If you’re looking for an air purifier, you could be noticing that some manufacturers are making lots of claims. And most of those claims might appear too good to be true. So, it’s only expected that you could be wondering are air purifiers a waste of money.

They’re worthwhile, according to the EPA, because they’re a fantastic way to improve your Muskogee residence’s indoor air quality. Newer houses are solidly sealed and heavily insulated, which is good for energy efficiency, but not so good for indoor air quality.

As newer houses don’t normally bring in as much outdoor air as aging residences, contaminants such as dust, pet dander and cleaning products can accumulate in your home. The outcome? Air that’s more polluted than the outdoors, which is bad news if you struggle with allergies, asthma or are vulnerable to respiratory irritation.

Our indoor air quality professionals at Hix Air Conditioning Service, Inc. can help you cut through the clutter and choose the best home air purifier. Just contact us at 918-682-8238 and we’ll be happy to help. In the meantime, find out more about how air purifiers operate, their advantages and our suggestions to help you select the right air purifier.

How Do Air Purifiers Work?

Most home air purifiers have a fan to pull in air. Then, the air is pushed through one or more filters to catch irritants before being redistributed.

These filters can have a charcoal filter, to get rid of odors, and a HEPA, or high efficiency particulate air, filter. A HEPA filter is at least 99.7% effective at catching miniscule particles as small as .3 microns, including dust, pollen, mold and some bacteria.

An air purifier can be movable and used to treat a single room. Or they can be added to your HVAC system, providing powerful filtration for your entire residence.

The EPA says you should be aware that air purifiers can’t eliminate every contaminant from your home’s air. But when used along with an enhanced filter for your HVAC system, they can considerably decrease the level of indoor air pollution.

4 Pluses of an Air Purifier

Adding an air purifier to your residence can offer many great health advantages. Here are several of them.

1. Reduces Allergy and Asthma Triggers

Air purifiers lower contaminants in your house, like some of these standard triggers:

  • Dust
  • Pollen
  • Mold
  • Volatile organic compounds, such as cleaners, air fresheners and personal care products

2. Lowers Other Symptoms Associated with Poor Indoor Air Quality

Even if you or someone in your household doesn’t struggle with allergies or asthma, an air purifier can lower other troubles related to bad indoor air quality. These entail:

  • Itchy throat, eyes, nose or skin
  • Headaches
  • Sneezing and coughing
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea

It can be difficult to determine symptoms linked to indoor air quality, since they can be caused by lots of other illnesses. However, if you’re observing that you feel better after you leave your residence, your indoor air quality is probably causing trouble.

3. Gets Rid of Odors

Lingering odors, like cigarette smoke or cooking smells, can be tricky to eliminate. If you having difficulties with eliminating heavy smells in your house, we suggest buying an air purifier with a charcoal or activated carbon filter.

4. May Decrease Your Probability of Becoming Sick

An air purifier can remove some bacteria and viruses under certain airflow conditions, keeping you and your family healthier even more so during colder months. To get complete advantage of this benefit, our pros recommend a UV air purifier. Disinfecting ultraviolet light gives an extra layer of protection against airborne pathogens.

Air Purifiers to Skip

You’re better off without select air purifiers. Here are a few options to avoid when selecting a system for your home:

  • Makes ozone. Some air purifiers make ozone, which can aggravate your lungs. The EPA suggests skipping ozone air purifiers.
  • Doesn’t include HEPA filters. For the best filtration, you’ll want a HEPA air purifier. Known as the gold standard for pure air, HEPA filters are used in most healthcare settings, including hospitals.
  • Only purifies an individual room. We advise installing a whole-house air purifier, which cleans the air throughout your home. This solution operates with your home comfort system.

When you work with the indoor air quality experts at Hix Air Conditioning Service, Inc., we make it simple to choose the best air purifier for your home. Reach us at 918-682-8238 to start breathing fresher air now!