Thousands of people bought the wrong air purifiers every year and suffered the consequences. They end up losing a lot of money and instead of enjoying cleaner air and better health, a lot of these innocent buyers complained of breathing difficulties, headache and respiratory complication.
With this 5 easy steps, you will take charge of the buying decision. If you love your family, treasured your hard earned money and want to buy the right air purifier for your home, this guide is for you.
These 5 easy steps is guaranteed to help you find an effective, safe and economical air purifiers for your home.
1) Buy HEPA, Forget Others
The first rule of buying an air purifier is to buy one with HEPA filters in it. Originally used by the military for the Manhattan (nuclear) Project, air purifiers that use this kind of filter has the ability to permanently trap 99.97% small, hazardous particles as small as 0.3 micron in size.
Forget other type of air purifiers (electronic, electrostatic, ozonisers etc.) because they are not as effective as one with the HEPA filters. Most of these machines do not remove particles. Instead they make the particles temporarily stick to nearby surfaces. That also means dusty table, decor, wall and cloth.
Apart from that, most machines these type will emit the hazardous ozone as a by product of their so-called "cleaning" process. That's why some people complain of musty smell or experience sudden headache when their purifier is turned on. Little that they know the fact that long term exposure to ozone will lead to respiratory and lung problems.
So, remember this crucial step. Buy Hepa, forget others.
2) Bigger is Better
When we talk about bigger, we are not talking about the machine's size. Instead we mean the area covered by it. Every air purifiers have a maximum effective area that it could cover. Beyond that, it will not be able to do much with the air.
So make sure the air purifier you're buying covers the area where you intend to put it in. For example, if your room is 300 square feet, you need an air purifier with an effective area bigger than 300 square feet, minimum.
That way the machine works more effectively and the air in the room is changed faster. The ideal practise is to have one air purifier in each room. However, if you can't afford that, get one that is on castors or is light enough to be lifted so that it can be moved round. Just make sure the area it covers is bigger than the biggest room in your home.
Remember, the bigger the better.
3) Think Long Term
Many people tend to just look at the amount of money they have to part with when paying for goods and never look beyond that.
When it comes to air purifier, such attitude could mean losing in the long term. If you skip the expensive air purifier and bought the cute, tiny one because "there's no budget for it", make sure you've calculated the long term replacement filter costs.
Unlike most machines, air purifiers need frequent parts replacement. Thus, check how many filters are there in the machine, how long they lasts and then how much each replacement filter costs. Some air purifiers are expensive up front but have filters that lasts far longer than the cheaper models.
We suggest that you add up the replacement filter expenses for 5 years with the air purifier cost. That way, you can gauge whether that "cheap" air purifier is really cheaper compared to the "expensive" ones.
4) Check Your Needs
The fourth step is a simple one but is new to many people. Most air purifiers, like we all know is used to trap super tiny particles like animal dander, pollen and dust. Well, that are the basic things that an air purifier is supposed to do.
However, some companies have designed special air purifiers that have additional smoke filter ability, ultraviolet light to kill bacteria or special filters to trap harmful gases. For example, if you live with someone who seems to have "uninterrupted supply" of cigarettes, you may want to opt for an air purifier with superior smoke control.
If you have multiple chemical sensitivities, there are also air purifiers that are build without glue, coating and filter materials that could cause you allergies.
In short, no one is created equal. The best air purifier for your grandma may not be suitable for you. Just check your needs and ask for special air purifiers like those mentioned.
5) Look at the Features
The last thing we want you to note before buying an air purifier is the features that come with it. We suggest that you select one that has a filter replacement indicator. Such feature will help you make fast replacement when it's needed and prolonging the life of your machine.
Apart from that, if the machine can automatically adjust it's fan speed according to how bad the air in your room, it's a plus. That way you can switch it on and forget about the machine (until it's time to change the filters).
Lastly, if you're buying it at a store, turn the air purifier to it's maximum and listen to it's humming sound. Ask yourself if you could stand that sound by your bed all night. In short, choose and listen carefully.
I really hope those 5 steps can help some of you in choosing the perfect air purifier. I can write in technical jargons and go deep into specific details. However, that would only confuse at least half my reader.
Just remember the five steps. Buy HEPA only, check the effective area covered by the machines and think long term. After you have done those three things you must also decide if there's a specific needs that you need to address. If there's none, look at the air purifiers' features.
That way you'll be an intelligent and informed buyer. And enjoy better health due to cleaner air in your home. |
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