If you like to have the latest in state-of-the-art technology, then an ionic air purifier might be a good choice for an air purification system in your home.

The ionic air purifier first took center stage with a huge marketing effort by the large cataloger and retailer Shaper Image, with their Ionic Breeze Air Purifier.

While similar technology for air purification had existed before, Sharper Image made some advancements in design and had the marketing muscle to make their purification systems a household name in no time.

Since the Sharper Image brand of ionic purification systems was introduced, there are now other companies as well that market similar air purifiers which operate on the same basic premise.

Unlike the more traditional and common HEPA air cleaners, the ionic purifiers do not use filters as the main way of removing particulates from the air.

Instead, ionic purification technology relies on the use of electrostatic plates to apply charge to the pollutants in the atmosphere of the home. When the charged particles pass through the unit, they are electrostatically attracted to collector blades inside the unit. Then the indoor pollutants can be simply wiped off the collection blades for easy disposal of the contaminants.

Another difference between the ionic purification technology and the typical HEPA ones is that these units do not depend on fans to circulate the air, but instead use the electrostatic technology to pull air through the device.

This allows the air purifiers to operate virtually in silence. They can run continuously without adding to the noise level in the home and consequently, cause no interference with sleep.

Because of the lack of fans in the ionic purification systems, these machines are also extremely energy efficient, using much less electricity to operate on a daily basis than their counterparts with blowers.

This helps to greatly lower the cost of operating these units and since air purifiers must be run everyday around the clock, this can add up to significant savings over the course of a year.

Another area of savings that you will enjoy by using an ionic air purifier, is that no replacement filters will ever be needed. With HEPA purification systems, the filters must be replaced on a regular basis in order to maintain a high level of efficiency and effectiveness in pulling the dangerous pollutants from the air. This cost can add up greatly over the life of the machine.

The ionic air purifier units are more expensive than the HEPA filtered units, but over time, you will save money in ongoing operation and maintenance costs.

There are some refurbished units available that can save you some money, as well as smaller units that are less expensive that could be used in the area of the home where you spend the bulk of your time. There are also other ionic purification systems on the market that claim to offer better value, such as the Ionic Pro purifier.

In order to enjoy the best effectiveness from the ionic air purifier that you have in your house, you should always be sure to keep the house closed up, leaving doors and windows sealed. What this does is help the purifier to be able to remove the most contaminants from the trapped air.