The consistent hike of air pollutants has been a concern for us, especially in urban areas. As a result, the air is not suitable for breathing well and living up to life. An air purifier is an admirable option to filter out all those pollutants from nearby areas. It can remove any tiny particles we cannot see and are harmful to our health. But a dilemma appears in most minds “does an air purifier dry out the air?”
No, an air purifier cannot dry out the air. It has no mechanism to deal with air moisture. But it can make us feel the air is dry. Hence, it can clean all the pollutants like allergens, spores, dust, dander, etc. Many people use it as a replacement for ventilation in the winter. Still, it has nothing to do with naturally dry winter air.
Life has been callous nowadays as polluted air restricts the usual way of breathing peacefully. Air purifiers work well to breathe peacefully in houses, cars, and offices. In this article, I will explain the activities of an air purifier and its relation to air drying.
What is an Air Purifier?
An air purifier is an electronic device we use in private and public places. It uses filters to eliminate all possible airborne contaminants. Again, there are several types of air purifiers available on the market. A mechanical air purifier is the most common type that uses its fan to draw air through a helpful filter. When air passes through the filter, it traps the contaminants and blows clean air back into the room.
Usually, an air purifier can deal with dust, pollen, mold spores, and pet dander. But some devices can fight against smoke, chemicals, bacteria. Thus, you can get them in different sizes, features, and prices. You can use them in a single room or a larger space. Installing or using an air purifier at home or office can improve air quality. Moreover, it can reduce allergies or asthma symptoms.
How Does an Air Purifier Work?
An air purifier may work in different ways. But the most common way is using filters to remove pollutants from the air. These filters can be made from a wide range of materials such as:
- Activated carbon
- Paper
- Cloth
- HEPA
- Ozone
- UV light
Each filter has its advantages and disadvantages. However, paper filters are widely used as they are relatively affordable. They can clean dust, pollen, and pet dander. But they cannot purify the air from viruses and bacteria. Again, you may need to replace them frequently.
Cloth filters are also well-known air filters used as air purifiers. Manufacturers use polyester or some synthetic fabric to make them. Also, you can wash and reuse these filters. However, these filters can only deal with larger air contaminants.
Activated carbon filters are made from charcoal. This charcoal is treated with oxygen to create a network of pores. These pores make them very efficient at absorbing contaminants. Also, they can absorb harmful chemicals, fumes, and bad odors. You should choose an air purifier with an activated carbon filter to remove smaller particles.
Air purifiers with HEPA filters are the most effective devices to purify the air from large and small particles. These filters have unique technology to clean viruses, bacteria, and dust. Therefore, you may need to pay more for these filters.
UV light air purifiers use ultraviolet light to kill or inactivate contaminants, including viruses, bacteria, and mold. They are very active in reducing air pollution. But they can not remove larger particles, like dust and pollen.
Ozone generators create ozone gas. It is effective at killing or disabling the activity of contaminants. These purifiers are good for reducing air pollution. But, things can be different if you don’t use them properly.
Does Air Purifier Dry Out the Air?
Air purifiers cannot remove or add moisture to the air. So, it cannot change the humidity of the air.
Air with more moisture can give you a damp feeling. On the other hand, less moisture makes it dry. Purifiers do not have any function to increase or decrease the humidity level. Consequently, you can use them to remove pollutants from the air.
The filters draw impure air and release fresh, safe air after trapping the pollutants. It has nothing to do with humidity change. You may use a dehumidifier to make the air drier and a humidifier to add moisture to the atmosphere. Air conditioners can also dry out the air. It sucks the air and leaves fresh and dry air.
When you run a dehumidifier all day in your room, it can have arid air. If the extradition rate is even higher, the air will dry faster. Too much dry air may cause several health problems. Dry skin, nasal, and throat dryness are common. That’s why you should use a dehumidifier with auto-sensing features to detect the humidity level.
A dehumidifier has a water tank that fills over time as it collects moisture from the air. Alternatively, an air purifier has no place for any water tank or other means. So, there is no need to collect the moisture. Even if the humidity enters it or its filters, it will release the air with the same humidity without harmful impacts.
The humidity level is important for our comfort and health. It can be called relative humidity. According to ASHRAE, an American institute of engineers recommends maintaining humidity levels at 30-60%. But it is better to set 45-55% for better humidity for fighting against any allergens or sickness.
Air Purifier and Humidity Changes
An air purifier cannot affect the humidity of a room. It can only purify or filter the air and improve the air quality. However, if you want to change the humidity, you may need to run other devices.
Dehumidifier
It is home equipment to remove the moisture of nearby areas from the air in active mode. It has an integrated water tank that collects all the moisture and fills up over time. After filling up, you can empty the tank for reuse.
Hereafter, you can adjust the device settings to the preferred moisture level. After adjustment, the device will start reducing the moisture or humidity of air up to the level you have set up and continue to maintain it.
In some dehumidifiers, you can see active functions of odor removal. They can eliminate musty odor from the room. Also, they can reduce the growth of mold in the area.
Humidifier
This device has the opposite core functions of any air dehumidifier. If the room air feels dry, you can run this machine as it increases the moisture level of the air. Mostly, a humidifier works for evaporating water. Often, you can see a flow of steam releasing out of the device.
A humidifier is a popular air humidity device in cold regions because it can heat the fresh outdoor air and release warm air inside at a comfortable limit. Also, it can improve air humidity to a comfy level in desert climates.
If you want to increase humidity without a humidifier, you should set a water tray near the heating system. It will perform similarly to the evaporating device.
Why Does the Air Feel Dry After Running an Air Purifier?
I have already told you that an air purifier cannot change the air humidity, right? Still, you can feel the air is dryer when you run the air purifier; not extremely, but it can!
You may feel it like how a ceiling fan, an air conditioner, or a strong wind touches your skin or face. Technically, air humidity or moisture level isn’t changed. What happens is that the purifier circulates the same volume of air repetitively while filtering contaminants in every cycle.
You may also check if anything other than a purifier is causing the dryness of the air. Then, solve the problem. Remember, you can face respiratory issues due to breathing or staying in too dry air. Some problems like wheezing, cough, skin dryness, etc., may happen. Even people with cold and flu problems may risk their health.
Usually, there are two common reasons why you are feeling the air is dryer:
The first one is that air circulation is happening rapidly. Scientifically, warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. So, hot air feels more humid. Running the air purifier will concentrate the cool air in a certain area inside the room. You will feel the air cooler when the air touches skin as the air moves faster inside the area. So, you should adjust the purifier setting to a lower level or change its position.
The second reason can be the circulation of cold air. Running an air purifier in cold weather or a cold room can make the air drier. It will pull cold air and circulate again and again inside the room. As a result, you can feel more dryness in that room. Usually, running the device is not the problem. Instead, the cold air is causing the feeling of dry air.
Can You Use Air Purifier and Humidifier in the Same Room?
Of course, you can! There is no problem using an air purifier and a humidifier in the same room. I suggest you do so if you want neat and clean, healthy air.
If you use only an air purifier, it won’t change the moisture level in the room. Only, you can breathe fresh, pollution-free air. Still, you can risk your health like de-moisturized skin respiratory problems as I said that dry air is not so good. To solve the problem, you can use a humidifier. Once they are together, the air will contain sufficient moisture and no harmful pollutants.
Even you can place an air purifier close to your bed. But you should keep a minimum of 6-10 feet distance between the head of the bed and the purifier. If you place it closer than that, you may not enjoy the freshness of the air.
For the best result, you should place it squarely on the floor. Then, remove anything between the bed and the purifier. It will help the device to maintain the rate of purifying the air.
How Can You Maintain Humidity Level to Your Home?
You can maintain the best humidity level while having an air purifier by following things:
- Install a humidifier beside the air purifier in your room. Fill the water tank and turn the device to after running the purifier. It will flow moisture in the air while the purifier will clean it for a better breathing experience.
- If you are in colder regions or in winter, the excessive cold air from the outside may make you feel drier. So, you should find any gap or crack where cold air is coming and seal them for betterment.
- If you have a dry face or skin due to air, you should drink more water to stay hydrous. Also, you can apply skin moisturizer to avoid the results or impacts of dry air.
- Reduce the speed of the ceiling or other fans. When the air purifier is on, it will circulate less air and eventually lessen the dryness of the air. As a result, you will breathe less dry air.
Conclusion
So, what do you think? Does an air purifier dry out the air? No, there is no chance of that except for some conditions I have discussed in this article. You can change the humidity of a room using other humidity control devices. Also, you can use them with an air purifier to get the best feeling and breathing experience.
After all, a purifier can remove unhealthy particles from the air. I hope you have a better idea about the air purifier and the dryness of the air.
