Air purifiers have been around in various forms since the 1940s, when the first HEPA filter was designed to protect workers from airborne nuclear material. Since then, air purifiers have been used in hospitals, work sites, and homes to protect against viruses, mold, bacteria, pollen, pet dander, tobacco smoke, dust mites, and a great number of industrial and household chemicals. The people who stand the most to gain from air purifiers are those with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory ailments.
But everybody can benefit from having cleaner air in the home. The Environmental Protection Agency lists indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health. In fact, the inside of your home could well contain two to one hundred times more air pollutants than an outdoor urban environment.
Air purifier value varies widely. You can spend upwards of $1600 for the best air purifiers known to man, or you can spend as little as $70 for a good car unit. You can also spend an arm and a leg on junk if you’re not careful. One thing to keep in mind when buying an air purifier is unit-to-filter value. If your unit uses a HEPA filter, find out how much it costs to replace the filter. You may end up spending thousands on the filter alone. The question is, what kind of a machine do you want?
Home air purifiers use a number of technological approaches to cleaning your air so you can breathe more easily. They use HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters; electrostatic filters, ion generators, ozone generators, ultraviolet light, and other methods to get rid of both large and miniscule particles. Some operate by drawing in air via a fan, cleaning the air, and re-releasing it. Others work by actually sending out “purifying agents” throughout the room.
Today you have two basic choices for home air purifiers: room air purifiers, and whole house purifiers. Generally speaking, room purifiers are better for air-cleaning efficiency and cost.
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Types of Home Air Purifiers
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Room Air Purifiers Room air purifiers replaced tabletop units in the 1990s as the leading type of home air purifier. Tabletop units proved to be mostly ineffective, because of the inadequate volume of air being moved through the unit. Room air purifiers are almost as...
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The Benefits of HEPA Air Purifiers
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The military designed the first HEPA filter in the 1940s for use in the Manhattan Project, when safety from free-floating nuclear material was a primary concern. Today, HEPA air purifiers are very widely used to remove dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and other airborne particles. They...
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An In-Depth Review of Popular Air Purifiers
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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There are at least fifteen major brands promoting air purifiers. Below you will find condensed air purifier reviews for four of the most popular brands: Oreck Air Purifiers The Oreck Super Air 8 Air Purifier uses four different technologies to clear your air. The pre-filter...
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Which Air Purifier is Best For You?
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Perhaps the best air purifiers are those from the IQAir line. These units are widely used in hospitals to eliminate mold, viruses, and bacteria. In fact, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority chose the IQAir Health Pro as the only acceptable air purifier during the SARS...
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The Importance of Home Air Filters
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Many people are not aware that the air inside our homes is five times harmful than the air outside. Because of airtight home and office building constructions, the airborne pollutants are trapped inside, making the contaminated air unable to escape. Clean air is even more...
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The Benefits of Owning an Ionic Air Purifier
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Ionic air purifiers are not filter systems. Ionic air purifiers work by sending out negatively charged ions into the air of your home. The ions latch onto chemicals and particles such as dust, tobacco smoke, and pollen, causing them to become attracted to each other...
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Air Cleaners FAQs
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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People are often very skeptical about investing in an air purifier. Thoughts like, ‘Is indoor air really unhealthy?’ are common questions. When in doubt, it is best to turn to the experts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] suggests that indoor air is one of...
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What are HEPA Air Filters?
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that almost 90% of the people spend their time indoors. This means that indoor air quality is much more important than outdoor air quality for most people. HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are recommended by allergists and medical...
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Air Cleaner Filters
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Air filters trap small particles from the air, thus providing cleaner air. There are various types of air filters. The finer the filters, the better the filter system works, since it thus captures a larger percentage of airborne particles. There are three types of air...
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Air Cleaner Advances
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The very mention of air pollution makes us think of outdoor air. However, studies show that indoor air is actually more harmful because of tight insulation in most residences. Science has given us a technological solution for this problem, through air- purification devices. Several advancements...