THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CHOOSING THE RIGHT AIR PURIFIER
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CHOOSING THE RIGHT AIR PURIFIER
If you are considering taking the health of your air supply seriously at work, at your business or at home, you have probably wondered what exactly you need to think about before buying your very own air purifier.
Sure, the machine you spotted at your workplace, classroom, local restaurant, or at someone’s home may have looked nice, but there are many factors to take into consideration before deciding which one is right for you.
That is why we created this list, so you could take matters out of a pushy salesman’s hands and into your own.
Here is our Ultimate Guide to choosing the right air purifier for you!
WHAT ARE YOUR REASONS FOR WANTING AN AIR PURIFIER?
There is a massive variety of reasons for wanting to bring an air purifier into your space. Each of these reasons can affect the kind of unit that is right for you and the machine you ultimately decide to purchase.
The motive and desire behind purchasing an air purifier that perfectly fits your life is the most important aspect to consider.
Once you know the reason, you can keep this in the forefront of your mind when looking at air purifiers online.
The first thing to consider is where you want to use this technology. Is it for your home to protect your family?; your commercial space to protect your employees and customers; or for another reason entirely like that new nail design or jewelry soldering hobby you wanted to pick up that requires special air purification and ventilation?
Another thing to consider is the specific pollutants in the air that you want to filter out like mold spores, smoke, asbestos, pet dander, etc. You may be concerned about this because you have a partner with asthma or allergies, a child with a compromised immune system to certain viruses or bacteria, or a family member coming to visit that is sensitive to the chemicals in the household cleaners you use.
Regardless of your circumstances, there is an air purifier out there for you.
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT AIR PURIFIER IS BEST FOR THE SPACE YOU HAVE?
The size of your room can play a big role in choosing the right air purifier. Larger spaces require units with higher power and better capabilities, whereas a small bedroom or studio apartment can be served by a less powerful unit.
There is something in the industry called the CADR of an air purifier, it stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate, and ranges from 65 up to 390+. A good rule of thumb to go by is that, if you have a bigger room, you will need an air purifier with a higher CADR number.
Another important term to know is CFM which stands for Cubic Feet per Minute. This is the number of cubic feet of air that an air purifier can scrub per minute. This number provides insight into the efficiency of the air purifier.
A rule of thumb is that you want your air purifier to have a rating of about 100 CFM for each 250 square feet of space. If you want a small air purifier for an office, you will need about 100 CFM. A standard size room air purifier should have a rating of about 400 CFM. A range between 100 - 400 CFM is recommended for the average home. Therefore, a higher CFM rating is better when considering the amount of air volume you need cleaned each minute by an air purifier.
You will usually find that the manufacturer will place details on a machine, in the product description, or in the care guide that comes with the product on its recommendations for room size. Therefore, consider both CADR and CFM, and the size of your room or space before selecting your air purifier.
If you are still not sure about how to assess the right air purifier for your situation, you can always consult the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendations for “Air Cleaners in the Home.” With this source you can dive deeper into the exact science and technology of matching air purifiers with room size.
DO YOU NEED ANY SPECIAL FEATURES IN ADDITION TO A BASIC AIR PURIFIER?
Every air purifier is different and is made to handle different situations. So, take a moment to think about if you need any special attachments or features to come with your unit that can take care of your unique circumstances.
Special features can include: (1) purifying the air of allergens, smoke, chemicals, (2) removing pet dander from a space, (3) a unit that’s extra energy efficient, or (4) even a purifier that runs silently to be kept in a bedroom or newborn child’s nursery.
Always take your lifestyle into account, including how every person (and pet) in the home likes to live, and the needs they have when at home. For example, if you have someone at home who vulnerable to health threats and needs to keep bacteria, Influenza, Coronavirus or other viruses out of the air, our Air Purifiers with Medical Grade HEPA Filter, Ultraviolet (UV-C), THERMODYNAMIC TSS, and TPA technology are worth your consideration.
Perhaps you may need to clean and improve the air quality in commercial spaces such as hotels, restaurants, hospitals, office settings, gyms, schools, libraries, or museums. If so, our brands, BSE germicidal Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NPBI), Amaircare Airwash, Airpura-W Central Air System, and AllerAir AirMedic Pro 6 Plus W could be a great fit.
Another situation that would require special features could be the home of a pet owner who happens to be allergic to their four-legged best friend. You shouldn’t have to choose between a pet and keeping your allergies in check. So consider something like the Airfree Tulip 1000 Air Purifier or Austin Pet Machine.
DO YOU NEED YOUR AIR PURIFIER TO BE PORTABLE?
In a perfect world, everyone would be able to afford the top-of-the-line air purifier for every room of their house, but that is far from the reality we live in. If you cannot afford the thousands of dollars to buy several units, but you would like to have all the air you breathe in your home to be clean, you can always consider a portable air purifier. It’s as easy as finding the right machine for you.
A portable air purifier can be (1) a purifier on wheels that only requires a standard outlet, (2) taken into your vehicle, or (3) it can be a personal air purifier that attaches to your person and either cleans the air in your general space or provides a face mask, like the Air Dog FitAir Full Solution.
For a room-purifying unit, consider air purifiers with wheels or casters that can be taken from one room to the other as needed like Airpura, Austin Air, Amaircare 3000, and Allerair. Also available are air purifiers that are small enough to be carried with handles like Envion Therapure, or without handles, like Airdog, Airfree, Boneco, and LightAir.
HOW MUCH MAINTENANCE ARE YOU WILLING TO PUT INTO AN AIR PURIFIER AND ITS FILTERS?
An air purifier is a home appliance, just as much as a fridge, oven, or television. Regardless of how different the purposes are behind these appliances, there is one thing in common between all of them: they require maintenance to continue working.
There are a few different types of filters that today’s machines come with such as HEPA Filters, Carbon Filters, or Pre-Filters. Each option comes with its own pros and cons. While a Pre-Filter may only last 6 to 12 months, some are cleanable or vacuumable, saving you money but costing you time.
Conversely, True HEPA filter and Medical Grade HEPA filters are not cleanable or reusable; but they last the longest, 2 to 5 years depending upon how often you use air purifiers such as Austin Air, Airpura, AllerAir, BSE, and Amaircare.
Envion Therapure offers cleanable HEPA-Type filters that may lose their effectiveness after about 12 months depending on frequency of use. The Envion Four Season 4-in-1: Air Purifier • Heater • Fan • Humidifier and Envion Allergy Pro AP200 have True HEPA filters.
The eHEPA® filter is not cleanable, but last for 6 to 9 months or after 400 hours of use. This type filter can be found in the HealthyAir air purifiers.
On the other hand, there are air purifiers that use technology that is filter-free like Airfree Thermodynamic TSS Technology, and others that are filter-free with parts that require cleaning such as the Airdog TPA technology, LightAir Ionflow, and Envion Ionic technology.
Finally, is the carbon filter, which can last around 6 to 24 months and is also not reusable.
All air cleaners require periodic cleaning and filter replacement to function properly. Follow manufacturer's recommendations on maintenance and replacement.
WHICH AIR PURIFIER WILL FIT YOUR BUDGET?
It can go without saying, but in many situations, your budget can be a huge factor into what air purifier is right for you. Just because you aren’t able to afford a whole house unit that can cost over a thousand dollars and more, doesn’t mean you can’t bring an air purifier into your home. Once you have taken all the other factors we’ve mentioned here into consideration, you can now include your budget in your decision process.
When looking for your first or new air purifier, you can usually sort by price, including on our website. In our case, we included a way to refine your search for an air purifier by providing price ranges like $300 to $600, $600 to $900, etc.
The less expensive units like the Airfree, Envion 4-in-1 Air Purifier, Heater, Fan, and Humidifier, or Envion Therapure TPP440 are usually for single rooms or offices. Medium priced units like some of Airdog, Austin Air, AllerAir, Boneco and LightAir air purifiers are for larger spaces. The more expensive machines like AllerAir, Airpura, Austin Air, Amaircare, BSE, and HealthyAir air purifiers are great for larger rooms for the whole house and for commercial spaces.
The bottom line is that choosing the right air purifier for you and your situation can take a little bit of time, but it can be one of the most important decisions you can make in this day and age.
The health benefits that can come along with the right unit can improve not only the air in your home but also your quality of life. We hope that our Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Air Purifier will help you find the best machine for you.
We have other blog articles you can check out to help you learn more about this technology and the changes they can make in your life – check them out while you search for the best air purifier for you!