Why you need Air purifiers for your home

Mould, bad smells, pollution, tobacco, pollens. The indoor air in a home is sometimes more polluted than the outside air and can sometimes have harmful consequences on health (allergies, asthma, respiratory problems). By using an air purifier adapted to your needs and your rooms (bedroom or living room), you limit this indoor pollution and find healthy air.

What is an air purifier?

Air purifiers (or air fresheners) are devices used to filter the air in a room to eliminate any source of indoor pollution and improve the quality of the air you breathe. They thus prevent the proliferation of microbes and bacteria. Pollution can come from the outside but also the inside. It can come from human activity such as cooking or tobacco, animal hair, or odorless like VOCs (volatile organic compounds) contained in furniture glue, paints, or household products. Finally, a poorly maintained boiler, insert or even a chimney can also be responsible for dangerous pollution with carbon monoxide.

The different types of air purifier

There are three main families of air fresheners that operate on various technologies.

• Filtration purifiers

Not all polluting particles are the same size. To “catch” them, we use conventional filters or electronic devices. HEPA filter models can filter almost 100% of 0.3 µm particles, which is equivalent to about 80% of particles in indoor air. Activated carbon filters are handy in capturing VOCs. Electrostatic devices use the electrical charge of polluting particles to retain them in a filter. In all cases, the filter must be changed regularly to keep the device active and ensure that it is watertight.

• The photocatalyst air purifier

This device imitates the phenomenon of photosynthesis in plants. A light source produces UV rays which degrade polluting organic molecules in VOCs thanks to a catalyst, titanium dioxide.

• The ionizer air purifier

In this device, a strong electric field polarizes, in the form of negative ions, the particles present in the air and recovers them.

Choosing the right air purifier for your home

Your choice will depend on the use you wish to make of it. If you are not fixed on its location, you can choose a model on casters rather than a fixed model. If the purifier is intended for your room, it is better to avoid entry-level models which are often noisy.

To be effective, the sanitizer must run at least once an hour. You must therefore also take into account its electrical consumption, as well as the price of the filters and the frequency with which you will need to change them. Finally, check that the volume of air treated corresponds to that of your rooms.

On the price side, the average is around $300, but the higher-end models can go up to $1000.