Updated:18/09/2023
Read time: 7 minutes
Can
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t-Miss Features When Shopping for an Air Purifier
Spring is on the way, and that means more sun, but it also means more allergies. For those who suffer from runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing, and all the other joys that allergies bring, a home air purifier might be for you. When looking for an air purifier there are plenty of options, with different sizes, filters, fans, noise levels, and more. Picking the right purifier has become a little overwhelming, with so many features, brands, and differences in prices, but after reading this article, you’ll know what features to look for and why.
Table of Contents
An air purifier uses a filtration system to purify and clean as much air as possible before releasing the clean air. HEPA filters (high-efficiency particulate air) are the backbone of air purifiers because they catch 99.97 percent of all airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns. A micron is 1/25,400th of an inch, which means that microns are invisible to the human eye. Humans can’t see anything smaller than 10 microns, which is another reason these filters are so important. HEPA is the most common filter, but some units have multiple filters and different options to protect against other things.
Using an air purifier has been proven to reduce allergens like smoke, mold spores, bacteria, viruses, pollen, and plenty more. These purifiers vary in quality and efficiency, so it can be important to pay attention to each purifier’s features and how much maintenance each will take. Different purifiers protect against other allergens and unwanted airborne particles. Here are the top 10 features to look for when shopping for an air purifier.
This air purifier feature is the most important when it comes to deciding which one to buy. As mentioned before, there are highly efficient HEPA filters, but there are also PECO-filters, carbon filters, and ionizers (electrical filters). PECO-filters don’t trap allergens and pollutants like volatile organic compounds(VOCs). Carbon filters are great for trapping unwanted gasses and odors through adsorption, but as these filters become wetter and wetter, they also become less effective. Lastly, ionizer filters are electronic filters, which work by releasing charged ions into the air. The charged ions in the air act as a magnet by attracting airborne particles. Once the airborne particles reach the charged ions, they receive a charge and either attach to a surface in the room or fall to the ground. Some ionizer filters can create ozone as a byproduct of their mechanics.
According to the California Air Resources Board, ozone may cause many adverse health effects, so it’s just another thing to think about when shopping for the right air purifier. Many purification systems also have different maintenance, so shoppers should also consider how often the filters will have to be changed. Some air purifiers even notify the owner when the filter needs to be changed. Other units may have a multi-filtration system, which is more efficient but uses more filters.
When thinking about which air purifier to buy, you should consider where you will place it in your space. Which room will it go in? How big is the room? Will it need multiple purifiers or just one? One large air purifier or a couple of smaller ones? The size of the air purifier required depends on the square footage of your space. For example, if your bedroom is 900 square feet, you must choose an air purifier with a coverage area of at least 900 square feet to get the most effective results.
The noise level of an air purifier might not seem like a big deal, but when you try to sleep or watch a movie, the noise level will become very clear. If an air purifier is too loud, you will likely turn it off. This is why it’s important to choose a tranquil air purifier. Some air purifiers come with pink noise, which is the best bet for helping you sleep.
It would be best if you also kept energy consumption in mind when researching air purifiers. To save on energy expenses, look for a purifier that runs below 100 watts on the most powerful setting. And if you’d like to see how an air purifier will potentially affect your energy bill, the Office of Energy Efficiency has a great free online calculator.
Air purifiers require maintenance, some more than others. As mentioned before, the filter will have to be changed eventually but can last from six months to one year or more. Depending on the pollutant levels in your environment and the filtration technology used, some filters may also need changing more often, which could become high maintenance and costly. Maintenance might not be a feature listed on the product description page, but it’s certainly an important one. A high-maintenance unit might be very efficient but not worth the cost. A low-maintenance air purifier could be a great feature for smaller rooms or rooms with multiple units.
Fans and fan-less air purifiers are also important to consider while researching the right air purifier for you. Units with a fan typically make more noise and create more airflow and clean more of the air in an area. Fan-less air purifiers are great for cleaning the air quietly but can’t catch as many pollutants because there’s less airflow without a fan. This feature might affect the need to get one unit or multiple.
Your air purifier must come with a warranty. Many things can go wrong and can get costly if you do not have a warranty. Think about what happens when the fan breaks or the unit makes too much noise. How’s the return policy? What if you bought the wrong air purifier and it doesn’t protect against the specific pollutant or allergen you need it?
If you or a family member are light sleepers and still want to use an air purifier, a unit with a sleep mode is a great feature. Like mentioned before, some air purifiers can be loud, but some have various settings and even a sleep mode. In this mode, the unit still cleans the air but does it more quietly and even dims the unit’s lights. Depending on the brand and unit, the purifier might automatically go into sleep mode when it detects a change in lighting. It’s a more minor feature, but it’s surprisingly convenient when shopping for a unit to put in a bedroom.
The addition of Wi-Fi to air purification units is by far one of the most luxurious features, but it’s not just cool tech. An air purification system featuring Wi-Fi has some incredibly convenient features. Users can link the unit to their smartphone, set a schedule for their air purifier, control the fan speed, turn the entire unit on and off, be alerted when the filter(s) need changing, and even view real-time air quality data, all from a smartphone. The Wi-Fi feature usually comes with a little more of a cost, but it might be worth the extra money if it’s within your budget.
Air purifiers have become surprisingly high-tech, with Wi-Fi, different filtration systems, various operation modes, and plenty more. One of the byproducts of more efficient and high-tech air purifiers is that some protect their owners against specific pathogens and allergens. For instance, if you live in an area prone to wildfire smoke, choosing an air purifier designed to eliminate wildfire smoke effectively is a smart choice. There are many options when choosing an air purifier, so you must do your research to ensure you select the best air purifier to meet your needs.
Shopping for an air purifier can be overwhelming, with all the different features, prices, and brands. However, knowing which features you need and finding units that fit your budget can help narrow down the options. Additionally, knowing what harmful airborne pollutants like allergens, pet dander, or smoke you need to eliminate at home will help you choose the air purifier that best fits your needs.
By now, we’ve all heard about the importance of improving our indoor air quality. We know that breathing fresh air is good and that indoor air… is often not so good. Even in a big, bustling city, the air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted inside our homes than outside. Crazy, right?
We’ve been told how the chemicals from household cleaners and room deodorizers can contribute to bad air quality. We know that our shoes can introduce allergens and other contaminants into the house. And we know that we spend way too much of our time indoors, breathing these pollutants.
And we feel the effects. These sneezy, throat-scratching, eye-drying contaminants can make us uncomfortable for months on end. They also contribute to our colds and allergies. But even worse, long-term exposure to these common pollutants can be dangerous and may cause a range of lung-related diseases.
The good news is that a high-quality air purifier can remove more than 99% of the contaminants from your home or office. This drastically improves indoor air quality and, ultimately, your health.
There are a few important features to consider when purchasing a new air purifier… and a few that you can skip.
are highly effective at capturing very small pollutant particles such as tobacco smoke, dust, and pollen from the air, so these are a key feature to seek. Most HEPA filters need to be replaced annually, but the filters on some newer models can be cleaned.
In addition, activated carbon filters absorb certain VOCs and other chemical & gaseous pollutants from the air. These carbon filters can catch some pollutants that HEPA filters can’t.
So for the cleanest air, choose a purifier that has both a HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter.
Fans are the most efficient way to pull air through the purifier. That’s probably obvious, but some purifiers actually don’t use a fan. These models are quieter, but they usually take longer to filter the air and may not do the job as well.
A Service Indicator lets you know when it’s time to clean or replace the filter. Most light up after a certain number of hours of use, which is good. An even better indicator will tell you when the filter is actually dirty. This earlier warning is important because you never want to run a dirty filter.
VERY IMPORTANT: Replace carbon filters every 3-6 months. If they are not replaced regularly, the filters can overflow and begin to release their trapped pollutants back into the air.
On a very related note, when a paint or other manufacturer says “Use only in a well-ventilated area”, it’s a good idea to heed that warning!
CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) is a measure of how quickly the purifier can clean 3 types of pollutants from the air: smoke, dust, and pollen. Look for a CADR above 200 for each type of pollutant and skip anything below 100. The CADR is based on square footage, so be sure to choose a model that is appropriate for the room size you need to filter.
EnergyStar-certified air purifiers are at least 40% more efficient than non-certified units. In addition to lowering your greenhouse gas emissions, certified models also save on electricity over time. Energy Star estimates the average savings to be $25 per year or $215 over the life of the unit.
Ozone is great when it’s far away in the upper atmosphere of the earth because it protects us from ultraviolet rays. But ozone is a known lung irritant that doesn’t belong in our homes. High levels of ozone in our home can worsen asthma symptoms and compromise our ability to fight respiratory infections.
Air purifiers that use an electrostatic precipitator or ionizer technology will electronically charge pollutants as they enter the unit and produce a small amount of ozone as a byproduct. Many of the top-rated air filters use one or both of these purification methods (in addition to HEPA and carbon filters), so they are difficult to avoid.
But other air purifiers known as dedicated ozone generators produce large amounts of ozone by design. While these purifiers are effective at removing allergens from the air, the levels of ozone they produce may not be worth the risk and we recommend avoiding them entirely.
Several independent testers and many consumer ratings seem unimpressed with the odor removal features of most air purifiers. The consensus seems to be that they take a long time to remove odors if they remove them at all. Most air purifiers market odor removal as a feature, but you may not want to base your final decision on it. (Try these natural ways to reduce odors in your home instead.)
Dust and air quality sensors are supposed to increase the speed of the fan automatically when pollutant levels are high, and slow the fan as levels drop. But tests indicate the sensors react too late, meaning they turn on after pollutants reached levels that were too high and turn off before the levels drop sufficiently. Again, many popular brands offer them — but don’t scratch a purifier from your list if it doesn’t.
No matter which brand you choose, I highly recommend you find a model that fits the points above. Then you can look at things like price and aesthetic to make the final call. Just make sure to pay attention to that service light and change your filters on time!
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