By Jessica Franklin
Do you have pets? Do you live with a smoker? Do you suffer from allergies or asthma? If you said yes to any of those questions, you might want to consider investing in an air purifier for your home.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report in 2014 (the latest available) that data revealed a significant link between air pollution (both indoors and outdoors) and cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes, and cancer. Shockingly, almost 7 million deaths globally were the result of air pollution related deaths and approximately 3.8 million of those deaths are attributed to indoor air pollution.
There are numerous factors that affect indoor air quality. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), examples of some of these factors include poor ventilation (and lack of outside air), problems controlling temperatures (which can lead to breeding grounds for bacteria and mold), remodeling (which releases dust particles into the air), and the every day use of cleaning chemicals and pesticides. Fortunately, advances in technology can help reduce your indoor pollutants and raise your quality of air.
Air purifiers are a great addition to any home or office as they are meant to reduce pollen, dust, pet dander, mold spores and many newer models even have the ability to destroy airborne bacteria.
When selecting an air purifier consider what type of space you will be using your air purifier in, as air purifiers will work for a variety of spaces but many have size limitations in how much air they can actually purify. Determining the specific pollutant you are trying to eliminate is, because some air purifiers are great at clearing germs while others are better suited to removing allergens. Since they are all different, choose one that has any extra “bells and whistles” you would like on your air filter such as auto-shutoff capabilities, filtering speeds and LED light indicators. Most importantly, the air purifier you select should always be run with a HEPA filter because these filters can catch 99.97 percent of those tiny particles (as small as 0.3 microns) that are so detrimental to your health when you inhale them.
Air purifiers can be a great addition to every household and worthwhile investments for your respiratory health. Figure out your specific needs, select your air purifier, turn it one and take a deep breath and enjoy your fresh air!
Our Picks
HomeLabs 3-in-1 Air Purifier,$34.99
For the office individual or someone on the go, this is the perfect desktop, miniature sized air purifier (up to 50 square feet). Mighty but mini, this purifier had four stage filtering and rids your space of dust, pollen, smoke, mold and pet dander.
Levoit Air Purifier,$89.99
Perfect for small rooms (up to 86 square feet), this air purifier eliminates many odor and allergens such as smoke, dust, mold and dander with 3 speed settings and an ultra violet (UV) light to help destroy bacteria.
GermGuardian Elite 4-in1 Air Purifier,$139.99
Great for larger rooms (up to 193 square feet), this purifier has a UV sanitizer capability to kill airborne bacteria’s, captures odors, and eliminates allergens such as mold, dust, germs and pet dander.
Conway Mighty Air Purifier,$223.99
Right in the name, this purifier is mighty and works in spaces up to 528 square feet and comes with an air quality indicator and a filter change indicator. The purifier has a four stage filtration system that eliminates odors and allergens such as dust, mold, smoke and pet dander.