Allergy Relief Air Purifiers
By Staff | Mar 8, 2007
Do you believe that the air inside our home is dirtier, and filthier, than the air outside? Airborne contaminants and allergens circulate in the air inside the house. One solution is to buy an air purifier, one that is made to eliminate allergens from the air.
TYPES OF AIR PURIFIERS
HEPA air purifiers make use of cloth type filters that trap tiny airborne particles that are drawn into the device with a fan. Afterwards, the cleansed air is released back into the room. The HEPA filters are replaceable and can last several years. They are most effective in capturing airborne allergens, but are rather noisy and do not eliminate chemical fumes, gases, smoke, or odors.
Ionic air purifiers work by ionizing the air, causing particulates to gain a positive or negative charge. The ionizer contains plates that have an opposite charge from the particles in the air. Once the device is switched on, the particles are ionized and captured onto the plates. They are very quiet compared to other air purifiers. It can remove extremely fine particles even several feet away from the machine, including allergens, bacteria, and viruses. However, it does not get rid of odors, and cannot kill germs.
Carbon air purifiers use activated carbon air filters that consist of a system of highly absorbent tiny pores. A chemical reaction occurs when the particles that pass through the filter, and the particles and odors bond with the carbon. It is the most absorbent air filter today and can capture most types of particles such as chemicals, gases, smoke, and odors. Most incorporate HEPA technology, and therefore become effective also in eliminating indoor allergens.
Ultraviolet light air purifiers use ultraviolet (UV) lamps that alter the DNA and RNA of microorganisms that pass through it. The germs, viruses, bacteria, and molds in the air are then sterilized and can no longer reproduce and grow. However, it is not effective against smoke, odors, or chemicals, and unless it comes with HEPA filters, it cannot remove airborne allergens.
Hydroxyl radical air purifiers use hydroxyl radicals, powerful cleansing agents that occur naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere, which are created when oxygen atoms pull a hydrogen atom from water vapor. This new device incorporates the technology of ionizers and UV light air purifiers resulting in a system that can neutralize all kinds of indoor pollutants, including bacteria, viruses, and odors, without the need for filters.
BUYING ALLERGY RELIEF AIR PURIFIERS
To effectively eliminate indoor allergens, your choices will be trimmed down to a HEPA air purifier, an ionic air purifier, or a hydroxyl radical air purifier. Carbon air purifiers and UV light air purifiers will also be effective against allergens only if they incorporate HEPA technology.
Measure the size of your home or the room where you need the air purifier (usually measured in square feet), then check the unit’s recommended room size. Note the construction of the unit, the operating cost (cost of replacement filters and frequency replacement), and the warranty.
Finally, check your budget. The ones that incorporate newer technology or a combination of different air purifying technologies would cost around $500. Simple air purifying systems would cost much less.
Good brands to look for are Biozone, Clarifier, Hamilton Beach, Allerair, Oreck XL, Sharp Plasmacluster, IQAir, Blueair, AustinAir, and Airfree.
