Perhaps not known to many, air conditioners act like a refrigerator and only cool down the air in the house. The term conditioner is often mistaken and they really serve no other purpose but to cool the air. On the other hand, whole house air purifiers work to help improve the quality of air within homes. Whole house purifiers are able to filter airborne particles anywhere from germs, bacteria, pet dander, mold spores and also keep the household fresh of odors from tobacco smoke and chemicals.
Apart from that, certain house air purifiers are also able to create and distribute ozone around the house. Ozone emitted by home air purifiers react with the contaminant particles in the air and turn them into ash that can be swept away later.
Apart from that, carbon filters used in these whole house air purifiers help to eliminate the presence of odors. Another problem which most households have is the presence of molds. These air purifiers that are made specifically to generate ozone would be extremely efficient in removing formed mold. Recently, there has been a controversy surrounding the efficiency of utilizing ozone in whole house air purification, as it is doubtful on the safety levels of the ozone generated.
While air conditioners are able to cool the air more efficiently, whole house air cleaners will ensure the air is clean with no harmful bacteria or wastes. Having pure and clean air will ensure that every person that lives in the house be safe from potential diseases which air conditioners cannot deter.
This is why more and more people are considering buying an air purifier for improving their indoor air quality. A very effective type of air purifier, which helps to kill germs and bacteria present in the air, is a UV air purifier.
UV or ultraviolet air purifiers contain a germicidal ultraviolet lamp, which effectively kills and destroys all harmful bacteria, viruses, and germs in the air. When polluted air passes through the UV air cleaners, the highly concentrated light and heat of the ultraviolet lamps helps to destroy disease causing germs and bacteria, by changing their genetic make-up and leaving the organisms harmless.
Features Of Ultraviolet Air Purifiers
- UV air purifiers feature a very powerful and strong ultraviolet lamp, which helps to kill harmful organisms.
- Ultraviolet air purifiers use the principles of UV radiation to purify air.
- UV light radiation, the technology used in UV purifiers, is recommended by the Center of Disease Control for destroying harmful microorganisms, and controlling the spread of diseases and illnesses.
- The ultraviolet light causes changes in the DNA of molecules, but does not represent any danger to people as the radiation is completely contained within the purifier.
Benefits Of An Ultraviolet Air Purifier
- It can effectively destroy and kill dangerous germs and viruses, which is not something that all air purifiers can do.
- An ultraviolet purifier uses light radiation for purification, which helps to make it noiseless and silent.
- They give out such strong light and heat that any kind of germs or bacteria cannot withstand the radiation and are destroyed immediately on contact with the UV lamps.
- The high radiation alters the DNA of the germs, and they cannot reproduce further. As these germs have a very short life, and because they cannot reproduce further, their numbers reduce very swiftly. Due to this, the quality of air remains cleaner and purer for much longer.
Ion Air Purifiers Explained
An ion air purifier is a type of electronic air purifier and is also know as an ionizer. It works by sending out negatively charged ions into the air. The ion generator, inside the ion purifier, sends out a steady stream of negative ions into the air in a room.
An ion is an atom with an ion missing. Thus, when these ions are sent out in the air, they attach to other molecules and ions, thus forming a complete atom. This process continues till the molecules become so heavy and big that they cannot float around in the air. The particulates either fall to the ground, or become attracted to positively charged surfaces in the room, such as furniture, upholstery, fixtures, walls, etc.
Once the harmful particulates are removed from the air, they can then be removed entirely from the room, through regular vacuuming and cleaning. Even if the particulates are disturbed and sent back into the air because of regular movement of people and animals, the steady release of ions, will once again ensure that they are removed from the air, thus purifying it completely.
Benefits Of An Ion Air Purifier
- They are not as expensive as other kinds of air purification systems.
- An Ion air purifier is not very noisy and is perfect for those who get disturbed even with the slightest of sounds.
- Ion air purification systems help to remove all kinds of harmful particles, bacteria, dust, smoke etc from indoor air. Even though the molecules are not actually destroyed, ion air purifiers help to drop them on other surfaces from where the unsafe contaminants can easily be vacuumed away.
- They help in removing unpleasant smells from the air as well.
- Ion air purifiers are filter-less air purifiers, and thus you do not have to contend with any filters, which need to continuously be replaced or cared for. This also helps in reducing your maintenance costs.
What Is A Home Air Filter?
This is a filter that is used in various appliances and air purification systems in a home. The quality of indoor air, in homes, is deteriorating by the day, because of increase in pollution levels, domestic pets, and many other factors. Breathing in such air can often lead to medical problems in people, such as allergies and other reactions.
In order to avoid and minimize health complications because of impure air, many people choose to have air purification systems in the house, most of which require an air filter for effective purification.
Applications Of Home Air Filters
These can be used in the following appliances and areas commonly found in homes.
- Air conditioner air filter: These are used inside air-conditioners. Such filters prevent dust from getting inside the air conditioner and also allow for maximum air flow into the air-conditioner. This helps to give you absolutely clean and cool air, to provide you with health and comfort.
- Air filters for air cleaning devices: House air filters are also used in most air purification systems. They capture the particulates from the air and then pass such air into the purification system so as to rid it of harmful germs and other microorganisms. Many air purification systems do not use air filters. But although such systems get rid of microorganisms, they cannot control the particulates present in the air, without the use of home air filters.
- Furnace air filters: These are used to protect your indoor heating systems, and provide you with clean warm air.
- Vent air filters: These filters fit onto the vents in your home, to prevent objects from falling into ducts, and also help to trap harmful particles from the air.
Home air filters are available in many standard sizes, with some manufacturers offering as many as 40 standard sizes to choose from. If you still don’t find an air filter for your home that suits your requirements, you can get one custom made, to the exact specifications of your appliance that requires a home air filter.
With use, these filters can attract a large number of dust particles and other matter. The microorganisms and germs that are present in the trapped particles accumulate in the filter, which then becomes a place that is conducive for such germs and bacteria to grow and reproduce. These harmful microorganisms, if left unchecked, can be released into the air, contaminating the very air that the air purifiers were meant to clean.
Due to this danger, the filters of air purifiers need to be serviced and cleaned thoroughly and repeatedly. Many a times, you need other equipment such as UV lamps, in the vicinity of the filters, to destroy the germs produced therein. All this can be very frustrating, time consuming and also very expensive.
But you need not contend with filters of air purifiers if you don’t want to. All the above mentioned hassles can be dealt with by using filterless air purifiers.
Features Of Filterless Air Purifiers
- As the name suggests, a filter-less air purifier does not have any filter to trap particulates and dust.
- Filter less air purifiers use technologies such as ionizers, ozone generation, and UV rays to purify and clean air.
- A filterless purifier may contain metal collection plates for purification. One plate charges the particles in the air, and the other plate traps the charged particles to remove them from the air.
Benefits Of A Filterless Air Purifier
- They are relatively maintenance free. There are no filters that need to repeatedly be cleaned r serviced. Some filter-less purifiers do contain metal plates, but these are also very easy to clean and can be washed in your regular dishwasher.
- Filterless air cleaners do not have any components that can become a breeding ground for any kind of germs, bacteria, or other microorganisms. These air purifiers thus help to keep the air clean without adding to the contamination in the air.
- They are available with many different types of purification systems, and you can choose one depending on your individual requirements.
- A filter-less air purifier is relatively less noisy than one with a filter as there is less restriction of air flow.
Over the years, because of various factors, such as rise in population, increasing number of vehicles on the road, and increase in pollution levels, the outdoor air quality has become practically unbreathable, which is why most homes and offices today are highly insulated to protect against the bad outdoor air, and also to save on energy costs.
This has resulted in an even more dangerous problem – that of bad indoor air quality. As most homes and offices are tightly insulated nowadays, there is not enough circulation of fresh air, which is why the indoor air quality is going from bad to worse. And add to it factors such as pet dander, dust mites, cigarette smoke, and mold spores; add what you get is very unhealthy indoor air.
Bad quality of indoor air leads to many health problems, the least of which are hay fever, runny noses, headaches, breathing difficulties etc. The only way to improve your indoor air quality, and thus your health, is to use clean air machines.
Introducing Clean Air Machines
A clean air machine is an appliance, which helps to clean indoor air and make it fit for breathing. Clean air machines, or air purifiers, remove harmful particulates from the air, such as dust particles, pet hair, dead skin, mold spores etc, and also remove disease causing germs, viruses, bacteria and a host of other micro-organisms from the air. Removing all these dangerous contaminants from the air makes the air cleaner, purer, and safer to breathe for children and adults.
Using a vacuum cleaner and dusting your home regularly, will only remove that has settled on surfaces. Vacuuming does not help to purify the air and also cannot reduce the presence of germs in the air. Only a clean air machine can achieve complete and thorough purification of indoor air.
Benefits Of A Clean Air Machine
A clean air machine will help to purify indoor air and rid the air of all disease causing contaminants. By using an air cleaner for just a couple of weeks in your home, you will see a marked difference in your health and the health of your family members. A clean air machine also provides for better sleep because of purer air, thus making you feel completely rested and energized.
If only we lived in the good old days, where purity of air was taken for granted, we would not need any appliances for cleaning indoor air. But since you don’t, the next best alternative is to get an air cleaning machine.
In our cars, pollution is categorized into two, namely bioaerosol (living organism based) and organic compounds which are actually vaporized liquid in the air. Germs, bacteria, viruses, and tobacco smoke are just some of the many other kinds of pollution that may exist in your car. If these harmful elements are not eradicated by an automobile air purifier, the effects may even be worse than environmental pollution in open air. This is as the car is an extremely small enclosed area and the circulation of contaminants within this area is more prominent.
In the current market, there is a huge variety of auto air purifiers, ionizers, dehumidifiers, air cleaners and air filters which offer similar features which is to help combat car pollution. These remarkably handy gadgets are also small in size and do not take up much space in your car. Different models vary in their features but the main purpose of car air purifier is to filter the wastes that enters and that exists in the car. Many new car air purifiers utilize state of the art nanotechnology to reverse the effects of wastes, a process known as reduction and oxidation. Purifiers that are also ionizers on the hand offer an invigorating, soothing and calm effect when its negative ions are released into the air. This not only helps to remove wastes from your car but is a great benefit especially during long drives.
Although reviews do help, they should be used to short list some air purifiers and not to make the final decision about the best one. Here is no such thing as one best air purifier for everybody. Each person’s requirements, in an air purifier, are different from others, and thus you can only select one that will be best for you. What is the best air purifier for one a particular household may not be the best purifier for another.
Factors For Choosing The Best Air Purifier
- Size of the area: The size of the room, office, or home will determine the best air purifier for that space. If you have a large room, then you cannot use a purifier that is not efficient enough for big spaces. In such a situation, the air purifier best for you will be one that can effectively purify air even in large areas.
- Filtration technologies: There are many different kinds of filtration technologies used in different air purifiers. These include, heap filtration, ionic filtration, ozone generation, UV air purification systems etc. The best air purifiers use more than just one type of technology for air purification. The more the technologies used in a particular air purifier, the better it is likely to be in purification of indoor air.
- Health concerns: The choice will also depend on the type of health problems that you are facing because of bad indoor air quality. Depending on what you are suffering from, you need to decide whether you want an air purifier that attacks air borne particulates, or one that removes germs from the air, or both. An air purifier that helps to minimize your health problems is the only one that can be considered the most suitable air purifier for you.
So, in choosing the right purifier for you, pay attention to your individual home and health requirements, and not to something that you saw on television, or heard somewhere, about some ‘best air purifiers’.
“Today, statistics reveal that 1 in 3 American adults and children have severe allergy problems or have asthma”.
“According to research conducted by the American College of Allergies, it is estimated that almost half of all people who have allergies, and a majority of illnesses are made worse because of impure indoor air”.
“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States has finally announced that the worst environmental health concern in recent years has been that of bad indoor air quality”.
You must surely be wondering as to why we have listed all of the above. It is certainly not to scare or alarm you, but is just to make you aware of the immense health problems, which can be caused due to bad indoor air quality, so as to make you understand the importance of air purification systems, also known as an air purifier.
What Is An Air Purification System?
It is a device that cleans indoor air and makes it free from all kinds of harmful particulates, such as dead skin, pet dander, dust mites; and also removes disease causing germs, viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms from indoor air.
Why are these so popular today?
In a bid to try and conserve energy and reduce energy costs, most homes and offices have become highly insulated. In the absence of fresh air circulation, the quality of indoor air keeps deteriorating, as there is no natural way to ventilate the area and remove stale and impure air.
The insulation of homes and offices allows harmful pollutants and allergens to remain indoors, thus worsening the quality of the air. As these pollutants can cause many health problems, air purification systems have become the preferred means to improve the quality of indoor air, so as to improve overall health.
Types Of Air Purification Systems
There are various kinds of air purification systems available to choose from. You can either go in for a whole house air purification system, which can help to clean the air in your entire home; or you can opt for a room air purification system, which will help to purify air in individual rooms around your home or office.
More and more people, everyday, are understanding the importance of air purifier systems. Make the smart choice and get one for your home today!