Do Air Purifiers Really Work ?

Do air purifiers really work ?

These are the first questions which are asked often by prospective air purifier buyers; most of whom have either the health, odor or smoke problems.

Considering that indoor air purifiers are not cheap, these are fair questions. After all, who would like to spend hundreds of their hard-earned bucks on questionable items ?

This article attempts to answer the question whether air purifiers really work and whether you need them.

What Is An Air Purifier And Who Needs It?

The concept behind an indoor air purifier is simple. The device sucks up the air, strip the air from pollutants, deliver it back into the room, and voila ... you get the clean air. Proponents of air cleaner state that the quality of indoor air is worse than that in the outside and that continual exposure to bad indoor air can eventually affect your health.

While the above assertion is true, will or how much of this can affect an otherwise a healthy person ?

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states that the effect of bad indoor air can be felt either immediately or years to come, even by a supposedly health people. Therefore, it is only prudent to always keep the indoor air clean.

However, if you are a healthy person, do not smoke, do not have pets, and do not live in a highly-polluted place, owning an indoor air purifier is not a priority. You can easily improve your indoor air quality by doing these following things:

• First, remove the source of pollution or contamination within your house.
• And second, be prudent in keeping the house reasonably clean by doing things such as suggested below:
  • Regularly ventilate the house.
  • Regularly clean up the dust by vacuuming or sweeping.
  • Regularly check for the level of toxic gas and mold in the house by buying testing kits.
  • Choosing non-toxic painting or carpet when you need to replace the old one.

So you see, in this case, owning an indoor air purifier is not a priority. After all, an indoor air cleaner is only one way to decrease the level of pollution in your home. But of course if you own a good one, then your indoor air quality will be even more better.

The next question is, if a healthy person does not absolutely need an air cleaner, how about a person with health problems ?

Do air purifiers really work to alleviate the problems that people are facing in relation to air quality ?

Are air purifiers really worth it ?

Do air purifiers really work?

Although many people with health problems do feel that the presence of indoor air purifiers in their homes change their lives, some do not feel that way. While some allergic people may not get teary eyes and nasal congestion anymore, some may still feel their allergy is still coming regardless whether an indoor air purifier is used or not. One asthma person may breathe better, whereas other cannot tell the difference whether they are with or without an indoor air cleaner. Similarly, some pet owners can swear by their air cleaners that their homes are now odorless, whereas others are not so convinced about it. So you see, results do vary

However, this is not an indication that air purifier does not work. The job of an air cleaner is to produce clean air. Period. When it is achieved, then we can say that the particular air purifier works.

(See our tips on how to differentiate a good air purifier vs the lemon and how to avoid air purifier scams when buying a home air purifier.)

There are several reasons as to why an air purifier does not have the desired effect:

• One, may be the air cleaner purchased is not of high quality. Indoor air purifiers are not created equal. Some are better than others. Some are even harmful. Therefore it is very important to be careful when purchasing an air purifier, and be sure to match your needs to what a particular indoor air purifier is designed to do. An air purifier which is particularly good in removing odor may not be good enough to filter out particulates, and therefore should not be a the choice for people with severe allergy. Having said that, generally, good air purifiers really work for what they are intended for. For instance, if they are intended to curb out smoke, then the air purifiers usually work well for that purpose. If they are for odor control, then these indoor air purifiers usually work for that as well.
  Health problem, however is more complicated, and this brings us to the second reason why an indoor air purifier may not produce result instantly.
  
  
• Two, health problem is usually multifaceted. For example, somebody with an allergy-related asthma may get a good benefit getting an air purifier targeting allergens, whereas others with a cold-induced or exercise-induced asthmas may not get as much benefit from a home air cleaner.
  
• Three, the limitation of the indoor air purifier. While good quality air purifiers really work, it does not mean that these air purifiers can do magic. Often people who are allergic to pet still like to keep pets at home. This creates a difficult situation in that an air purifier has to work hard to clean up 'constant pollution' at home. Even if the air purifier works beautifully, it cannot be expected that the air is as clean as it should be for a pet allergy sufferer. Therefore, as hard as it might be, if your pet allergy is too severe, source removal is the key. There is no air purifier in the world can eliminate your symptoms completely if the pet is still there.
  
  
• Four, the manufacturer's recommendation is not followed properly, for instance: the recommendation on room size, filter change, and so forth. If the manufacturer's recommendation is not followed properly, then the air purifier effectiveness is compromised.

So, back to the original question: do air purifiers really work ? Are air purifiers really worth it ?

The answer is, yes. Air purifiers really work. As long as you purchase a good quality one, then the air purifier will work and be effective enough to do what it is intended for. However, you may not feel its benefits instantly unless you have a specific problem you want to address, for instance: odor problem, smoke problem, and health issues. However, a good indoor air cleaner may not be able to help a lot with your health issues if you don't also remove or reduce the source contamination and if your health issue is multifactorial.

Related Articles:

How to choose an air purifier - the evaluation criteria.

Home air purifier system - how do air purifiers work ?

Where to find air purifier ratings and how to benefit the most of it.

Are air purifiers safe ?

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