As per mold a company for mold testing in Orlando, we put in about 80-90 percent of our time inside the house but indoor air in houses is up to five times more polluted compared to the outside. A high-performance air purifier is one of the smartest purchases you will make in your home setting whether you have to fight with the seasonal allergies, the high traffic, or you simply want to be sure that your family members breathe clean air.
The market has however been saturated with devices that are claiming boldly. The jargon can be baffling and confusing, between the term ionic technology and the term HEPA-type filters. You must peep beneath the marketing puff and concentrate on the technical specifications that the performance of the machine is determined by, otherwise; you will end up buying a machine that will add no value other than moving the air around. Along with HEPA, PCO air purifiers are used that are gaining more popularity as they require very little maintenance.
The filter is the most important part when it comes to the evaluation of the air purifiers. There is a reason why high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are used in the industry. A filter that captures greater than 99.97 percent of the particles whose diameter is 0.3 microns is required to bear the name of True HEPA. This size is the reference size since it is the hardest size to trap; bigger and smaller sizes to trap are in fact easier.
Watch out for such an expression as HEPA Type or HEPA-style. These are marketing names of filters that fail to follow the strict efficiency standards of True HEPA. They can trap a little dust and pollen, but cannot trap fine particulate matter (PM2.5), smoke, and bacteria with much effectiveness.
Those who require an even greater level of performance, e.g. medical or severe immune sensitivities, may use H13 or H14 medical-grade HEPA filters, which feature even denser filtration, but may need stronger fans to force air through them.
A filter would not help when the machine is unable to move through the filter effectively. This is where we have Clean Air Delivery rate (CADR) that an air purifier delivers which was developed by the association of home appliance manufactures (AHAM) and is normally measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM).
The CADR is the horsepower of the unit. The more units the greater the speed of the unit to filter the air. A certified device will normally display three distinct CADR numbers:
Tobacco Smoke: Refers to small particles.
Dust: The dust is a medium particle.
Pollen: These will be large particles.
And with a single number involved, consider the Tobacco Smoke CADR since this is a measure of the capability of the unit to achieve the tiniest and hazardous particles.
The main mistake that is made is to purchase a unit that is not strong enough to serve a room. The CADR of your air cleaner must be two-thirds of the area of the room in square feet (AHAM, 2/3 Rule).
As an example, when cleaning a room with an area of 120 square feet (approximately 11 square meters), a unit that has a smoke CADR of 80 will be sufficient. When it comes to wildfire smoke or high pollution, professionals suggest that the CADR should be equivalent to square feet of a room to achieve the greatest level of protection. Some air purifiers like Mini Aer are popular for small rooms.
HEPA filters can really work with particles but not gases, chemical fumes (VOCs), and odors. To this end, you require an activated carbon filter.
Carbon acts through the process of adsorption- pollutants cling to the outer surface of the carbon structure. Not every carbon filter is equal though. Most low-end air purifiers operate a thin, sponge like sheet which has a small portion of carbon applied to it. These saturate easily and also provide very little effectiveness.
High performance units are characterized by filters that have pounds, but not grams of activated carbon pellets. In case the main issue you are keen on is smoking cigarettes, cooking smells, or off-gassing of newly made furniture (formaldehyde), a heavy-duty, pellet-based carbon form is what you want.
Air purifiers perform best when left unattended hence noise is also a major consideration. A unit may have a good CADR when it is adjusted to its highest, but when it sounds like a jet engine taking off (approximately 60-70 dB), nobody will want to use it.
The display lights are normally dimmed and the fan is set to the lowest level by this feature so that your sleep is not affected by noise and light pollution.
The modern high-performance purifiers can be fitted, typically with particulate sensors (typically laser based) used to monitor the air quality in real time. These detectors measure peaks in pollution e.g. when you burn toast or put out a candle and also control the fan speed automatically.
This Auto Mode is a great option in terms of energy consumption and quality of air that is not to be adjusted manually all the time. However, accuracy varies. Find units, which have real-time PM2.5 texts on a screen or a connected app, not just a light that was made in color (Blue good, Red bad), which is not as granular.
The lack of one of the most significant features to consider is rather the presence of the absence of ozone. There are air cleaners that are capable of producing ozone often deliberately such as ozone generators and some ionizers in order to purify the air.
Ozone is an effective irritant of the lungs, which leads to asthma attacks and irreversible respiratory losses.
