Do Air Purifiers Help with Allergies?
Air purifiers have become increasingly popular in recent years as people strive to reduce their exposure to allergens and other airborne pollutants.
The Quick Answer
But do air purifiers help with allergies? The answer is yes—air purifiers can be a great way to reduce your exposure to allergens and help control allergy symptoms.
The primary benefit of an air purifier is that it captures particles such as pollen, dust mites, pet dander, mold spores, and more. Doing so helps minimize the amount of these allergens floating around in the air that can trigger symptoms like sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes.
While some air purifiers can capture larger particles (those larger than 0.3 microns), others are capable of trapping even smaller particles (down to 0.1 microns). As a result, they’re able to capture even more potential triggers for allergies.
Air purifiers also work by using a combination of different technologies that remove pollutants from the air before they’re inhaled into your lungs. For example, many models use a HEPA filter that captures 99 percent of particles from the air passing through it. Other air purifiers may use activated carbon filters which absorb gaseous pollutants like smoke or odors, or ozone generators, which kill bacteria and mold in the air.
Besides capturing airborne allergens, an air purifier can also combat other sources of indoor allergies—namely those caused by dust mites and pet dander that accumulate on surfaces like mattresses and furniture over time.
Regular vacuuming and dusting will help here, too, but an air purifier takes things one step further by actively cleansing the surrounding environment rather than just removing surface dirt or debris. This enables them to trap deeper-seated allergens and prevent them from accumulating over time in your home or office space.
The Right Air Purifier for Allergy-Symptoms
When it comes to controlling and managing allergies, air purifiers play a key role in providing relief. An air purifier is designed to remove dust, pollen, dander, mold spores, and other allergens from the air that could be causing sufferers to experience various symptoms. With so many different types of air purifiers on the market today, it can be difficult to find the right one for your needs.
What Type of Allergies do You Suffer From?
When searching for an effective air purifier for your home or office environment, there are several factors you should consider. First and foremost, you need to determine what type of allergens you want to remove from the air.
For instance, if you suffer from hay fever or pet dander allergies, then you need an air cleaner specifically designed to filter out dust mites, pollen particles, pet dander, and fur particles. There are also devices designed to trap smoke particles and carbon monoxide from smokers in the home.
What Size Space Do You Want to be Cleansed?
The next step is choosing the right size air purifier for your space. You don’t want an oversized unit as it will be too large for the room. On the other hand, getting something too small won’t do anything useful either, as it won’t have enough power to effectively cleanse the air in larger spaces.
For best results, choose something that can fit comfortably into your room size and still have enough strength and power to filter out harmful airborne particles such as pet dander, dust mites, and pollen grains. And don’t forget to check the clean air delivery rate, as there can be a significant discrepancy between models.
Check Noise Level
In addition to finding an efficient air filtration device with the right size filters, pay attention to its noise level when using it in quiet environments such as bedrooms. Many models come with adjustable sound levels so you can turn down their noise when not necessary or, at times, when sleeping or studying without being disturbed by its loud humming sound.
Read Reviews
Before making a purchase check out reviews online about each air filter first before investing money in them so that you get good value for money spent on any particular product over another competitor’s product. Read customer ratings and compare prices between different brands as well as what features they offer so that you can make an informed decision on which air filter would suit your needs better than others available on the market today.
In this post, we compare and review 7 of the top air purifiers for 2023. It’s a must-read if you are considering purchasing one.
Aim for High Energy Efficiency
Also, look out for energy-efficient air cleaners which will help reduce electricity consumption costs over time while still being able to provide effective filtration systems without adding too much strain onto your wallet with extra charges due to recurring replacement parts or filters every month after purchasing them once initially installed.
Take a Closer Look at Filter Maintenance Recommendations
Finally, understand how often these air filters need replacing in order to keep up functionality and maintain the effectiveness of removing allergens from the surrounding environment efficiently over long periods of time without incurring an additional cost when replacements are needed frequently for air cleaners with less efficient filtration systems. This means looking into the air filters’ lifespan and how long they last before needing replacing, as well as maintenance methods like frequency of cleaning recommended by manufacturers to ensure they remain effective filtering agents over time.
The Importance of a HEPA Filter in Your New Air Purifier
HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air, and these air filters are designed to capture extremely small particles in the air that can cause health problems.
What Does a HEPA Filter do?
HEPA filters are composed of densely woven fibers that act as a mechanical barrier to prevent fine particles from passing through. These fibers are incredibly effective at trapping even the smallest particles, including dust mites, pollen, pet dander, industrial pollutants, cigarette smoke, bacteria, and virus particles. Some high-end air filters can even capture mold spores and viruses. HEPA filters also work to reduce allergens in the home and help create a healthier environment overall.
What is a True HEPA?
When shopping for an air purifier with a HEPA filter, there are several key aspects to consider. First, you should look for units certified as true HEPA or AHAM verified. This certification means that the device has been tested by independent laboratories and meets certain industry standards for its effectiveness at capturing airborne particles.
Additionally, be sure to check how often the filter needs to be changed or replaced; this may vary depending on the type of model you choose.
Additional Benefits
Another advantage of opting for an air purifier with HEPA filtration is better air quality throughout your home or office space. Research suggests that regular use of these devices can reduce levels of indoor air pollutants by up to 99%. This includes reducing concentrations of harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that can contribute to allergies or asthma symptoms in some individuals.
It is important to note that while most air purifiers cannot completely remove all toxins from the indoor air in a given space, they can go a long way toward making it much safer and cleaner compared with rooms without one installed.
Finally, using an air purifier with a HEPA filter helps improve the performance of your heating and cooling system by removing contaminants from the room before they get circulated back around via ducts or vents. This reduces strain on HVAC systems and helps them work more efficiently over time, ultimately saving energy costs in addition to improving air quality indoors.
Can air purifiers work without HEPA filtration? Yes, technically, they can. But they won’t filter out enough of the indoor air pollution to make a difference within your home, especially if you’re an allergy sufferer.
Other Ways Air Purifiers Help to Improve Air Quality
One of the main ways air purifiers help with indoor air quality is by removing dust, dirt, and other particle contaminants from the air.
These particles can cause a variety of issues, such as triggering allergies, aggravating respiratory problems, or simply making it difficult to breathe in general. Many air purifiers are equipped with HEPA filters, which are designed to efficiently remove these particles, so they don’t linger in the air.
Goodbye Stinky Odors
Another benefit of using an air purifier is that it helps to keep odors at bay, like pet smells or smoke. Filtering out the odors and replacing them with fresher, cleaner-smelling air can make living in your home more enjoyable. You may also be surprised at how much better food tastes when you have purified, fresh-smelling air circulating throughout your home!
Goodbye VOCs
Air purifiers can also help reduce levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds are emitted from certain materials like paints, furnishings, and glues used in construction and furniture production and can cause a range of health issues, including eye and throat irritation, headaches, and dizziness.
Air purifiers equipped with carbon filters are designed to trap these VOCs, so they don’t remain in the air and create health hazards.
Goodbye Mold and Bacteria
Finally, some air purifiers use ozone generators to reduce levels of mold spores and bacteria floating around in the air. Ozone is effective at killing germs because it oxidizes their cell walls until they die off – but too much ozone can be harmful to humans to breathe.
Therefore, if you choose to opt for an ozone generator for your home’s indoor air quality needs, it’s important that you select one made specifically for residential use, which will prevent generating too much ozone gas indoors.
