Air Cleaners

Air cleaners, sometimes called air purifiers or filters, may help to reduce the amount of indoor air pollutants in your home such as dust or chemicals and gases.

Choosing an Air Cleaner

There are a few things you will need to look for when choosing an air cleaner.  The size of the room you plan to use your air cleaner in will be an important factor in deciding which machine to buy.  Also, you will want to know what size particles the unit will be able to filter out of the air.  Will you be needing an air cleaner that has a carbon filter to help eliminate odors?  Other things to think about are price, space, and how loud or quiet the machine will be.

Clean Air Volumes

Experts suggest that effective air cleaners should clean the air in a room about 5-6 times per hour.  This is called volume changes per hour or room volumes per hour.  You will need to know the size of the room you want to clean before you select an air cleaner.  Some manufacturers that are members of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) will use the term clean air delivery rate (CADR).  They recommend using an air cleaner with a CADR that is at least 2/3 the area of the room.  They will also provide the suggested room size for each particular air cleaner.

Filter Efficiency for Air Cleaners

Any particle that is smaller than 10 microns in diameter can easily be inhaled into the lungs.  It is very important to find out what size particles can be filtered before you buy an air cleaner.  HEPA filters, also called High Efficiency Particulate Air filters, remove 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter.  Particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter are the most difficult particle size to remove from the air and are the most likely to go all the way to the air sacs in our lungs if they are inhaled.

Other Things to Think About

When choosing an air cleaner, you will also want to find out how much replacement filters will cost and how often you should change the filter.  Another thing to consider is how much space the air cleaner will need.  Air cleaners come in all shapes and sizes.  Make sure to choose one that will not be "in the way".  Finally, you will want to find an air cleaner that is not too noisy.  An air cleaner that is too loud quickly becomes an air cleaner that never gets used.