Air Purifiers

Air purifiers are essential to maintaining an allergen-free healthy home. There are some different models on the market it is difficult choosing one that really works. Simply put, an air purifier is a device which removes contaminants from the air. For residential use air purifiers are beneficial to allergy sufferers and asthmatics, and reduce if not eliminate second-hand tobacco smoke. Air purifiers can be both a small stand-alone unit commonly used in homes and as larger units that can be installed in your central HVAC. Air purifiers remove stale air as well as pollutants, bacteria and some have a built in feature for aromatherapy which releases a subtle aroma into the air.

Air purifiers are very effective at removing the following air impurities in your home:

• Bacteria 

• Reducing allergies

• Reducing effects of passive smoking

• Removing odors and unpleasant smells

• Reduces stale air

• Provides a fresh and clean smell in the air

There are several different types of air purifiers that are used to purify air in your home. Each type removes different contaminants in a different way. The most common for household use are;

1.    Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation or UVGI, are used to sterilize air that passes over the ultraviolet (UV) lamps by forced air. They are simply known as "uv air purifier" and can be freestanding units with shielded UV lamps that use a fan to force air past the UV light. The UV lamps and a filtration system remove the dead micro-organisms from your home.

2.    Filter-based purification traps airborne particles in the filter. Air is forced through the filter where the contaminated particles are captured by the filter.

3.    Activated carbon type air purifiers adsorb small volatile contaminates on a molecular scale, but does not remove larger particles. The carbon type uses activated carbon which is merely a process of changing contaminants from a gaseous state to a solid state so they can be captured by the filter.

 Most home air purifiers use a combination of HEPA filter, UV light, and ionizer filtration techniques to clean the air of pollutants as stand-alone units. HEPA filters are composed of multiple wafer type cells made from fiberglass that can filter particles as small as 0.5 and 2.0 micron. They are effective in removing more than 90% of the contaminated particles. They are very effective in the air purification of small or large rooms. The cost varies according to size ranging from approximately $50.00 to $600.00. The filters do require changing periodically, usually twice a year. We installed a HEPA tower room air purifier in the central living area of our home and are very satisfied with it. Although it is designed for only 400 square feet it is very effective purifying a living space that is nearly 600 square feet. If you have a home stay air problem I recommend that you consider a home air purifier or a room air purifier for you home. It makes an incredible difference in the quality of air in your home.