Air Purifiers: Functioning and Possibilities in Our Home

The idea of purifying the air at home arises from the need to breathe better indoors. Although the problem of pollution and contaminated air outdoors is often discussed, in reality, the current lifestyle makes us spend more time within walls, and the indoor air does not always have the quality needed to lead a healthy life. Therefore, we need to clean what we breathe in our homes as well. One of the solutions that has become popular recently is that offered by air purifiers. How do they work and do they really clean the air in the rooms? First of all, we can classify air purifiers as appliances that collect harmful particles - such as dust, bacteria, or germs - that are found in the air, and then pass them through a filter. Not all purifiers include the same mechanism to clean the air or are indicated for the same functions. For example, depending on the type of filter or operation, the device may be able to clean dust or not, or even hair. This is a relatively recent solution, as they have been around for just over a decade. They started to be used in hospitals and centers where it was very important to clean the air, eventually being used in industrial environments and in our homes. What exactly are the benefits of purifying the air? Mainly, achieving to breathe quality air that could improve our quality of life in the following ways:

• By eliminating many of the germs present in the air, contagion and transmission of diseases decrease significantly. This is the main reason why it was eliminated in hospitals.
• If the air purifiers are equipped to eliminate dust, these harmful particles are significantly reduced. Breathing is improved thanks to this, so in addition to not having annoying dust at home, we also gain in health.
• Fumes and residues from chemical products used in the home are eliminated to a certain extent. These are the main causes of worsening air indoors, so the likelihood of having stale air at home is minimized.
• Bad odors disappear to a large extent, as they are usually indicators of some problem in the air.
• The pollution that seeps through our windows from the cities is purified thanks to the filter included in the system.

People with asthma or other diseases notice a significant improvement when breathing purified air, but everyone notices its benefits. Sleeping better and concentration in the home are improved thanks to the benefits of breathing clean air. If we do not have mechanical ventilation systems in our home, using an air purifier can be a good alternative.  

Uses and Features of Air Purifiers

  Using a purifier can be a good alternative, but before buying a purifier we must know if it will be sufficient for our house or if the benefits it should provide can be achieved. We explain what you should know before getting one.

• The size of the purifier is important. Many alternatives are sold, some very small. Normally, the smallest units are not very effective, and their use is for very small rooms or places with very little contamination. Manufacturers indicate how many square meters a unit can cover.
• The size of the house also needs to be taken into account. It’s not only about the square meters that the manufacturer says their air purifiers can cover. High ceilings can make their job more challenging.
• The architecture of the room and the placement of the purifier require prior study. The air purifier should be positioned in a place where it can gather enough air without leaving escape spaces. For example, it cannot be in a place where the airflow is blocked.
• The purifier does not prevent the entry of contaminated air, but rather tries to clean it as much as possible. It is advisable to close windows for this purpose.
• Humidity does not improve with air purification; for that, it would be necessary to use a dehumidifier.

Air purifiers can help us clean the air and may be more than sufficient in many rooms. However, a better solution is to install a double flow mechanical ventilation system. In this case, poor quality air is not purified but extracted from the rooms through extraction fans. To prevent pollution from entering, all the air that comes from outside through double flow ventilation is previously filtered, so the results are much better. Additionally, it prevents the existence of leakage areas and automatically adapts to the current conditions.

The air we breathe at home can be of poor quality, and for that, we will need solutions like those offered by air purifiers. Are they efficient? We’ll tell you.