Air purifiers are designed to filter the air to remove dust, pollen, allergen, and germ from the interior space to offer a cleaner and healthier environment for living. Thus, many people choose an air purifier for healthy living. However, you might be overwhelmed with the air purifier manufacturers’ claims when you go to the market to get a new air purifier.
It almost promptly evokes a question in your mind, “Are the claims of the manufacturer even true? Or, is an air purifier worth the money? Are air purifiers a waste of money?”
Well, although some claims of the air purifiers are pretty unrealistic, these devices aren’t a waste of money at all. In fact, investing in an air purifier could be one of your best decisions to enjoy healthy living without any allergen and dust mites effect.
Nonetheless, long exposure to an air purifier might cause skin irritation and nose sores as it delivers drier air. Thus, we will look into the advantages and disadvantages of the air purifier to determine its worthiness. Finally, we will also discuss what physicians say about the air purifying device.
So, stick with us if you want to get an air purifier for your home to know whether or not you should invest in it.
Are Air Purifiers a Waste of Money
No, not at all; air purifiers are never a waste of money. In fact, the United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that air purifiers are one of the prime options to control the air quality in indoor and closed conditions. Their research shows that using a portable air purifier or sanitizer helps superbly control the air quality in a single room.
Modern-day homes are sealed with ducts and vents. It stops air circulation and reduces the air quality drastically. Therefore, the interior space becomes the breeding space of germs, allergens, and pollen. The condition worsens if you have pets at home. The pet dander can be increasingly tough to handle, and it too causes allergic symptoms.
Thus, you need a machine to control the worsening air quality to live healthily. In this case, an air purifier can be a great investment option for you. What’s more, air purifiers aren’t pretty expensive at all.
You might get a high-end air purifier within $80 to $120 on average. For instance, the plasma ionizer air purifier, ozone generators are priced well below $100. On top of it, these air purifiers are built sturdily. Thus, you can anticipate the air purifiers to last for a couple of years of harsh uses without any problem.
Moreover, HEPA filters will also offer you germs removal with up to 99.97% accuracy. So, it rest assures you of improved air quality. Nonetheless, there are a few catches on the worthiness of the air purifier. If you indeed want a great performance from the air purifier, follow these suggestions.
- Always buy the air purifier from a reputed brand. It will help you get reliable performance and longevity, which is worth your investment in the machine.
- Try to choose air purifiers with HEPA filters. It will boost the filtering process and save you from disease too. For instance, Germ Guardian True HEPA Filter Air Purifier will deliver outstanding performance and come in less than $100. So, it fits your budget perfectly.
- Finally, choose the air purifier that covers the entire room. If the recommended coverage of the device is less than your room size, it will be of no use.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
Air purifier follows a simple working method to collect the air, filter it, and release it back to the indoor environment. However, the entire working process is completed with a few steps. You need to understand the working process and steps of the air purifier to know how it benefits you. Also, it will help you in maintaining the air purifier better.
An air purifier has two different parts that filter the air and improve its quality. These two parts of the air purifier are:
- The fan
- The filter ( there can be single or multiple filters)
Firstly, the fan will draw and soak the outdoor air from the room environment. The air then passes through the filter or filters. As the air passes through the device’s filter, the filter will catch the airborne particles. The type of the filter will determine what type and size particles it can trap to purify the air.
Usually, HEPA, activated carbon, UV-ray or ionizers can trap microorganisms up to 5 microns to remove them from the air. If you want to remove smaller particles such as 2.5 microns, investing in a HEPA air purifier will be the best option.
Its High-Efficiency Particulate Air technology will trap the tiniest particles inside its intricate network of fiber and weaves. Thus, it works perfectly against germs, including viruses and bacteria. Also, UV-ray-based filters will throw UV light on the germs to kill them.
Once the filters remove the impurity from the air, it then releases the purified air in the interior space, ensuring healthy living.
To know more about how HEPA filters work, you can watch this intriguing video.
Advantages of Air Purifier Use?
When you bring a quality air purifier home, it offers you multiple health perks. Also, it ensures you have a sound sleep with improved air quality. The key benefits of using an air purifier include the following ones:
1. Remove asthma and allergen boosters
The indoor air often contains dust, pollen, dust mite, allergens, and VOCs. These elements are highly responsible for asthma and allergic symptoms. In fact, pet dander and dust mites are the primary triggers for allergies. An air purifier will help you get rid of these triggering particles from the air to enjoy better living.
2. Improves air quality
As the air purifier removes dust, pollen, allergen, and germs from the air, it drastically improves air quality. What’s more, the air purifier filters will also stop mold and mildew growth as it releases drier air into the environment. Thus, you will see a difference in the air quality within a few hours of installing the air purifier.
3. Removed foul odor
We often experience foul odors such as smells of rotten eggs, rats, leftover food, etc., at our home. You can now eliminate these odors with ease, thanks to the air purifier. Air purifiers with activated carbon or charcoal will come in handy to quickly remove strong odor from the indoor air.
4. Easy to use
Using an air purifier is pretty easy. You don’t need to be tech-savvy to install and use the air purifier. You can easily follow the user instructions of the manual and start using the device. Plus, the maintenance of the air purifier is pretty easy too.
5. Health benefits
As the air purifier removes different microorganisms from the air, it brings several health benefits for you. It will help you fight the following issues conveniently.
- Allergy
- Eye, nose, or skin sores
- Dizziness and fatigue
Disadvantages of Air Purifier Use?
Although an air purifier is an excellent option to remove pollutants and germs from the indoor air, it comes with multiple setbacks too. You need to understand these disadvantages to use the device better.
1. Regular maintenance
The key drawback of an air purifier is that it needs regular and timely maintenance. Especially if your air purifier contains HEPA, charcoal, or an activated carbon filter, you need to wash or replace it timely. Or, your air quality won’t improve as the filter will deliver poor performance.
2. Ozone production
Ozone-based air purifiers and some air purifiers will release ozone gas as a by-product in the environment. Ozone gas hurts your health and the environment badly. So, be aware of avoiding air purifiers that produce ozone gas.
3. Doesn’t operate quietly
Many users have complained that air purifiers aren’t quiet. In fact, air purifiers can produce a buzzing or humming sound. So, at times it could disturb your sleep. Plus, older air purifiers will fail to provide the performance you expect from them.
Side Effects of Air Purifier Use?
Many people ask this question, ”Is there any health side effect of using an air purifier regularly?” HEPA, charcoal, activated carbon filters don’t contain any potential health hazards. However, the same can’t be said for air purifiers that work with ozone or ionizer.
Also, too much exposure to an air purifier might cause you minor health problems. The list includes:
- Headache
- Skin irritation
- Dry and red eyes
- Breathing discomfort
Since the air purifier releases dry air into the environment, it might cause skin irritation. Thus, you should avoid using the air purifier for several hours at a stretch.
Do Doctors Recommend Air Purifiers?
Yes, doctors will recommend people to use air purifiers if they face severe allergic symptoms. As the device eliminates dust, pollen, and allergen, physicians have high expectations, so they recommend its use frequently.
Doctors will also recommend using an air purifier if you have asthma and respiratory problem. So, an air purifier is a doctor’s favorite to help patients get rid of different diseases caused by airborne particles and contaminants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are air purifiers really worth it?
Yes, air purifiers are worth any investment. You can get a quality air purifier at affordable pricing, and it will protect you from several airborne diseases. Also, you will enjoy better air quality.
How much does a good air purifier cost?
A good-quality air purifier will cost you around $80 to $120. This pricing is pretty reasonable considering the multiple benefits in your daily life for healthy living.
Why are air purifiers bad for you?
An air purifier that produces ozone gas can hurt your health. Also, an air purifier often releases dry air in the indoor space, and it might cause skin irritation and scratches in the eyes and throats at times.
Do air purifiers use much electricity?
People think that air purifiers consume a lot of electricity. But this myth is far from the truth. Running an air purifier for 24 hours at the highest setting will cost you around $3 to $7 per week. It is still lower than AC and refrigerators at your home.
Conclusion
Here we will conclude our discussion on the question, “Are air purifiers a waste of money?” No, air purifiers aren’t any waste of money. In fact, a good-quality air purifier will bring a myriad of health benefits for you, along with improved air.
Hence, even physicians recommend using an air purifier at home. But, we would suggest you choose an air purifier from a reputed brand to get the best performance and long-lasting service. It will surely be a worthy investment for a couple of years.
