Air purifiers: What do they do? How do they do it? Let’s find out! - SFGate
Air purifiers: What do they do? How do they do it? Let’s find out! - SFGate |
| Air purifiers: What do they do? How do they do it? Let’s find out! - SFGate Posted: 04 Aug 2020 03:47 PM PDT 
Photo: Jomkwan There are a multitude of reasons you might be in the market for an air purifier, but three of the most common are:
But is the air purifier the best way to achieve that? The answer is, unfortunately, complicated -- so we also included some deals on high-quality purifiers that we feel confident would be a great purchase for anyone. Like this one, which is our favorite for reasons that, well, we're about to explain:
That one, you probably noticed, is pretty pricy. If you're on a tight budget, you can still go with something like this:
Though that has serious limitations… that, again, we're about to explain. The short version is that while air purifiers can make a big difference, they can't solve every problem they claim to, and can't solve all your air quality problems alone. An air purifier will not protect you against COVID-19It bears repeating: An air purifier will not protect you against COVID-19. Since the CDC currently believes that this disease is mainly spread from person to person, no air filter is going to keep you from contracting it unless you're wearing it as a helmet while talking to people (Disclaimer: please don't wear an air purifier as a helmet). However, when combined with other air cleaning tactics like vacuuming, keeping your air conditioner and heater up to date, and of course, opening windows to regularly air out your home, research has shown that air purifiers do remove harmful particles, including allergens like pollen, smoke particulate and mold. Among young asthmatic children, studies have also shown that air purifiers can reduce symptoms and decrease visits to the doctor. Dr. Elizabeth Matsui, chairwoman of the air pollution and indoor allergen committee for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, told the New York Times that air purifiers also help, to a lesser degree, with allergies... sort of. Her point was that they "can't hurt, (but) may be helpful." So air purifiers can make a difference, but they're also not a cure-all. How do you maximize your investment by picking a good one? Well, you could buy this one, which we think is pretty good:
Or you could measure the one you're already considering against something we're going to call "the three acronyms." The three acronyms that make a good air purifierAHAM Our first acronym, "AHAM," stands for "Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers." Since the EPA and CDC don't regulate air purifiers, AHAM is an independent standards development that analyzes products for their safety, efficiency and performance. Not all manufacturers submit their products for an AHAM rating, but an "AHAM Verified Mark" will tell you that the manufacturer has faith in its product. Even better, if the air purifier has an AHAM Verification, then you can also check for other helpful numbers. Most notably, you'll want to check the... CADR rating "CADR," stands for "clean air delivery rate," and was developed by AHAM to measure how well an air purifier removes three different-sized molecules: Dust, pollen and tobacco. That means it'll get you three different numbers between 0 and 400 (450 for dust) -- Good Housekeeping recommends not going below 300 for any of them, and staying above 350 if at all possible -- however, since a CADR depends on room size, you have flexibility with smaller spaces. True HEPA HEPA stands for "High-Efficiency Particulate Air." If any air purifier is rated as "True HEPA," that means it removes 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns in test-conditions, which means it blocks out allergens and odors. The less intense "HEPA" rating means it captures 99% of particles as small as 2 microns, which means it blocks pet dander and dust. In summary, if you're buying an air filter, you want one that's AHAM verified, with good CADR ratings, and HEPA or True HEPA precision. Our favorite is the PowerPlus listed up top (and again below) but there are more budget models like this LEVOIT purifier -- which has the relatively low CADR rating of 230, but is only $99.99 and can be great for spaces under 219 square feet:
Or this Blueair Blue Pure 121, which lacks True HEPA but has an astounding 400 CADR.
But you're not ready to make a purchase, and you're not just seeking out the good stuff -- you're also avoiding the air purifier "red flags." Once again, we've identified three of them. Air purifier red flagsAir ionizers So-called "air ionizers" filter air with a negative ion generator, which creates a static charge on floating particles that stick to the next object they come into contact with. The obvious problem is that the offending objects are still in the room and will eventually find their way into the air again. Air ionizing is not an effective form of air filtering -- particularly when it also produces ozone. But more on that in a second. UV light purifiers Some filters use UV light to purify the air, zapping bacteria and germs with a blast of deadly light rays. While UV is an effective form of sterilization, many organisms require a prolonged blast -- more than a UV light air purifier offers. What's more, pollutants and allergens are completely unaffected by UV light. Worst of all, UV light produces ozone. Which we're finally getting to. Ozone generators Ozone generators purify the air by increasing ozone levels in your home, which can trigger asthma attacks, among other illnesses. They're so bad that the EPA released a public document warning against their use, going out of its way to clarify that despite some misleading packaging, there is no such thing as an EPA-approved air cleaning device. Do we need to spell it out for you? We do not recommend ozone generators. Instead, we recommend these: PowerPlus Allergent Remover: True HEPA, CADR: Smoke 342, Dust 339, Pollen 335
LEVOIT Air Purifier for Home: True HEPA, CADR: Smoke 285, Dust 274, Pollen 287
Medify MA-40W2: True HEPA, CADR: 330
D480 3-Stage: True HEPA, CADR: 310
Honeywell Tabletop Air Purifier: HEPA, CADR: 55
We can't recommend that last one for anything bigger than a small office or closet, but if that's where your needs are, and you're just trying to cut down a bit on the sneezing and runny nose, then this is the best one we could find in that price range. Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Joshua Sargent is an editor for Hearst Newspapers. Email him at josh.sargent@hearst.com.  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from "air filter for mold" - Google News. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Comments
Post a Comment