us at 573-635-3547 and we’ll be happy to provide support. For now, learn more about how air purifiers work, their advantages and our suggestions to help you choose the best air purifier.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
Most home air purifiers have a fan to collect air. Then, the air moves through one or more filters to catch pollutants before being recirculated.
These filters might have a charcoal filter, to get rid of odors, and a HEPA, or high efficiency particulate air, filter. A HEPA filter is at least 99.7% effective at catching microscopic particles down to .3 microns, like dust, pollen, mold and some bacteria.
An air purifier can be portable and used to treat one area. Or they can be installed inside your HVAC system, giving strong filtration for your total house.
The EPA says it’s important to know that air purifiers can’t eliminate all the contaminants from your house’s air. But when used along with an enhanced filter for your HVAC system, they can greatly reduce the level of indoor air pollution.
4 Pluses of an Air Purifier
Adding an air purifier to your residence can give many good health pluses. Here are just a few of them.
1. Lowers Allergy and Asthma Triggers
Air purifiers decrease pollutants in your house, such as some of these standard triggers:
- Dust
- Pollen
- Mold
- Volatile organic compounds, including cleaners, air fresheners and personal care products
2. Decreases Other Issues Associated with Poor Indoor Air Quality
Even if you or someone in your home doesn’t experience allergies or asthma, an air purifier can decrease other troubles associated with bad indoor air quality. These involve:
- Itchy throat, eyes, nose or skin
- Headaches
- Sneezing and coughing
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Nausea
It can be difficult to identify symptoms linked to indoor air quality, since they can be caused by lots of other illnesses. However, if you’re noticing that symptoms are better after you leave your house, your indoor air quality is likely to blame.
3. Eliminates Odors
Odors that hang around, such as cigarette smoke or cooking smells, can be tricky to eliminate. If you having issues with eliminating strong smells in your house, we suggest buying an air purifier with a charcoal or activated carbon filter.
4. Might Lower Your Chance of Being Sick
An air purifier can inactivate some bacteria and viruses under certain airflow conditions, keeping you and your household in good health even more so during winter months. To receive full advantage of this benefit, we recommend a UV air purifier. Disinfecting ultraviolet light provides an additional layer of protection against airborne pathogens.
Air Purifiers to Skip
You’re better off without some air purifiers. Here are a few options to avoid when choosing a system for your residence:
- Produces ozone. Some air purifiers create ozone, which can aggravate your lungs. The EPA suggests staying away from ozone air purifiers.
- Doesn’t use HEPA filters. For the best outcome, you’ll want a HEPA air purifier. Considered the gold standard for clean air, HEPA filters are used in the majority of healthcare settings, like hospitals.
- Only purifies an individual room. We suggest getting a whole-house air purifier, which cleans the air in every room. This option works in tandem with your heating and cooling system.
When you work with the indoor air quality experts at Stieferman Heating Company Inc, we make it simple to buy the best air purifier for your house. Give us a call at 573-635-3547 to start breathing cleaner air now!