No matter how fancy-looking your home or apartment maybe, if it’s situated in an urban environment, it’s bound to build up dust and dirt over time. Even worse, you may even experience smoke getting in on a regular basis. With air pollution becoming more of a problem every year, it may be a good time to start investing in an air purifier for your home.
What is an air purifier?
Air purifiers do exactly what their name suggests - they purify the air. The way they do this varies on the type of filter and model used, but they essentially make the air you breathe cleaner and purer. Some purifiers are best-suited for cleaning out larger particles such as dust or smoke, whereas others are best used to get rid of harmful bacteria or viruses that may be floating around in the air.
Why do you need an air purifier?
Air purifiers are more useful than you think. They offer pragmatic health benefits that can really help out people with weak immune systems.
To keep your lungs healthy
One of the biggest contributors to lung-related diseases is smoke. But even if you don’t smoke cigarettes yourself, you can still develop lung problems related to smoking through what’s known as second-hand smoking. Second-hand smoking involves breathing in smoke without directly involving yourself with the smoke through activities such as cigarette smoking. Second-hand smoking is said to be even more deadly than first-hand smoking.
If you live in an area where smoke is more common than normal, you may want to purchase an air purifier. It cleans out the smoke particles in the air so you can breathe with peace of mind.
To prevent diseases
As mentioned earlier, there are certain filters used in air purifiers that can filter out bacteria and viruses. These days, viruses and bacteria are becoming more of a problem due to how easily they can spread. And some people aren’t born with the healthiest immune system, resulting in them receiving worse symptoms than normal. A dedicated air purifier at home can minimize the risk of bacteria and viruses spreading around the home, especially when combined with other safety rmeasures.
To breathe fresh air
Even if you don’t live in a smoke-ridden environment, it’s likely that you aren’t breathing fresh air, especially if you’re living in the city. Urban air is still full of small particles and impurities that make it very different from breathing fresh, pure air. An air purifier can turn your home into a safe haven for breathing, and your lungs will feel a lot lighter with no impurities in the air. It’s an almost therapeutic experience that anybody will enjoy.
Things to consider when buying an air purifier
Before you go and order the fanciest-looking air purifier online, here are a few tips to help you choose one that’s right for you.
Filter type
The filter used in the air purifier is what does the purifying magic. As such, you’ll want to decide early on the type of filter that you want to use. Do you want to get rid of large particles such as smoke and dust in the air, or do you want to clean it of bacteria and micro-organisms that may get you sick?
Size
Air purifiers aren’t exactly the smallest devices in the world. Sure, small air purifiers exist, but they’re only good for single rooms or small apartments. Bigger homes and larger rooms will benefit greatly from bigger and heavier air purifying devices, and that means you’ll need more space for it to fit in.
The best place for you to put an air purifier in would be by the window or any area where air might flow in. This will help instantly purify any air that tries to get inside your living space. Consider this and find space to put your air purifier by your window. If there isn’t any room by the window to put it in, try placing it as close to the window as possible instead.
Power Usage
Since you ideally want to use your air purifier as much as possible, you’ll want to consider the power usage as well. Some air purifier models are more energy-efficient, which can help you save up quite a bit over time. Of course, these types of devices don’t come cheap, so the upfront cost may be a bit greater, but it’s a worthy investment in the long run.
It’s good to know, however, that air purifiers generally don’t run on a lot of electricity. When compared to modern devices such as televisions and personal computers, air purifiers don’t use up nearly as much power, so you won’t have to worry too much about your electricity bill suddenly going up.
Air purifier price range
Regular-sized air purifiers can be bought for as little as $50. These air purifiers aren’t as big as more industrial-type models, but they are bigger than the small air purifiers that are best suited for portable use. More powerful and larger air purifiers, on the other hand, can cost you $200 or more, especially if they make use of high-quality filters.
How we chose these air purifiers
Air purifiers are chosen based on the reviews that they receive, the type of material used, as well as the history of the purifier’s brand.
FAQ
Do air purifiers work against COVID-19?
Air purifiers do work on viruses and bacteria, including COVID-19, but they aren’t enough to keep your home COVID-free, as they can also stay on solid surfaces. Consider employing other safety measures to keep the virus away from your living space. These include the use of alcohol and hand-washing to get rid of the virus from your hands and body.
Do air purifiers cost a lot of electricity to run?
Air purifiers, compared to other devices, run on far less electricity, so don’t expect too large of an uptick in your power bill even if you use it 24/7.
How big are air purifiers?
Depending on the model, some air purifiers can either be as large as a trolley or as small as a water tumbler.