Choosing the best place for your air purifier matters because it gives you control over the quality of the air you breathe

When exposure to allergens, odor, dust, spores and other airborne contaminants become a risk, air purification becomes a necessity.

We are exposed to high concentrations of air pollutants in indoor environments. These pollutants can lead to terrible health effects such as respiratory problems, cardiovascular problems and even lung cancer. The use of indoor Air Purifiers to make the air breathable and prevent adverse health problems associated with poor indoor air quality has become popular among families.

These indoor air purifiers range from water-based air purifiers, filter-based air purifiers and filterless air purifiers. Your type of air Purifier and the place where you put it within the house will however determine its ability to maintain healthier indoor air quality hence your health.

While most blogs will tell you where you should not put your air purifier, we give you a list of the best places in your room where you should put the purifier to get the most out of it.

Types of Air Purifiers

You will find several types of air purifiers in the market. While they all work on the basic principle of sucking and cleaning the air, they vary in their cleaning systems (e.g. filters, water, etc.), flow rates, control strategies (e.g. remote control, sensor-based control, etc.), geometry, size and design.

Water air purifier

A water-based air purifier uses water to clean the air. They clean the air of allergens, dust, spores and many other airborne pollutants. Unlike standard air purifiers, water air purifiers can be used to diffuse scented air freshener as well as humidity rooms. besides, they are very affordable and easy to maintain.

Although they cost less to acquire and are cheaper to maintain, water air purifiers are not as effective as the other types of air purifiers like those with a HEPA air filter.

Filter air purifier

Filter-based air purifiers use filters that are either re-usable or filters that need to be replaced every 3-6 months in order to maintain their effectiveness. This means that owning air purifier which uses filters that require regular replacement is kind of a long-term committed investment.

The good news is that there are air purifiers in the market with filters that can be cleaned and are long-lasting. These re-usable filters are in 2 categories based on the cleaning technique:

1. permanent filter cleaned using a vacuum: This filter must be cleaned only by using a vacuum cleaner to remove the contaminants that it has collected. Any contact with water will ruin it.
2. washable filter cleaned using water and soap: This filter is one that you can wash with soap and water to remove the contaminants that it has collected. These filters can either be washable HEPA filter or washable iFD filter.

A HEPA filter is very efficient and can capture ultra-fine pollutants. It is considered the best filter for the removal of bacteria, pollen, dust, mold and other airborne contaminants. Therefore air purifiers fitted with HEPA filters are considered the best air purifier in the market. These HEPA filter air purifiers will ensure your indoor air is fresh and without dust, pollen, allergens, mold spores, bacteria, pet dander, smoke, particulate matter, and other airborne contaminants. You will therefore be breathing healthy air good for your health.

Filterless air purifier

Just like regular air purifiers do, filterless air purifiers clean the air of harmful particles and make it safer for people with allergies and respiratory issues. Unlike filter air purifiers which are considered ‘passive’ for cleaning the air by drawing it into the device itself, filterless air purifiers are regarded as ‘proactive’. This is because the actual process of cleaning the air occurs outside of the filterless air purifier.

Filterless air purifiers are a great option for individuals who are looking for a simple, plain and less costly air purifier. The different types of filterless air purification systems in the market include ionizers, electrostatic precipitators, and UV-C light purifiers.

Although filterless air purifiers are inexpensive and requires no maintenance, there is a limit to their air purification ability. They do not have the ability similar to that of filter air purifiers such as the HEPA filter air purifiers.

Best Places for Air Purifiers

Even though your air purifier will come with the manufacturer’s recommendations on appropriate room size, there is critical information that you can only learn from a blog like this regarding the proper positioning of your air purifier.

Mobility of your air purifier determines the place where you will put it as well as the room within your home that is ideal for your air purifier.

Keep them near you if possible

You should always keep your air purifier near you if it is mobile and can easily be transferred from room to room. You can have it in the kitchen when preparing meals, in the living room when watching TV and in the bedroom at night.

Place them as close as possible to the source of pollution

A heavy and large air purifier will be much more effective if you place them near the place with the most pollution. For example, placing your air purifier near the doorway so that it can trap any harmful particles before they get inside your room is recommended. When you place it in this position, always make sure its front faces the direction from which people or external pollutants enter your room. The kitchen can also be a source of pollution. In this case, the air purifier is placed in the kitchen. If there are concerns with pet dander or dust, then the ideal place for your air purifier is the living room. Your bedroom becomes the best place for your air purifier if you are worried about the quality of air you breathe while sleeping.

Don’t place them near your head when you sleep

When you choose the bedroom as the best place for your air purifier, you need to place the purifier six to ten feet away from the head of the head. This is because when air blows directly on your face, your sleep is interrupted and if you are sensitive to wind, you are likely to experience headaches.

Make sure you have plenty of space around the air purifier

• Getting the most out of your air purifier would require that you place it in a place with plenty of space around it. Corners and congested spaces will block the free flow of air in the purifiers. It is recommended that there should be at least a foot of space on the front, back, sides and top of your air purifier.

Keep your air purifier away from electronics

The place where you put your air purifier should be away from other electronic devices such as TVs, microwaves and stereos. This is because all these electronic devices, just like the air purifier, operate on wavelengths. And because they can operate on the same wavelengths, this causes interference hence compromises the efficiency

Best Air Purifier for Mold

An air purifier is an ideal mold remover and preventer. Spores released by mold can trigger allergic reactions and can also cause serious health problems like an asthma attack in people with respiratory problems. Some species of mold like black mold are however dangerous and you are discouraged from using air purifiers to remove them. Instead, you should hire professionals who will work in a special suit to remove them.

Non-toxic mold although dangerous, neither poisons you nor infects your air purifier like the black mold does, and can therefore be removed using air purifiers. Although all air purifiers will remove mold from your home, the best ones are those that use HEPA filter. This is because once mold spores are caught on HEPA filter, they cannot be released and spread.  

Another reason why air purifiers with HEPA filter are the best for mold removal is because by removing spores from the air, mold dispersal and growth is curtailed. The air purifier with HEPA filter should be used for a longer time to make sure no mold spores are spread and that the mold dies with time.

Air Purifiers vs Humidifier

Air purifiers and humidifiers each serve different purposes. Even though air purifier such as water air purifier provides some level of humidification, they do not release large amounts of water compared to humidifiers. Humidifiers are purposely built for humidification and are therefore designed to release large amounts of water.

Generally, air purifiers do not add humidity to the air and are used to remove pollutants such as dust, smoke, pollen, mold spores, allergens, and other airborne contaminants from the air. A humidifier does not clean the air. It utilizes different technologies to increase indoor humidity levels. Water can be added in form of droplets from steam or through evaporation from a wick.

Depending on the prevailing circumstances, an air purifier or a humidifier might be better than the other. However because they are designed to serve different purposes,  they can be used together, even in the same room. Remember not more than one air purifier can be used in the same room simultaneously because it is counterproductive. Care should be taken when using air purifier and humidifier in the same room so that they are not so close. This is to prevent dampening of the air purifier components that can interfere with its functionality or even promote the growth of mold or bacteria.

Air purifiers and humidifiers have different impacts on allergies and asthma. There is more evidence supporting that air purifiers help with these health problems than humidifiers. Because we need to breathe fresh air every day, we use air purifiers throughout the year. Humidifiers are only ideal when the air is dry and is therefore mostly used during winter.

Although air purifiers and humidifiers exist in one combination, they are few in numbers compared to standalone air purifiers and humidifiers.

Benefits of Air Purifiers

Your health depends on the air quality you breathe within the spaces you spend much of your time in. Reducing the concentration of pollutants in indoor environments improves the quality of circulating air. Air purifiers have been the go-to technologies used to achieve healthy standards of air quality within most households today. We have curated a list of benefits of using air purifiers beyond providing fresh air.  

• Air purifiers provide aromatherapy while cleaning the air giving you a fresh indoor environment

• They save your household members from allergic reactions that can possibly result from airborne allergens. There is evidence on the potential value of air purifiers for the prevention of allergic symptoms

• Harmful chemicals or pathogens that cause diseases such as cancer of respiratory complications are removed by air purifiers during the cleaning process

• When you mount the air purifier on the wall, it gives you a beautiful decor in the room as part of the interior design

The post The Best Place To Put Your Indoor Air Purifier, And Why It Matters appeared first on The Health Playbook.