How Air Cleaners Improve Indoor Air Quality

Although they may seem like a new innovation, air purifiers have been around for many years. While early efforts were little more than masks that filtered out large particles, today’s air cleaners now have the technology to protect you and your family from even microscopic airborne pollutants. And, since most Americans stay indoors an average of 90% of the time, providing fresher and cleaner air has never been more important.

Allergens like smoke, mold spores, pollen, bacteria, viruses, pet dander, and other pollutants can irritate your lungs and immune system. Unfortunately, most of these irritants cannot be seen by the naked eye. To remove these allergens, air purifiers typically use filters, electrical attraction, or ozone.

Air filters utilize fine sieves that filter particles from circulating air. As air flows into the air purifier, the finer the sieve used, the smaller the particles it traps. The accepted benchmark for air filters has been set by the High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, which are guaranteed to trap 99.97% of airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns. Microns are the standard unit used for measuring air particles.

The naked eye cannot see anything smaller than 10 microns, so pollutants like bacteria and viruses escape detection. Room air conditioner filters only capture particles 10.0 microns or larger. HEPA filters remove smaller allergens like dust, smoke, chemicals, asbestos, pollen, and pet dander. The more times the air passes through the HEPA filter, the cleaner the air becomes. Special ducting is needed for HEPA filters on systems.

Electrical attraction is another technology utilized by air purifiers to trap particles. Three types of air cleaners work using electrical attraction: electrostatic precipitating cleaners, electret filters, and negative ion generators.

Electrostatic precipitating cleaners or “electronic” air purifiers draw particles in by fan and charge them with a series of high-voltage wires. Several plates carry the opposite electrical charge and attract the contaminants as they pass by. Electronic air purifiers are perfect for individuals who don’t want to worry about the costly replacements of HEPA filters. The downside to these units is that many create a byproduct, ozone.

Electret filters in air purifiers use synthetic fibers that create static charges to attract particles. These filters are offered in a variety of types including plain, pleated, disposable or reusable. The type of filter you need will determine how often the filter requires replacement.

Negative ion generators or ionic air purifiers use tiny, charged wires or needles to create gas molecules with negative charges or ions that adhere to the airborne particles and collect in the filter.

Instead of using filters to trap particles, stand-alone ozone generators use high voltage electrical currents to convert oxygen to ozone, which acts as a powerful oxidant and breaks down molecules and microorganisms in the air. Several tests have proved that ozone generators are not very effective at removing indoor allergens. Ozone is, in fact, a powerful lung irritant and can be hazardous to your health. Both ozone generators and ionic air cleaners emit ozone, so the EPA and the American Lung Association advise against using ozone generators.

It’s important to get the facts about air cleaners, their advantages and disadvantages, and find out which one is right for you and your home. Ask us about how air cleaners work to provide you with fresh, clean indoor air.

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