If you’re looking for an air purifier, you may be realizing that some brands are making a lot of claims. And most of those claims might seem too good to be true. So, it’s only natural that you could be thinking are air purifiers a waste of money.
They’re useful, according to the EPA, as they’re an excellent way to improve your Omaha house’s indoor air quality. Modern houses are securely sealed and heavily insulated, which is fantastic for energy efficiency, but not so fantastic for indoor air quality.
As newer residences don’t typically bring in as much fresh air as aging homes, irritants such as dust, pet dander and cleaning products can accumulate indoors. The consequence? Air that’s more contaminated than the outdoors, which is bad news if you have allergies, asthma or are sensitive to respiratory irritation.
Our indoor air quality pros at Interstate Heating & Air Conditioning can help you cut through the clutter and select the best home air purifier. Just call us at 402-509-5940 and we’ll be happy to provide support. For now, learn more about how air purifiers clean the air, their benefits and our recommendations to help you find the right air purifier.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
Most home air purifiers use a fan to draw in air. Then, the air moves through one or more filters to collect contaminants before being redistributed.
These filters may have a charcoal filter, to eliminate odors, and a HEPA, or high efficiency particulate air, filter. A HEPA filter is at least 99.7% effective at capturing miniscule particles down to .3 microns, including dust, pollen, mold and some bacteria.
An air purifier can be compact and used to filter a single area. Or they can be fitted to your HVAC system, delivering powerful filtration for your total residence.
The EPA says it’s important to know that air purifiers can’t get rid of every contaminant from your residence’s air. But when used along with an improved filter for your HVAC system, they can significantly decrease the amount of indoor air pollution.
4 Advantages of an Air Purifier
Getting an air purifier for your house can offer a lot of good health pluses. Here are several of them.
1. Lowers Allergy and Asthma Triggers
Air purifiers reduce contaminants in your house, including some of these standard triggers:
- Dust
- Pollen
- Mold
- Volatile organic compounds, including cleaners, air fresheners and personal care products
2. Decreases Other Problems Associated with Poor Indoor Air Quality
Even if you or someone in your residence doesn’t struggle with allergies or asthma, an air purifier can lower other issues related to bad indoor air quality. These include:
- Dry throat, eyes, nose or skin
- Headaches
- Sneezing and coughing
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Nausea
It can be hard to identify troubles linked to indoor air quality, as they can be triggered by many other illnesses. However, if you’re noticing that symptoms are better after you leave your house, your indoor air quality is likely to blame.
3. Gets Rid of Odors
Odors that hang around, like cigarette smoke or cooking smells, can be tough to remove. If you having issues with getting rid of persistent smells in your house, our pros recommend buying an air purifier with a charcoal or activated carbon filter.
4. May Decrease Your Probability of Being Sick
An air purifier can inactivate some bacteria and viruses under certain airflow conditions, keeping you and your household in better health especially during colder months. To get full advantage of this perk, our pros advise a UV air purifier. Disinfecting ultraviolet light provides an extra layer of safeguard against airborne pathogens.
Air Purifiers to Skip
You’re better off without some air purifiers. Here are a couple of options to stay away from when picking a system for your home:
- Produces ozone. Some air purifiers create ozone, which can bother your lungs. The EPA recommends avoiding ozone air purifiers.
- Doesn’t have HEPA filters. For the best outcome, you’ll want a HEPA air purifier. Considered the gold standard for clean air, HEPA filters are used in many healthcare settings, such as hospitals.
- Only purifies an individual room. We recommend installing a whole-house air purifier, which purifies the air throughout your home. This option works with your heating and cooling system.
When you partner with the indoor air quality specialists at Interstate Heating & Air Conditioning, we make it easy to select the best air purifier for your home. Give us a call at 402-509-5940 to begin breathing fresher air right away!