Purifier FAQ Answers to Basic Questions About Air Purifiers

* What is an air purifier?

Air inside your home can be considerably dirtier than the air outside your home. An air purifier can free the air from pollutants and allergens indoors. These particles can be as small as 0.3 microns. Air purifiers can serve a double purpose as most air purifiers are also effective at removing odors from a room. Some purifiers use a method of ionization to capture and remove allergen particles in the air. Ionization forces airborne particles to stick to exterior surfaces. Then, air purifier sucks them up later on.

Regardless of how clean you keep your home or workplace, your air most likely contains some or all of the following pollutants or allergens:

Particles: dust, dust mites, allergens, smoke particles, pet dander, pollen
Microbes: mold spores, viruses, bacteria, and germs
Gas and Chemical Fumes: tobacco smoke, formaldehyde, benzene, nail treatment products
Odors: cooking, litter boxes, body, cigarette smoke, and pets


* How does an air purifier work?

The air purifier acts as a filter that inhibits tiny particles such as soot, dust, pollen, molds, animal dander and other pollution. An air purifier helps the air become clean and free from microorganisms.

An air purifer can be very effective at trapping allergens. The air enters the purifier and passes trough a chamber. When the air get inside the chamber the harmful residues are removed. The harmful residues are trapped inside the chamber, and the air that comes out of the purifier is safe and clean.


* Why do I need an air purifier?

An air purifier is important if you want to have clean air in your home. An air purifier can help reduce the amount of pollutants in the air that can be harmful to your health.

It also helps remove allergens like mold, bacteria, animal dander, dust, mites, excessive fumes, and a lot more. The pores in the filter membrane prevent contamination by some types of harmful particulates.


* Do air purifiers really help asthma patients?

One of the purposes of an air purifier is to have cleaner air. So far, there are studies that show that air purifiers do not have the capacity to prevent allergies and thus prevent asthma attacks. Even experts have mixed opinions about these conclusions.

It is widely accepted that air purifiers help in cleaning the air, but unfortunately there is little evidence of their effectiveness in the case of asthma sufferers.


* Are there different kinds of air filters?

Yes, there are five basic types of air filters:

1. Mechanical filters
These filters force air through a special mesh that traps pollutants and allergens.

2. Electronic filters
These air filters use electrical charges to attract and deposit pollutants and allergens. The most efficient filter of this type is the electrostatic filter. If the air purifier contains collecting plates, the particles are captured within the purifier. Otherwise, they stick to surfaces in the room and need to be cleaned.

3. Hybrid filters
These air filters contain the elements of both the mechanical and electrostatic filters.

4. Gas phase filters
These remove odors and gases such as cooking gas, gasses given off by paint or building materials, and perfumes. They cannot, however, remove particles.

5. Ozone generators
Although ozone cleans air, the EPA and the American Lung Association do not recommend these because ozone is harmful to the lungs, especially to asthma patients. This can be counter-productive to the purpose of using an air purifier.

Edward Parry is editor of e-Purifiers, the online Purifier guide. He also writes Purifier FAQ''s for PrettyGreatAnswers.com.