Are Air Purifiers a Waste of Money

Air purifiers are commonly used in commercial places like shops, halls, and restaurants. It is because these places are crowded and require a continuous supply of clean, healthy oxygen. However, despite being so useful, Air purifiers are not exactly on the top of the list of items that most people consider for their own house. But Are Air Purifiers a Waste of Money? The answer is ‘ absolutely not!’.

If you are reading this article, you probably have the same question in your mind. Therefore, I decided to write a detailed text to explain to you the importance of having an air purifier in your home and office. Moreover, I will also acknowledge the benefits of air purifiers and why you should get one immediately.

Are air purifiers worth it?

The clear and simple answer is most definitely! Modern society has its perks, but it comes with a set of consequences. Air pollution is the biggest concern of modern humans. The industries, vehicles, and machinery make your life comfortable, but they pollute the air by releasing poisonous gases to the environment. Therefore, medical experts advise that everyone should use an air purifier in their living space to remain safe from the side effects of bad air.

There are many toxic materials present in your surrounding air all the time. These toxic particles get inside your body when you inhale and hence damage your respiratory system. Furthermore, millions of VOCs and airborne viruses are also present around you 24/7. The best and only way to remain safe from these hazards is to use an air purifier.

The major concern of the majority of people about air purifiers is that they are very expensive. They are right to some extent, as even the low-range air purifiers cost at least $200. However, an air purifier is a one-time investment that can work for many years. If you compare the cost of a single air purifier to the amount of money you spend in buying medicines to treat airborne diseases, you save a lot. In short, air purifiers are totally worth the money because ‘Health is Wealth’.

 

Benefits of air purifier:

As discussed before, the air around you is full of harmful chemicals, minerals, and viruses that can damage your health. Now, people think that their air conditioning system also purifies the air. However, it is only effective for less than 10% air in the room. Most air conditioners use a mechanical air purification system that blocks large particles of dust with 60% efficiency.

On the contrary, modern air purifiers use multiple layers of filters to catch even the tiniest particles with up to 99.9% efficiency. For instance, almost all modern air purifiers come with at least three layers of filter protection. The most prominent among them are the HEPA filters. These filters are highly durable with extremely small mesh. A HEPA filter can catch particles of up to 0.3 microns.

 

Are air purifiers good for health?

All in all, air purifiers are a must-have for every modern house. They can save you from several diseases caused by air pollution. They can filter out pollutants, VOCs, chemicals, molds, and viruses from the air without any problem.

Furthermore, air purifiers are helpful against many health problems. They can solve allergies and are effective against eczema and other skin conditions. Secondly, air purifiers can filter out dust, mycotoxins, and even odor from the air to make it fresh and healthy. This feature is potentially useful for people suffering from asthma.

 

How does an air purifier work?

Premium air purifiers have multiple layers of protection to filter all kinds of harmful particles from the air. The air is full of toxic particles that can seriously affect your respiratory system. Fortunately, these filters ensure that not even the tiny pollutants escape from them. Typical air purifiers complete the filtration in three stages. However, some devices go even further from that to protect you from VOCs and viruses.

Every filtration starts when the air purifier takes air through the inlet, usually located under or on the back of the machine. The first stage of every air purifier starts with a pre-filter. It is a mechanical filter that uses pressure to drive the air through the small mesh of the filter. At this stage, dust, hair, and other large particles are caught in the mesh. Moreover, it is a permanent filter, and you don’t need to change it so often. If the pre-filter gets clogged, you can clean it simply using a vacuum cleaner and a duster.

Once the air is free from the large particles, it is still flooding with trillions of pollutants of microscopic size. To solve this problem, there is a HEPA filter with an extremely tiny mesh. HEPA stands for “high-efficiency particulate air [filter].” It is a modern filter based on the same mechanical principle. The good thing is that any HEPA filter is capable of blocking pollutants as small as 0.3 microns with 99.97% efficiency. At this stage, the air is free from almost every pollutant and suitable for breathing. However, it still contains odor, smoke, and Nano-toxicities.

The next stage of filtration consists of an active-carbon filter. Activated carbon is a synthetic filter that is known to absorb any odor, smoke, and other hydrocarbons from the air. When the air passes through the carbon filter, all hydrocarbons settle down in the filter and are absorbed to form stable molecules. As a result, your air becomes free from smoke and odor.

Finally, a plasma filter or a UV filter comes at the end of the line. It is there to protect you from any unfiltered particles still present in the air. The UV filter converts the toxic particles into unstable negative and positive ions. These ions are ineffective and get destroyed within a few microseconds.

Now the filtered air is released back into the room through the outlet. This air is clean, fresh, healthy, and free from all pollutants.

 

FAQs:

 

What should I look for when buying an air purifier?

When buying an air purifier, make sure it has:

  • True HEPA filter
  • Auto mode
  • Low noise
  • Suitable range
  • UV filter
  • CADR and energy star authorization.
  • Warranty

 

Do doctors recommend air purifiers?

Yes! If you are facing allergies, eczema, asthma, or other air-related conditions, doctors will recommend using an air purifier. Moreover, hospitals also use air purifiers to ensure clean and healthy air.

What are the disadvantages of an air purifier?

Air purifiers have many advantages and only a few disadvantages. These are:

  • Expensive filter replacement
  • Energy consumption.
  • High prices
  • Ozone emissions.

 

How long should I keep the air purifier running?

Modern air purifiers come with auto mode. It uses built-in air quality sensors to detect and evaluate the air and run purifier only when required.

 

How long does it take an air purifier to become effective?

Typical air purifiers clean the air inside a room within 30-45 minutes. But again it depends on what air purifier you are using.

Choose an air purifier

Air purifiers have become extremely popular in recent years. However, with so many different variations on the market, it can be difficult to pick the right unit for your home. Click on this link and I’ll walk you through how to choose an air purifier. I’ll also look at some of the pros and cons of each type of air purifier. Click on the link to learn more!

 

Conclusion:

Air purifiers are becoming one of the basic needs of a modern home. The list of the benefits that an air purifier can provide is very lengthy. To sum it up, air purifiers can save you from several respiratory conditions by providing you clean and fresh air. I hope after reading this article, you understand the importance of air purifiers.

I'm Julia, an air purification expert and certified Indoor Air Quality Professional. With a Master's in Environmental Science and a decade of research at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, I've dedicated myself to understanding air pollutants and their health impacts. At 'PureAirly', my mission is to leverage my expertise in air purifiers and guide you towards cleaner, healthier air.

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