Air Purifier: Air purifiers are best described as appliances designed to remove impurities from the surrounding air. Hygienically treated air has been scientifically proven to be of value to asthmatics and those inclined to allergies. If you are in the market for a good quality air purifier then you should find the following information invaluable in your decision making.

Who will Benefit Most from Air Purifiers?

For those people who are prone to reacting to air-borne allergens - for example pet dander, various pollens, dust, mould spores, dust mites and even smoke particles, air filters offer dramatic relief. A quality air purifier will also help to reduce house cleaning due to the dust being extracted from the immediate air. Given that air purifiers are electrical, energy usage and any perceived danger of electromagnetic emissions, is minimal and does not pose any risk.

What Type of Air Purifier do You Recommend?

Different air filters do different jobs so it's paramount that you understand your personal air purifying needs. Where you need to filter out large particles in the air, then a HEPA filter would be your first choice. These can remove over 99% of 0.01 to 0.3 micro-metre particles. They are, however, unsuitable for particles less than 0.01 micro-metres. Use a pre-filter before the HEPA filter for when you need to eliminate very fine particles.

Air particles of 0.3 micrometers or more are better removed with an HVAC at MERV 13 or bigger filter system. If you are trying to filter volatile chemical mixes and pungent odours then it is recommended you choose activated carbon filters and then follow this up with a HEPA filter to extract the small particles. Mould, bacteria and viruses are more likely to be filtered through photo-catalytic oxidation (PCO) - these are often times integrated with an HVAC system.

Ionizer air purifiers operate with charged electrical surfaces to bond to air impurities. These are very effective for large size homes, however, they do emit small amounts of ozone which is environmentally unfriendly so they are much less popular. A further suggestion for larger full size houses are Ozone Generators - these are excellent for removing strong odours that are not easy to remove with other types of air filters. They generate large amounts of ozone gas and are only suitable in unoccupied properties.

What to Look for When Buying an Air Purifier?

It's important to ensure that the air filter does not generate any unsafe gas by-products, is quiet to run, check how regularly you need to replace the filters, how much power it uses and make sure the air purifier looks attractive. Most air purifiers generate very low quantities of ozone gas and, excluding Ozone Generators, are very safe to use. Don't buy an air filter that is described as HEPA-type, HEPA-like or 99% HEPA as these are not genuine HEPA.

U S Consumer Reports fully recommends air purifiers, air cleaners or air filters for use in any property - ultimately where there are people who suffer from allergies or asthma. If you wish to read further information on this topic then I wholeheartedly recommend the U S Environmental Protection Agency and its Science Advisory Board e-book called Indoor Air Quality.