It is no secret that the air quality isn’t as good as it used to be a while back. As a matter of fact, studies and statistics show that it keeps getting worse each passing day. For that reason, people have decided to look for ways of improving the same given how important it is to breathe in high quality. One such option is the introduction of the air purifier.
Whereas most people know it, not everything about it is obvious. For instance, how do air purifiers work? Without any fear of contradiction, one would say that not everyone can answer the question confidently or even correctly. If you are such a person, this article is a must-read. It focuses on how air purifiers work in detail. Check it out!
How Different Air Purifiers Work
As promised, we will be discussing how air purifiers work. We will look at several working principles since every type of air purifier works differently. So, without further ado, let us get into it.
Ionizer Air Purifiers
Ionizers are common air purifiers in the market as well as in homes. As far as their working principle is concerned, the air doesn’t pass through a filter. On the contrary, they will emit electrically charged ions introducing them to the air of any room you put it in.
Once the negative ions are in the room, they will combine with the different air particles, including allergens, pollen, and dust. Due to the binding, the particles become too heavy to stay in the air. So, they will fall to the ground.
You are most likely wondering whether that’s healthy. After all, what good will it do if the particles end up falling on the floor? That’s why it is important to pay attention to the ionizer air purifier you choose to take home. It is recommended to choose one that comes with a collecting plate.
These collecting plates are usually metal plates. Since they are positively charged, unlike the negative ions emitted by the air, they will attract the negatively charged ones. So, the particles won’t end up falling on various surfaces, including the floor, carpet, wall bed or coach. That saves you the time you would have spent cleaning those surfaces.
Filtered Air Purifiers
It is important to note that filtered air purifiers are more popular than their ionized counterparts. Their main component is a filter, which can be more than one depending on the type. The filter’s role is to trap and remove pollutants in the air upon passing through the air purifier. The effectiveness of an air purifier depends on the filter used since the quality differs from one make to the other. Let’s look at the two main types of filtered air purifiers and how they work.
HEPA Filtered Air Purifier
Before we dive into the details, it is important to mention that HEPA is the abbreviation of High-Efficiency Particular Air. The HEPA filter comprises interwoven fibres with a striking resemblance to paper. Its woven fibres are too close, making it impossible for large particles to pass through. However, that doesn’t mean that air won’t pass through it.
On the contrary, it will go through it, and that’s the same case for any particle smaller than 0.3 microns.
However, something bigger than that, including dust, dander, mold, bacteria, and pollen particles, can’t pass through a HEPA filter. It explains why this type of filter is believed to be 99.97% effective.
The air purifier has internal fans that suck air into it. So, as it passes through the filter, the pollutants won’t pass through it. The clean air will flow through the other side, and that’s how you end up breathing in clean air.
Activated Carbon Filtered Air Purifiers
Unlike its HEPA counterpart, this air purifier has an activated carbon filter. So, instead of using interwoven fibre, it has a highly porous treated medium. Its features help it absorb any pollutant in the air passing it. So, you won’t have to worry about breathing in impure air. Other than that, the air purifier also sucks in the air just like its filtered counterpart.
- Ultraviolet (UV) Light Air Purifiers
The air purifier has a UV light feature. A short-wave Ultraviolet-C light inactivates viruses and bacteria, among other airborne germs. Equally important, it has a way of forcing air through it. The air then passes through a UV lamp. This lamp uses germicidal irradiation to disinfect the polluted air.
What do Air Purifiers Work On?
Having discussed how an air purifier works, let’s get to yet another important aspect. After all, it is only fair if you know what to expect from the device. So, without much ado, let’s talk about the particles that your air purifier can eliminate.
- Indoor Toxins
The main sources of these pollutants are personal care and cleaning products. As much as they are essential in our lives, they are also toxic, thus posing a danger to your body. That’s why it would be perfect to have an air purifier. It will handle indoor toxins, which is good for your health. - Mold
It is no secret that indoor mold is bad news to any homeowner. The people who suffer the most are those suffering from lung conditions and asthma. So, if you wouldn’t want to pose such dangers to you or your loved ones, it would be advisable to purchase an air purifier. Under those circumstances, the best one is the HEPA filter air purifier. - Allergens
Dust mites, pet dander, and pollen are just some of the allergens commonly found in the air. Their negative immune responses, such as asthma and allergies, are things one should avoid at all times. That’s where an air purifier comes in. it has what it takes to eliminate all the allergens. Breathing in the air without allergens can save you a lot of trouble, and that makes this appliance worth every penny. - Smoke
An air purifier can also eliminate tobacco smoke and smoke coming from landscape fires. Besides eliminating smoke, it also ensures that it won’t stain your ceilings or walls, especially if you can’t avoid using smoke inside your house.
Given that air purifiers can work on indoor toxins, smoke, allergens, and mold, one can conclude that an air purifier is quite effective. It saves you a lot of problems associated with these air pollutants.
Conclusion
The above discussion has left no stone unturned as far as how air purifiers work is concerned. It has made it clear that there are various types of air purifiers. Each type works differently depending on the manufacturer’s design.
There is only a slight difference in how they work in some cases, such as the HEPA and activated carbon filtered air purifiers. After all, the difference is only in the design of their filters, whereas the mechanism is the same.
Besides that, we have also discussed what air purifiers can eliminate. Interestingly, they work on the most common air pollutants, including mold, dust mites, smoke, pet dander, indoor toxins, and pollen, just but to mention a few. So, you don’t have to worry about their consequences, including stuffiness, toxicity, germs, bacteria, or bacteria if you have an air purifier.