Air purifiers are essential if you want to improve your indoor air quality. Residential air cleaners were first introduced in 1963, by Klaus Hammes. Since that time, there have been numerous improvements in their design and functionality. Today we have home, car, ionic, hepa, ozone, and personal air purifiers. Each has its own set of benefits and features.

Air cleaners are used to remove a wide variety of pollutants and contaminants from the air that we breathe. They are especially helpful to people who suffer from allergies or asthma, although each and every individual will benefit from breathing clean air whether or not they have any breathing disabilities. Air purifiers are designed to remove everything from acetone to ammonia, vinyl chloride to xylene, and pollen to dust mites.

Ionic air purifiers work by sending out billions of ions (electrically charged particles) into a room. Because of their electrical charge, these particles attach themselves to the pollutants in the air. The charged particles then return to the air purifier and are collected there, along with the pollutant that is attached to the ion.

Hepa air purifiers work on the principle of filtration. Hepa stands for "high efficiency particulate absorbing" or "high efficiency particulate arrestance". This type of air filtration removes over 99% of dust, mold, pollen, bacteria and other airborne particles. Hepa was initially a registered trademark, and today has evolved into a generic term for highly efficient filters. Most people wrongly assume that hepa filters work very similar to a sieve, whereby particles smaller than the smallest opening in the filter are allowed to pass through the filter. This is incorrect. Hepa air purifiers work on three different principles of physics. These are interception, impaction, and diffusion. The net result is that particles far smaller than the openings in the filter are trapped and removed from the air.

When the term ozone air purifier is used, it is generally describing an air cleaner that creates ozone to disinfect the air or items within a room. However, ionic air purifiers produce ozone as a by-product of creating and releasing ions into the air. While ozone is a very effective disinfectant, it is also considered to be a pollutant as it has harmful effects on lung function.

Ozone was discovered in 1840 by Christian Friedrich Schonbein. It has 3 atoms per molecule rather than the two found in oxygen. Ozone air purifiers create ozone which, when generated, seeps into crevices, carpets, drapes, furniture, and under beds where normal air currents are typically non-existent. When the extra oxygen atom splits off from the molecule, the disinfectant power is unleashed. These singular oxygen atoms quickly destroy bacteria, mold, and mildew. Laboratory test have shown that ozone kills E. coli bacteria over 3,000 times faster than chlorine, a very popular and widely-used disinfectant. Because of its traits and how ozone works, ozone air purifiers are ideal for removing odors caused by fire and flood damage. Ozone are purifiers are so effective that major hotel chains use them to convert smoking rooms into non-smoking rooms. Remember, though, that ozone bothers human lung function. Ozone air purifiers are primarily used to sanitize while humans are not present.

When choosing an air cleaner, you need to consider what your largest concern with air quality is. Is it odor and bacteria from your pets? Is it pollen or mold? Or is it to rid the air of second-hand smoke. Deciding what type of pollutant is your greatest concern is the first step in choosing the right type of air purifier.