Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 41,000 deaths every year in the United States. It is also the primary cause of over 7,000 deaths from lung cancer. These are the reasons why getting a tobacco smoke air purifier is very important, especially if you have someone in your house who smokes tobacco regularly.

Whether it’s in your house or your business, having a tobacco smoke purifier can give peace of mind to the people around you. There are air purifiers that are made specifically to remove over 250 harmful chemicals from tobacco smoke.

If you plan to buy one, we listed down some of the things that you need to consider when buying an air purifier.

Choosing a Tobacco Smoke Air Purifier

1. Pick the Best Filters

Filters are the most important features that you need to consider if you need a tobacco air purifier. Whether it’s tobacco or wildfire smoke, you need a combination of carbon and HEPA filters.

You might see other features like UV-light, which is for mold and bacteria. There are also some additional filters like PECO filters. For an air purifier for smoke, there are only two filters that you need to consider:

• HEPA Filter: This type of filter catches and removes different solid smoke particles. The best choice would be the True H13 HEPA filter as it is the most effective when it comes to tobacco smoke.

• Activated carbon filter: It is often called a “charcoal filter” as it is designed to remove the odors and smoke smell inside your house. Air purifiers need to have this type of filter since it can absorb and remove the odor coming from cigarette smoke.

As long as you have these two filters on your air purifiers, you won’t have to worry about the dangers of secondhand smoke. They won’t even linger for a few minutes. Once the smoke goes through the filters, all the harmful chemicals would be removed. The best air purifiers use powerful fans to push the air through their HEPA filters and the activated carbon filters that would filter the solid particles while removing the smoke smell at the same time.

2. Smoke CADR Rating

When it comes to the CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate)  rating for smoke, the bigger the value, the better. Take note that not all air purifier buyers check the CADR rating since not all products have this. If you notice that a specific product doesn’t have a CADR rating, it means that they are not confident that it would get a high score.

The producers of air purifiers need to ask AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers) to measure and provide certification for the rating. AHAM will not do this voluntarily so if you don’t see any CADR rating, it means that the manufacturer did not contact AHAM.

Well, this is a chance for you to find the best purifiers because if a certain brand doesn’t have a CADR rating, it means that it is probably lower than the products with a rating. This will also ensure that the ratings are valid since popular brands won’t lie about this on the packaging.

3. Coverage Area

The coverage area of the air purifier will determine its effectiveness. With a maximum coverage area, you will figure out the amount of space that the purifier can cover. If a certain brand claims that they have maximum coverage of 540 square feet, it means that their product can efficiently operate in an area with the same measurement or lower.

You need to check this aside from the CADR rating because failing to notice the maximum coverage area of the air purifier can make it inefficient. You should also know that your purifier will work extra hard to cover the space if it’s not equal to or less than its maximum coverage. This will lead to health issues and it would affect the life of your air purifier.

4. Power Output and Energy Usage

This is a very important part of your decision-making since electricity costs are rising consistently. We always want something that won’t consume too much electricity, especially for air purifiers. Basically, air purifiers run 24/7 to enjoy their maximum effectiveness. As long as it is open, you can enjoy fresh air inside your house. This is also the reason why you have to be very meticulous about its energy usage.

Most air purifiers range from 40W to 100W. If you’re going to run them 24/7, they won’t even cost more than ten dollars a month, which is pretty good. You’ll pay less if you’re going to use a unit with lower energy usage.

5. Noise Level

We always want a quiet air cleaner. We can do anything without getting distracted by its noise. However, air purifiers that create noise also remove smoke faster inside your house.

It’s a good thing that new air purifiers come in different fan speed settings. A higher setting means that the noise level will be higher as well, but the removal of smoke would be faster. The best thing that you can do is to use a lower fan speed at night and use the higher setting during the daytime when there are people inside your house.

When choosing a tobacco smoke air purifier, make sure that you always choose a product with a low noise level. Although some may not really care about the noise, some people prefer a quieter version. You can get an air purifier with noise levels ranging from 25 dB to 70 dB.

Simple FAQs for Smoke Air Purifiers

1. Can you count on air purifiers to remove harmful particles from tobacco smoke?

The answer would depend on the type of air purifier that you’re going to buy. The reason why you need to consider the tips above is to make sure that these harmful particles can be removed effectively. Remember that some air purifiers can do this, but most of the products on the market cannot. You need to be very meticulous when you’re buying.

If you want something that can filter and remove these particles, the two filters mentioned above would be your best choice.

2. Does having two filters do enough to remove smoke in the air?

Most of you would probably pick any air purifier as long as they have a HEPA filter and a carbon filter, but they are not the only features that you need to consider. For your air purifier to work properly, you need to consider a few things:

• The filters should be made from good quality materials. If they suddenly break while you’re using the air purifier, you’ll have to bring them to a repair shop or buy a new one. As long as any of the two breaks, the air purifier becomes useless against tobacco smoke.

• Paired with the two filters should be a strong fan motor that can suck in all the tobacco smoke from the area and push it through the filters. Without a good fan motor, you can’t expect your air purifier to completely remove the harmful particles from the smoke.

• Don’t use a small air purifier in a large room because these items only have specific coverage. Once you go over its maximum coverage, the purifier will be ineffective and inefficient. There is also a chance that the product would break in just a few months of usage as it would work double-time to handle the job.

3. Should you open the windows when you have an air purifier?

Air purifiers don’t work like air conditioning units. It means that it doesn’t matter if you open the windows and doors in your room.

However, it has an effect on the effectiveness of the air purifier. If you keep your windows and doors closed while the purifier is working, you can expect that the air is pure and there are no pollutants included. If you keep your windows and doors open, pollutants will continuously enter your room and your air purifier will have to work hard to remove them.

4. Where should you put your air purifier?

The air purifier should always be placed in an area where you always stay. It would be in the bedroom or the living area. If you always have guests in your house and you expect them to smoke from time to time, it’s better to leave your air purifier in your living room. Well, having multiple air purifiers is not a bad idea as it would guarantee that the air inside your house is always clean and fresh.

Take note that air purifiers should not be placed outdoors. You will only waste your electricity by doing this because they should only be put in an enclosed space.

Final Thoughts

It’s not too difficult to look for the best tobacco smoke air purifier because most of its features are easy to understand. You don’t need to look for complicated features. As long as you know the two important filters, the coverage area of the purifier, and its CADR rating, you will surely find the best purifier in the market.

If you are looking for top-quality air purifiers for removing tobacco smoke, we’ve got a wide range of items that you can check.