How do I know if I need a portable air purifier?

A portable air purifier is an excellent addition to any room that sees frequent use, like a bedroom or home office. There are plenty of air purifiers on the market today with various strengths and weaknesses. If your household suffers from allergies and asthma, an air purifier may be a great thing to add. Depending on the air purifier selected, the system can remove bacteria, dust, mold, pollen, or smells from a room.

Can a Portable Air Purifier make you sick?

Portable air purifiers should not make you sick. That said, be sure to avoid any air purifiers that may produce ozone (either intentionally or as a byproduct). Indoor ozone can quickly become toxic and cause damage to your lungs over long periods of exposure.

Do Portable Air Purifiers help you sleep?

If you are a person who suffers from allergies, a portable air purifier for the bedroom may alleviate discomfort and allow a better night’s sleep. While removing congestion causing contaminants from the air does promote easier breathing, there is little medical evidence to show correlations between air purifiers and improved health.

What size room can a portable air purifier clean?

The size room a portable air purifier can clean is dependant on the purchased product and will vary. The air purifier’s Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) will determine the square footage of the room you can circulate. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) recommends a ‘2/3’ rule when selecting an air filter. The CADR number of your air purifier should be equal to or greater than two-thirds of the total room area. Using a higher CADR for a room will allow the air to clean faster and more often. If your ceiling is higher than standard, it may be required to invest in an air purifier with a higher CADR.

Is a portable air purifier the same as a dehumidifier?

A portable air purifier is not the same as a dehumidifier. Air purifiers take in air and circulate it while filtering out airborne contaminants (bacteria, dander, dust, pollen, etc.) in the process. Dehumidifiers circulate air, drawing moisture out of the air before cycling it back into the room.

What are portable air purifiers used for?

Portable air purifiers are for single room use, unlike whole-home air purifiers that connect to the home’s HVAC system. Portable air purifiers clean the air within a particular volume, making them more efficient when using them in a single room. Air purifiers, depending on which product selected, provide varying degrees of benefits. Use portable air purifiers to remove bacteria, dust, mold, pollen, or even smell from the air.

How does a Portable Air Purifier work?

A portable air purifier works by using fans to draw air into a system of filters that collect airborne contaminants before circulating the air back into the room.

Do portable air purifiers work well?

A well-maintained portable air purifier works well and functions best when following the manufacturer’s instructions. Suppose your room is too large for the selected portable air purifier. In that case, it will not circulate the air adequately and could be leaving contaminants in the air. Be sure to choose an air purifier with the appropriate CADR. A regular cleaning schedule of the filters is required to maintain the device in functioning order. Always select an air purifier that suits your needs: carbon filter, HEPA, or UV.

How often to replace filters on a portable air purifier?

Replace the filters in portable air purifiers periodically to ensure that the system remains effective at removing particulates. Begin by following the manufacturer’s guidelines for appropriate replacement recommendations. If your filter is becoming saturated faster than the manufacturer anticipates, increase the frequency of cleaning. Unsure when it is time to replace a filter? Suppose you’ve noticed the air purifier’s filter appearing to be grey, dust beginning to appear in the corners of the house, or your allergies kicking back up. In that case, it may be time for a replacement. Remember, certain filters will have a longer lifespan than others, and you don’t need to replace every filter. Permanent filters only require the occasional washing

What type of portable air purifier do I need?

Carbon Filters are activated carbon materials that are useful in collecting hard-to-capture gasses. Through adsorption, atoms from gasses adhere to the carbon frame and become trapped in the porous surface. Use carbon filters to trap chemicals, gasses, odors, and VOCs. High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters “can theoretically remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns.” -EPA. These filters remove more air contaminants (allergens, dust, dander, mold spores, etc.) than a standard filter. Ultraviolet (UV) lamps are another form of filtration. UV light helps kill microorganisms, like bacteria and mold, by breaking down their DNA. Most air purifiers with a UV lamp included will have another screen for collecting particles, as UV only sterilizes. Make sure your UV air purifiers have a filter included as well.

Should I leave my portable air purifier on when I’m not home?

You can choose to leave your portable air purifier on when you are not home. If you live in an area with heavy pollution, it may be more beneficial to run it all day than not. Setting the air purifier into a low-fan setting can help to conserve energy. The more often you run your air purifier, the more often you will need to clean the filters.

Should you run a portable Air purifier all the time?a

Leaving a portable air purifier running all the time brings the benefits of continuously filtering your room’s air. If energy consumption is a concern, some air purifier products come with automatic timers and lower fan speeds. When your portable air purifier runs more often, you will need to clean the filters more often. Air purifiers that use ozone should not be used all the time and should be limited as ozone can be toxic and result in long-term health issues.

In-Depth Product Guide

Portable Air Purifier

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A portable air purifier functions similarly to a whole-home air purifier with a difference in mobility. The critical importance of air purifiers is that they remove airborne contaminants, including bacteria, dust, dander, pollen, and sometimes even smells. There are various portable air purifiers on the market with multiple features to tailor the purchase to your specific needs.

portable air purifier</span>, you’re going to want to make sure you search for the correct fit for your specific needs. If you aim to remove allergens, including dust and pollen, any standard air purifier will aid with that. To remove airborne bacteria, you will need to invest in an air purifier with a HEPA filter. UV also kills bacteria but will not filter out particles as small as 0.3 microns like HEPA filters. If you’re looking to trap gasses and filter odors or VOCs, an activated carbon filter will be your best option. Besides what your air purifier can do for the air in the house, some other beneficial features to include are: is there a prefilter to catch fur, hair, and large particles, does the product have a low-noise setting, are the filters easy to replace, is the purifier compact in size, and does it have automatic contaminant detection.

This product does not inherently come with systems to create a more sustainable household. While some portable air purifiers can be considered more sustainable than other brands, the primary purpose of air purifiers is to reduce indoor airborne contaminants.

If reducing energy consumption is a concern, certain portable air purifiers contain automatic shutdown features that initiate after a set time.