- What are the air purifier types?
- Why do you need an air purifier?
- Cost considerations
- Choosing the right size air purifier
- What features should you look for?
- Are air purifiers loud?
- Maintenance
Indoor air quality can be up to 10 times more polluted than outdoor air. To maintain a healthier indoor environment, the EPA recommends using an air purifier to filter out allergens, odors, and other impurities from your space.
But with the wide range of air purifiers available on the market, figuring out which model is best for you may prove to be a challenge. The following guide will help you choose the best air purifier for your needs.
Keep reading to learn about the different types of air purifiers, when they are most useful, and key considerations for using them.
What are the air purifier types?
Air Purifiers With Advanced Filters
Air purifiers with filters are the most common. During operation, these models pull air inside the machine and pass it through a series of fabric filters and/or absorbent carbon filters using the power of a circulating fan.
As air moves through each filter, airborne particles and pollutants are filtered out and trapped within the filter. Clean air is then circulated back into your space.
This process continues as long as the air purifier is turned on. HEPA-level air purifiers are popular choices if you're looking for advanced filtration for your indoor environment—a must if you have allergies.
Ultraviolet or UV Air Purifiers
UV Air Purifiers use ultraviolet (UV) germicidal light to kill allergens and germs as air passes through the unit, on contact. With these models, UV light is usually used in conjunction with another type of filtration, such as HEPA filters, for maximum effectiveness.
UV air purifiers are considered completely safe because ultraviolet light is only used inside the unit and will not escape to harm your skin or eyes. However, recent research has shown that these units may not be as effective as some manufacturers claim, because UV light requires a few minutes to kill allergens and germs.
Because air passes through a UV air purifier so rapidly, the light shines for only a few seconds with each pass. This is usually not enough to neutralize all allergens and germs. With these odds, we think it's best to rely only on UV light as a supplemental form of air filtration. In other words, look for an air purifier that uses filters, for example, as its primary filtration system, and UV light filtration as a bonus feature.
The Santa Fe HEPA Air Purifier w/ UV Sterilization is a customer favorite, particularly for commercial spaces in need of long-term air cleaning.
Air Sterilizers
Air sterilizers are relatively new types of air cleaners that use heat to disinfect air as it passes through each unit. This process has been proven to kill at least 99 percent of airborne germs, bacteria, and allergens. Air is returned to room temperature before it is released back into your space.
Why do you need an air purifier?
There are various reasons why someone would purchase an air purifier:
Seasonal Allergies
Allergy air purifiers are great solutions for helping to relieve spring, fall, or year-round allergies, including those caused by pollen and dust. Models that feature HEPA filter technology trap nearly 100 percent of allergens smaller than the human eye can see (the ones that aggravate your symptoms the most).
With these irritants out of the air, your incidences of itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, and a runny nose will be reduced, and your indoor air will become healthier day after day.
Asthma
Air purifiers can also help reduce asthma flare-ups. HEPA air purifiers are excellent for removing asthma triggers, which can be the same microscopic allergens that trigger your allergy symptoms.
Alongside this, you might consider using an air purifier with odor-absorbing filtration to remove triggers such as perfumes, household chemical odors, and smoke.
These types of indoor pollutants can exacerbate asthma symptoms and lead to an asthma attack.
Pet Allergies
If you have a pet or multiple pets and you or someone in your home is allergic to them, an air purifier can help. Most people are not allergic to cat and dog fur. They're allergic to the dander of cats and dogs. Pet dander particles are the skin cells that cats and dogs shed.
Dander is tiny and can remain in the air for a very long time. These particles also tend to follow your pet and stay in the area after it has left. Air purifiers clean these particles from the air, trapping the dander in the filters or on electrostatic plates.
These models also help reduce the amount of pet fur floating through the air, keeping your home cleaner. Air purifier odor filters add another level of protection too. Activated carbon odor filters absorb pet odors, promoting fresh-smelling, healthy air throughout your home.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a condition in which an individual is sensitive to a single chemical or multiple chemicals they may encounter in their environment. These might include odors from perfumes/colognes, air fresheners, or certain cleaning products.
Triggers might also be fumes off-gassed from materials used in newly constructed homes, new carpeting or hard flooring, or even new furniture. Outside the house, you may encounter MCS triggers in salons, manufacturing areas, hospitals, or other areas where chemicals are used regularly.
Air purifiers with an extensive odor filtration system, featuring activated carbon as the key ingredient, are best for helping to treat an MCS condition. These models have either cloth or pelletized activated carbon filters that can be measured in pounds.
They're also constructed with materials designed to be free of off-gassing chemicals like certain glues, solvents, and plastic housing components, so the actual unit will not contribute to your symptoms. To learn more about MCS and how air purifiers can help, read our article Living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.
Dust Mites
Dust mites are tiny, cream-colored organisms that live off organic material such as dead skin flakes or dust. Our homes are the perfect environment for dust mites to live and breed in.
Because of their tiny size (about 0.03 to 35 microns in length) and quick crawling capability, these little organisms move easily through the air on the slightest of air currents, like those created when you are changing your sheets, sweeping floors, opening curtains, or dusting furniture.
Dust mites can cause respiratory problems and aggravate your allergy symptoms. Air purifiers help eliminate these little parasites by pulling them out of the air and trapping them in the filter, leaving behind clean, healthy air.
Smoke
Smoke from your fireplace, stove, cigarettes, or even a nearby wildfire can cause several air quality issues in your indoor environment.
Some people may not like the smell, and others may experience heightened allergy and asthma symptoms as a result. Smoke air purifiers remove smoke particles and absorb fumes using a combination of HEPA and activated carbon filtration.
You're left with cleaner, fresher-smelling air that won't trigger your symptoms.
Airborne Bacteria and Viruses
Certain types of air purifiers can also help combat illness-causing airborne bacteria and viruses, creating a healthier environment during flu season or any time of year.
Ultraviolet air purifiers use UV germicidal light to kill airborne pathogens as they pass through, while filtering the air. Other air purifiers may use filters coated with a special antibacterial coating to kill airborne germs as air passes through them.
And still, air sterilizers use disinfecting heat to kill harmful germs and microbes. Research varies on the effectiveness of these models, so be sure to do your homework.
To learn more about using an air purifier to fight germs and viruses, read our article Germicidal Air Purifiers May Boost Your Health.
Improving Your Indoor Air Quality in General
Air purifiers aren't just ideal solutions if you have allergies or sensitivity to a certain pollutant. They're easily one of the best ways you can improve your indoor air quality and create a healthier living space for you and your family.
Use an air purifier in your bedroom or in the room where you spend the most time.
Daily air filtration helps remove potentially harmful impurities from the air, whether the pollutants are introduced during cleaning, brought in from the outdoors, or stirred up by day-to-day activities.
There are also many styles of air purifiers to choose from, including tower units, tabletop air purifiers, wall-hanging models, and floor-standing ones.
With a bit of shopping, you'll likely find a model that is both effective and looks great in your space. Plus, these appliances are naturally efficient and consume minimal energy. Most of today's air cleaners also qualify under the Energy Star program.
Air purifier brands to consider include:
- Coway Air Purifiers: Coway has great features and upgraded technology, like Wi-Fi capabilities.
- Austin Air Purifiers: Austin Air offers long warranties and durable construction, providing years of reliable indoor air cleaning.
Cost Considerations
The price of an air purifier can range from under $100 to more than $1,000. Although these systems generally operate in the same way—air is pulled inside the filtration system, cleaned, and then released back out into your space—the logistics of how this is accomplished, the internal design of the air purifier, and the quality and quantity of clean air exiting the system vary with every model.
As you shop, keep in mind that air purifiers with more advanced filtration systems, models that cover larger spaces, and those packed with high-tech features tend to cost more than others.
As a rule of thumb, let your specific need for an air purifier guide your choice of model, and then determine your budget. You'll find many options in multiple price ranges, from excellent budget air purifiers to best-in-class units.
Choosing the Right Size Air Purifier
Naturally, after considering your needs and budget, you'll want to think about the size of the air purifier that will work for you.
Choosing Size Based on Square Footage and Air Changes Per Hour
The easiest way to do this is to calculate the square footage of the room or space where you plan to use the air purifier and compare it to the unit's recommended coverage area. This process is easy. Just multiply the length of your space in feet by the width of the space in feet.
If you have allergies or asthma, we recommend going a step beyond solely considering the square foot coverage area and also considering the number of air changes per hour (ACH) that a unit will produce. ACH indicates how many times an air purifier processes the entire volume of air in a targeted space each hour.
In other words, how many times will your air purifier clean all of the air in your bedroom in 1 hour? The more air changes per hour an air purifier produces, the cleaner your air. Allergy and asthma sufferers, as well as those seeking the cleanest indoor air possible, should look for air purifiers that can produce at least 4 air changes per hour.
This piece of information notes the maximum size of space (in square feet) in which you should use the air purifier to achieve four complete air changes per hour.
Whole House Air Purifiers
Keep in mind that air purifiers work best in the room where they are placed. Portable air purifiers will not effectively clean the air in your entire house if they are only sitting in one spot. If you are interested in a whole-home solution, consider a whole-house air purifier. Whole-house air cleaners work with your existing HVAC system to purify the air as you heat, cool, or ventilate all the rooms in your home.
These models tend to be a bigger investment upfront because they are much larger systems and require professional installation by an HVAC professional. However, in the long term, they tend to be the more economical and effective solution for improving air quality throughout your home.
Plus, with a whole-house air purifier, you won't need to replace filters as frequently as you would with a portable air purifier, and you'll appreciate simple set-it-and-forget-it operation.
What Kind of Features Do You Need?
Many air purifiers on the market today feature various special features that enhance air cleaning, make them easier to use, and conserve energy.
These features add convenience to your life and optimize the operation to suit your needs best. As you shop, consider what features you need.
Will they be useful? Are they 'must-haves' or 'nice-to-haves' as it relates to your needs? Here's a list of common added features air purifiers often have.
- Electronic/Digital Controls: Allow you to select your operation settings more accurately.
- Remote Control: Allows you to control operations from a comfortable distance easily.
- Multiple Fan Speeds: Choose from multiple purification speeds to suit your indoor pollution level or sound preference.
- Filter Replacement Indicator: Typically in the form of lights, these indicators alert you when it's time to replace your filters.
- Programmable Timer: Program operation to turn on and off at certain times during the day to help save energy.
- Carrying Handle: The handles help you easily maneuver the air purifier if you plan to move it from one room to another.
- Casters: Along with handles, casters can help make it significantly easier to move your air purifier.
- Germicidal Protection: Fight airborne bacteria, viruses, and allergens with an air purifier equipped to combat germs.
- Ionizer: Helps promote the capture of small and large particles and is thought to help boost your mood.
- Air Quality Monitor: Some air purifiers can sense the level of pollution in your environment and automatically adjust purification settings to the level needed to remove the pollutants.
- Wi-Fi Capabilities: Innovations continue for air purifiers. Many new models can be set up through an app, giving you total control of your room's air from your phone. Not only can you adjust your settings from anywhere, but many apps allow you to receive real-time air quality information.
What About Noise Level?
You'll rarely come across a completely silent air purifier. Most models use internal fans and will emit some level of noise, depending on the purification speed you choose.
With this in mind, it's essential to consider your noise preference and take into account where you plan to use the air purifier. Ask yourself these questions to help guide your choice of model and adjust your expectations.
Will the air purifier be in my bedroom?
This is the most common area to use an air purifier and the one that is most recommended. It's also the number one area where people find high levels of sound to be the most disturbing. If you can't tolerate any noise while falling asleep, using an air purifier with a programmable timer that can be set to turn the unit on after you're deeply asleep is an ideal solution.
On the other hand, many people enjoy the "white noise" created by an air purifier because it can help create a calming atmosphere in the room. Either way, it's essential to understand that most air purifiers produce noise. It's just a matter of finding a sound level you're comfortable with.
What is the decibel rating of the air purifier, and how does this compare with other common sounds?
Many air purifier manufacturers list a decibel (dB) rating for each fan speed. You can compare these ratings to the sounds made by other indoor appliances, such as the noise emitted by a typical box fan or the hum sound made by a refrigerator. This will give you a point of reference when making your choice. Use the comparison chart below to get an idea of the sound level an air purifier will produce based on its decibel measurement.
| 0 dB | Hearing Threshold |
| 10 dB | Normal Breathing Sounds |
| 20 dB | Falling/Rustling Leaves |
| 30 dB | The Average Whisper |
| 40 dB | Light Rainfall |
| 50 dB | Heavy Rainfall |
| 60 dB | Box Fan on High |
| 70 dB | Vacuum Cleaner |
Remember, noise levels can vary from person to person. Even decibel results can sometimes be misleading since many things can affect the sound level, including the position of the air purifier, whether carpeting is present, the amount of furniture in the room, the distance a person is from the air cleaner while it is running, and the chosen fan speed, to name a few. There are, however, things you can do to lessen the effect of the noise an air purifier makes.
Maintenance
Regular maintenance is essential for keeping your air purifier working effectively in the long term. Not surprisingly, a certain amount of cost and effort is required. Certainly, air purifiers will work for a time as a "set it and forget it" appliance.
However, to get the most out of your investment, you'll need to replace the filters at the manufacturer's recommended time intervals or as needed (if you're using a filter air purifier) or more frequently depending on the level of pollution in your indoor environment.
And if you choose to purchase an air sterilizer, you must be committed to performing the recommended maintenance periodically to keep it running as well as new.
To learn more about maintaining your air purifier, read our article on Air Purifier Maintenance.
Still Have Questions?
For more information on a specific air purifier or other air treatment solutions, browse our products and visit our Knowledge Center.
Not sure what's best for you? We can take the guesswork out of decision-making. Contact one of our air treatment specialists at 1-800-934-9194. We want to help make your indoor environment healthy and comfortable.
