It might be surprising but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies indicate that levels of air pollution inside a home can be two to five times higher – and occasionally as much as 100 times higher – than outdoor levels. With a baby and a dog in the house I finally decided to get an air purifier, which cleans air from pollen, dust, pet dander, any odors, fungus, viruses and bacteria to improve indoor air quality. I spent some time choosing an air purifier on the budget. The trick in choosing one is to pick the most important features for you.
Surely, you can get one of those I-want-it-all high end air purifiers. But if you are not ready to invest quite a bit of money you can save by figuring out which features you can live without. Here are my personal discoveries and criteria. For more details you can check my Comprehensive Air Purifier Comparison chart.
Maintenance time and cost
It is important to know how to maintain your air purifier before buying it. Many air purifiers these days have permanent filters, which can be washed or vacuumed as required. Such permanent filters may dictate a higher initial cost but save money in the long run. It is up to you whether you prefer to simply replace a filter or clean the permanent one. Other air purifiers feature filters, which last for five years under normal household use and do not require any maintenance except vacuuming the surface of the air purifier from time to time. And the so called air sterilizers (see below) do not require any maintenance and do not use any filters at all, so you might want to consider those if maintenance is an issue. I want less waste and lower maintenance cost so I choose a permanent filter.
Pollutants to remove
Most air purifiers from popular brands and good quality are really effective removing 98% of the pollutants they are designed to remove. However, depending on the pollutants you want to remove you can choose the right air cleaner for you. Some air sanitizers, which utilize ultraviolet light instead of a filter, remove fungus, bacteria, viruses and mold spores, with the benefit of being maintenance free. However, if you are also concerned about tobacco smoke and household odors, any chemicals and gases like ammonia, then it is important to use an air purifier with a HEPA air filter or better. I do not have a problem with tobacco, ammonia or household odors. So I might settle down with a more affordable allergen remover air purifier.
Area Covered
This was my most surprising personal discovery, even though it is so obvious. At first I concentrated on the price of an air purifier and looked quickly at the area it was designed to clean, without comparing the numbers. I was surprised to see that the more expensive models can simply clean a much larger area, the whole floor or an entire house. So if you are only interested in purifying a bedroom, it is a good idea to save and buy a smaller air purifier. It is still as good, just covers a smaller area. I want my whole house clean so I go for the more expensive model, which is still much cheaper than buying two air purifiers.
Good quality air purifiers range in cost from $160 to $500 and offer different great features so it is a good idea to take your time and look at several models to find the right one for you. For more details visit www.comfortableindoors.com.