Best Air Purifiers for Wildfire Smoke - ConsumerReports.org

-

Best Air Purifiers for Wildfire Smoke - ConsumerReports.org

Best Air Purifiers for Wildfire Smoke - ConsumerReports.org

Posted: 01 Nov 2019 12:00 AM PDT

Not all air purifiers do a good job removing smoke particulates. As a group, the most effective against smoke have a HEPA filter, which uses a fan to force air through a fine mesh to trap particles.

The very best air purifiers fitted with HEPA filters can reduce particle concentrations by as much as 85 percent, according to the EPA. If you want to get rid of the smell of smoke in addition to particles, you'll want an air purifier that also has a carbon filter to adsorb odors.

Generally, HEPA air purifiers range from $50 to more than $1,000. But our experts advise against buying one for rooms smaller than 150 square feet because those models perform poorly in our tests.  Purifiers for rooms larger than 350 square feet are much better at removing smoke. Most of CR's recommended air purifiers fall into that category.

To test how well these machines trap small particulates from smoke, we inject cigarette smoke particles as small as 0.1 micron into a sealed room and use a particle counter to measure the number and size of particles in the room as an air purifier works. Because air purifiers typically have a number of speed settings, we test for smoke removal both at the highest speed and at a lower speed. (Some models that perform well at high speeds don't do as well at low speeds.)

We also measure noise levels at every speed a machine has because you'll need to run it 24 hours a day—even overnight—for it to be effective. We also calculate annual operating costs, which include filter replacements and energy use.

For more information on air purifiers, check out CR's air purifier buying guide. Read on for ratings and reviews of five air purifiers from our tests that work well at reducing wildfire particulates. Plus, see our additional tips for keeping your home smoke-free.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What you need to know about furnace filters - Globalnews.ca

-
Image
TORONTO – If you're like most people, you probably don't give your furnace much thought as long as it's keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. But in order to keep it working to its optimal performance — and help prevent a possible malfunction — you need to either change or clean your furnace filter on a regular basis. Sounds simple, but in reality there are so many options for furnace filters that choosing the wrong one can do more damage to your furnace than good and could potentially cause your furnace to break down. How a furnace works A traditional forced-air furnace draws air in via return ducts, warms it over a heat exchanger then, with the help of a blower fan, pushes the heated air through a series of ducts that branch off into rooms throughout your home. The furnace runs until the temperature inside reaches your desired thermostat setting. (If you have whole home air conditioning the process is similar with the air being cooled in the summer by a...
Read more

22 best air purifiers to shop on sale for Amazon's October Prime Day - New York Post

-
Image
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you buy through our links. Breathe in, Post readers; take a long, slow breath. We hate to tell you this, but if you haven't invested in a high-quality air purifier, it's entirely possible that you just breathed in a high dose of pollutants, odors, dander, and various other micro-particles. Don't hold your breath waiting around for a solution! Today marks the second and final day of Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale, a two-day deal extravaganza featuring huge savings on everything from AirPods to air fryers, fashion to furniture, and everything in-between, including air purifiers. Air quality made headlines around the world this year, as wildfire smoke swirled around major US cities, in some cases blotting out the sun for entire afternoons. Ensure you and your loved ones breathe clear and easy this year, and pick up a high-quali...
Read more

10 Best Air Purifiers for 2021—Air Purifiers for Germs, Allergens & More - Reader's Digest

-
Image
10 Best Air Purifiers for 2021—Air Purifiers for Germs, Allergens & More - Reader's Digest 10 Best Air Purifiers for 2021—Air Purifiers for Germs, Allergens & More - Reader's Digest If You Have an Air Purifier at Home, Your COVID Risk May Be Higher - Best Life Molekule air purifiers are on sale: Here's where to shop - NBC News 10 Best Air Purifiers for 2021—Air Purifiers for Germs, Allergens & More - Reader's Digest Posted: 27 Jan 2021 02:12 PM PST Clear the air—literally The coronavirus pandemic has changed many things about how we live our daily lives. For starters, we're wearing face masks , shopping for groceries online, and, for many of us, working from home. We've also become more hygiene-conscious and very aware of the different methods of germ transmission, including via respiratory droplets. While the CDC is currently examining how long these drop...
Read more