It depends on several factors, including your own level of comfort and your home's indoor air quality. There are several factors to take into consideration.
First of all, realize that indoor air quality is often worse than outdoor air quality. In fact, for many people, indoor allergens and irritants, such as dust, smoke and pet dander, may be two to five times as bad in their homes as outdoors.
Second, several indicators will help you decide, if you will benefit from an air purifier in your home. Top reasons to get an air purifier include:
* Allergy symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes and runny nose
* Mold or mildew in your home
* Itchy, dry skin or frequent skin rashes
* Being or living with a smoker
* Asthma or other breathing problems
* Owning indoor pets
2. Do all Air Cleaners Remove the Same Kinds of Contaminants from the Air?
No. Even though every type of air purifier cleans certain particulates from the air, there are differences in what and how they clean. Some purifiers remove dust and particulates, such as pet dander and smoke very effectively, while others will actually eliminate bacteria, viruses and molds and mildew. But very few will do all of these things. In my opinion, the IQ Air HealthPro Series of air purifiers come closest to meeting all these requests from an air purifier.
3. What Size Air Purifier do I Need for My Home?
Most air purifiers are designed for individual room use rather than for the whole home. Unless you have an air purifier or air filtration system that has been installed on your heating or air conditioning unit, you should get separate units for each room or living space.
You need separate units for each room is because effectiveness is affected by air flow, and walls mean no air circulation. Each room will need its own unit.
To determine what size you need, look for the CADR number. This number indicates the Clean Air Delivery Rate, which should always equal at least 2/3 the total square footage of the room you will be using the air purifier in. For example, a 10' X 12' room has 120' square feet, and needs a purifier with a CADR number of at least 80.
4. What Ozone level is Safe for Indoors?
Ozone is a tasteless, colorless gas, found in the upper atmosphere and is naturally produced by thunderstorms during electric discharge.
It is perfectly safe indoors, if kept at acceptable levels (between .02 and .05 parts per million). This is just like many other type of naturally occurring gasses that aren't harmful to us at certain levels. Ozone air purifiers have been developed to produce the correct amount of ozone to purify the air without reaching harmful levels.
5. How frequently do I need to Change or Clean the Filter in my Air Purifier?
Depending on the area of the room and what type and size of air purifier you have, that will tell you how often cleaning and replacement is needed. Some will need to be changed or cleaned monthly, others more often.
It is very important to check your filter regularly and follow the recommended schedule the manufacturer suggests, since the efficiency of the air purifier relies on proper maintenance.
6. What is a Micron?
A micron is a measurement of the size of a particulate in the air. One micron is 1/25,400 inch (roughly 100 times smaller than a single strand of hair). Obviously, a micron is far too small to be seen. For the purpose of choosing an air purifier, most types are considered very efficient if they can filter airborne pollutants to .3 microns.
7. How Much should I Expect to Pay for an Air Purifier?
This is difficult to determine. Price doesn't always guarantee quality. I'm sure you'll be willing to spend enough to get a high-quality product, however, protect your investment, by making sure your air purifier comes with a warranty. When buying an air purifier, also take into account the cost of any replacement filters and the electricity to run the unit.
8. How Much Noise Will the Air Purifier Make?
An air purifier with a fan in it will have some noise. HEPA filters, for instance, have fans to pull the air through the filter itself, although improved casings and quieter fans have been developed for noise abatement.
Ionic and ozone air purifiers don't usually have a fan, because they use an electrostatic charge or ozone, so they are completely silent. If they combine their technology with a filtration system or a fan to boost air circulation over the plates, there will be some noise, but this will be minimal, and these fans may be shut off when you wish. In general, the noise level of even an air purifier with a fan is low enough that it isn't intrusive. You'll be surprised in the fact that you will get used to the "noise", just as I did.
9. Where do I Place the Air Purifier?
The rooms you use the most, or any area where pollutants linger, are the most important rooms for air purifier use. Your living area, such as a family room or den, should have an air cleaner, especially if you have allergies or pets that are in the room daily, or if you have smokers in your family.
Bedrooms are also a good idea, since allergies and irritants can disturb your sleep. Clean, fresh air has been proven to produce more restful sleep and reduce night breathing problems.
Also, consider getting an air purifier in the bathroom, where odors, mold and mildew are prone to linger. An air cleaner in the bathroom can make it fresher and more pleasant, and also reduce the amount of mold and mildew in the air, so that your bathroom will be less of a breeding ground for germs.
10. Where Do I Position the Air Purifier?
It is most important to position it near the most traffic flow or activity in order to get plenty of air circulation around the air filter. This will increase the air exchange rate and make the air cleaning more efficient.
With a HEPA filter, it is best to position it near an open area, to ensure air movement all around. For an ozone air purifier, try to position the air purifier higher, rather than lower, since ozone molecules are heavier than oxygen and will tend to drift downward. The same planning goes for ionic air purifiers, which release charged particles into the air.
If your air purifier unit is easily portable and you have a heavy smoker in the room, move the air purifier a bit closer to him, if possible and acceptable. Occasionally, you may also want to move the air purifier to a specific room, when a particular odor needs to be banished as soon as possible.
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