Top Air Purifier Reviews

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Do you know how to buy a HEPA filter air cleaner

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If you would like to protect your health from indoor air pollutants then buying a HEPA filter air cleaner is a practical first step.

Of course, that is easier said than done. Widespread concern over indoor air pollution has created a market filled with half measures, to be generous. The odor of cash bearing customers is the one odor most air purifiers are designed to handle best.

Are you concerned about the harm poor indoor air can do to your family? Do you believe you deserve true value for the money you invest in your family’s health? Before you entrust your family’s health to any air purifier shouldn’t you determine if it is really adequate for your needs?

What standards should you use when buying a HEPA filter air cleaner?

Certainly not price. Inferior products are often priced similarly to the best air purifiers simply to be perceived as being of the same caliber.

What is needed is a clear and simple home air purifier guide. The air purifier information you find throughout this site and the following guidelines will help you make an informed decision.

Features to look for when buying a HEPA filter air cleaner

Buy a HEPA filter air cleaner designed for years of minimal intervention and maintenance

Cheap air purifiers can often be much more costly in the long run. Think about it, how do they reduce the cost?

By building around a cheap motor that can’t meet the challenge of a large area HEPA filter. This means reducing the size of the filter and allowing bypassing of air around the filter to reduce backpressure and also to help cool the lesser quality motor.

What does this mean to you? Smaller filters require more often replacement due to loading and thus greater maintenance cost for you.

These cheap motors can be spotted chiefly by short warranty periods. Of course, they’ll fail as soon as the warranty expires!

You should look for air purifier manufacturers that are willing to stand behind they’re product five or even ten years as Allerair does.

Look for assertions that the motor uses closed, sealed motor windings. These give you clean operation without off gassing and burning smell, a problem owners of cheap air purifiers complain about.

Quarterly maintenance should only take a few seconds to replace or clean the prefilter. The life expectancy estimated for the HEPA filter should be three to five years depending on the environment where it is used, such as a smoking home versus a nonsmoking one.

Activated carbon filters likewise should last as long as possible, but this often depends on the total quantity of carbon in the filter and the circumstances of use.

Buy a HEPA filter air cleaner that can remove odors and harmful chemicals

Any HEPA filter air cleaner should also include a large activated carbon bed. No particulate filter, even HEPA, will remove gases and odors. Effective removal of gaseous toxins requires a large bed of activated carbon to ensure sufficient dwell time to trap the gases.

All high quality air cleaners offer many pounds of activated carbon to trap noxious gas and odors. The deep bed of activated carbon has the capacity to adsorb thousands of chemicals, gases and odors that can cause health problems for you and your family.

Most air cleaners have a only a thin layer of carbon sprayed on a mesh. Which is not enough to make any real difference. Its sole purpose is to enable cheap air purifiers to add another bullet point on their feature list. Many retail corporations in typical “me too” fashion have jumped on the air purification bandwagon by contracting with manufacturers to build snazzy looking but poor performing air purifiers.

Why buy an “air purifier” with only a few token ounces of carbon sprayed on a mesh? It’s only going to add to your filter replacement costs while providing no real benefit.

Also, consider a manufacturer that offers a wide variety of specialized blends of carbon and catalysts so you can customize the air purifier to your needs. For instance, a care facility where urine odors are common would require a different carbon blend than a beauty salon or welding shop.

Likewise, someone with MCS may need an air purifier specifically designed for MCS sufferers. Even then, some activated carbons may prove unacceptable due to source or added chemisorbers and catalysts. Allerair offers a test sample kit of carbons for an MCS sufferer to determine beforehand if a particular carbon blend is problematic.

Buy a HEPA filter air cleaner that is durable and safe with nontoxic construction

Would an “air purifier” company have your best interests in mind if their unit were itself a source of pollutants?

The best air purifiers have a solidly built housing with high quality gaskets and seals to ensure no leakage of air around the filter.

These internal components should be sealed with a glueless gasket that protects you from odors and volatile organic compounds that off gas from the glued rubber gaskets found in most other air cleaners. Look for an air purifier that the manufacturer assures you will not outgas VOCS from the sealants used.

A durable all metal housing will never expose you to off-gassing vapors like many cheap air purifiers that are all plastic in their construction. It also maximizes filtration of your air by providing optimal airflow through the filter as opposed to bypassing the filter because of allowing for a tight seal.

However, don’t dismiss the use of plastics entirely. Soft plastics are often a problem, both in out gassing VOCS and failing to maintain an airtight seal around the filter.

Hard ABS plastic such as is used in quality leader IQAir does maintain a firm seal with the filter and is not prone to giving off VOCS. In fact, IQAir is the only manufacturer to certify their purifiers as a whole to be 95% efficient. So plastics, the right kind of plastics, can be put to good use.

Also, as mentioned earlier, the motor can be a source of contaminants as it heats up. High quality, sealed bearings and motor windings, even unvarnished motor windings, will help eliminate burning smells coming from the motor.

One last point, no high quality air purifier attempts to mask its failure to perform with scented fragrance cartridges. The last thing anyone needs in their home is more petroleum based VOCS, no matter how sweet or “natural” they may smell.

Buy a HEPA filter air cleaner that doesn’t cost you a small fortune over the life of the purifier

Would you like to know the “dirty little secret” of the air purifier industry?

Filter replacement costs! A cheap air purifier can cost you a fortune in regular filter replacements. In fact, it is one of the biggest scams going: Sell a cheap air purifier to an unsuspecting consumer, then require filter replacements every three to six months that cost almost as much as the unit itself!

Unlike air cleaners that incorporate filter elements in a single cartridge, high quality air cleaners separate the HEPA and carbon filters to allow for individual replacement. You save the cost of replacing both filters when one is used.

You ultimately save due to the long life of your filters when buying high quality air cleaners. Your HEPA filter should last three to five years under normal home use and the carbon filter two to three years.

Only pre-filters require regular replacement every 3 months. Some of these can be vacuumed and reused.

This approach to filter life and replacement gives you the lowest long-term costs.

Speaking of filters, did you know many air purifiers are not living up to their owners’ expectations?

Why? Even though they are advertised and sold as HEPA filters they do not, as a unit, provide HEPA filtration. The HEPA designation only applies to theoretical efficiency.

In actual practice improper seating, poor construction, and cracks in the media due to cheap construction severely limit actual performance.

The best method used to manufacture HEPA media is what is known as “warm rolled”. This prevents cracks from forming in the HEPA media, cracks that allow pollutants into your air. Also, a HEPA filter air cleaner should use separators between the pleats of the filter to maintain proper spacing and allow for maximum airflow and top performance of the filter.

Buy a HEPA filter air cleaner that doesn’t harbor illness-causing germs

Because a HEPA filter air cleaner can trap microbes in the media they sometimes become a breeding ground for potentially harmful pathogens.

Allerair air purifiers include two anti-microbial wraps, one on either side of the carbon bed. This suppresses any microbe growth and ensures that your air purifier will always protect your health.

Other manufacturers’ products should likewise be evaluated as to whether they include some means of eliminating mold and bacteria growth in the filter media.

If it doesn’t specifically state how or even if microbe growth is prevented then you can be certain no protection is offered at all.

Easy and Budget Savvy HEPA Filter Replacements

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What is the foremost reason people give for not buying a HEPA filter air purifier? HEPA filter replacements!

So, why are filterless air cleaners preferred while HEPA air cleaners have become persona non grata in so many homes?

Much of it has to do with marketing, especially by Sharper Image, which managed to gain as much as 25% of the air purifier market before going bankrupt. Their infomercials implied noise, mess, a need for tools for filter changes, and expensive HEPA filter replacements as reasons to choose their product.

Most vendors of ionic air purifiers have followed suit in promoting their versions of filterless home air cleaners. Air cleaners that rely on HEPA filter media have taken a black eye as a result.

It’s true that some air cleaner marketers have abused customers by selling a cheap air purifier only to gouge them with regular replacement of high priced filters. Some of these models are presented as being HEPA because they use HEPA filter material. The reality is their poor quality construction means that actual efficiencies are a far cry from true HEPA air cleaners.

Can HEPA filter replacements be easy?

No filters is not only promoted as being more economical but easier to maintain. No tools needed, cries the delighted infomercial actor. The reality is that most HEPA filter replacements can be done without tools and without the “messiness” they also claim you’ll suffer. It usually takes no more than five minutes, including the time to take the filters out of the packaging and the packaging out to the garbage.

Compare that to the time spent cleaning the collection plates on an ionic unit every few days. Since collection efficiency can degrade to as little as 20% in as few as three days, maintenance cleaning should be done often. How much time will you spend cleaning collection plates over the next five years, the projected life of some HEPA filters?

Which brings me to an economical feature of HEPA air purifiers: HEPA filter replacements may only be needed once every five years. This keeps your maintenance requirements low and your air purifier cost low. Both of these goals appear to be foremost on the minds of those who are considering going filterless. HEPA air cleaners that can achieve this while giving you the superior performance of HEPA filtration are surely worth considering, wouldn’t you agree?

The most economical HEPA filter replacements

Which companies offer HEPA quality air purifiers with a long filter life?

There are many excellent products available from companies like IQAir and Blueair, both of whom are often mentioned on this site.

But when it comes to overall economy and performance the top two are Allerair and Austin Air. Both of these companies offer no fancy frills air purification that emphasizes the essentials.

You’ll find high quality construction that maximizes HEPA performance combined with excellent chemical and odor control via activated carbon air purifiers. UV sterilization is also available as well as photocatalytic oxidation to further improve gas, odor and bacteriological control.

Allerair home air purifiers offer both HEPA filters and activated carbon filters with four to forty-eight pounds of activated carbon. Activated carbon air filter life is as long as 3 years. The HEPA filter replacements are recommended at three to five years, even eight years in the case of the AirMedic air purifier.

Typical HEPA filter cost for their most popular model, the 5000 Exec.. That comes to only 20 per year for each year of expected filter life.

All filters are easy to change without tools and can be replaced separately, which offers a cost savings over air cleaners that require you to replace both carbon and HEPA filters as one unit. There is even the option of replacing the carbon in bulk as opposed to a filter cartridge for further cost savings.

All are simple and no nonsense HEPA air cleaners. No filters cost more than and that is for the highly specialized MCS unit. Quoted prices reflect the cost of the HEPA filter only.

Austin Air manufactures good economy priced HEPA air purifiers that also provide VOC, gas and odor removal. Austin Air air purifiers concentrate on the essentials of air cleaning and are not loaded with fancy features.

A small drawback of the Austin Air models is they use a combined HEPA and gas phase filter comprised of activated carbon and zeolite. This means you have to replace both at the same time. However they are expected to last as long as five years and total cost is reasonable.

The typical cost of HEPA filter replacements for their most popular Healthmate model. That equates to only 36 per year for the combined HEPA and activated carbon air filter, which is quite reasonable. There are a number of specialized filters available at extra cost.

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Finding Quiet HEPA Air Cleaners

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Noise is one of the biggest complaints about air purifiers.

Are quiet HEPA air cleaners just not possible? Should noisy air cleaners be accepted as a necessary evil?

How can you make certain that your air purifier won’t be a source of noise pollution?

The secret to noise free air cleaning is really very simple.

Discover the Key to Quiet HEPA Air Cleaners

Regardless of the air purifier you buy, the real issue is not how loud it is on high but how loud it is on low. Higher settings are best used short-term to remove high levels of pollutants that occur occasionally, such as a kitchen mishap that fills your home with smoke.

Do not buy your air cleaner based on the maximum area it is rated to clean. An air purifier that can clean an 800 sq. ft. area can certainly handle 200 sq. ft. but with one important benefit. The smaller area can be cleaned on low or medium settings. These lower speeds are substantially quieter than an air purifier’s highest setting.

An air purifier on low will measure only about 30 to 35 decibels. This is lower than an average refrigerator and much lower than a soft conversation.

When making your air purifier choice, don’t make the mistake of buying too small a unit that must run on high to cover the area you need. Proper sizing of your HEPA air cleaner can mean almost silent air purification.

Most Recommended Quiet HEPA Air Cleaners

The Blueair air purifiers are a perfect choice for office, bedroom or anywhere truly quiet HEPA air cleaners are needed.

Blueair air purifiers are a top customer favorite due to their virtually silent operation. These quiet HEPA air cleaners are built around the patented HEPASilent filtration system.

Blueair’s HEPASilent filtration captures particles by combining electrostatics with a high efficiency filter. Electrostatic brushes inside the air purifier charge particles so they are attracted to the filter media while producing no ozone. Charged particles cling to the filter media yielding higher filter efficiency.

Air passes easily through the filter media so the fan doesn’t have to work as hard or as loud. Even the housing is made from noise muffling and highly durable galvanized steel.

When you want a small yet powerful air purifier that is ideally designed for clean air delivery and whisper-quiet operation, Blueair HEPA Air Purifiers are an excellent choice. The Blueair Air Purifiers feature outstanding Clean Air Delivery Rates (CADR). The larger 501 Blueair HEPA Air Purifier won Best of Class for CADR, as it delivered more clean air than similar air purifiers in its class.

Blueair’s quiet HEPA air cleaners are best suited for people who are looking for help with:

  • Dust and Dust Mite Allergies
  • Pet Allergies
  • Pollen Allergies
  • Mold Allergies
  • Seasonal Allergies
  • Asthma
  • Healthy Home Environment

Benefits of Blueair HEPA Air Purifiers

  • HEPASilent Blueair HEPA Air Purifiers achieve virtually silent operation.
  • The 3-Stage Filter traps even the smallest particles. No pre-filter is necessary. The filters naturally resist contamination from bacteria, mold or viruses. The Filters are 100% recyclable.
  • Easy to change filters: When the filter needs to be replaced (twice yearly), just open the lid, lift out the old filter and slide in the new one.
  • Durable steel construction: The external parts are made of galvanized steel for durability. The powder coat finish produces no chemical out gassing
  • Blueair HEPA Air Purifiers offer exceptional performance with environmentally friendly products. The Blueair HEPA Air Purifiers are energy efficient.

Got Allergies Need to Choose the Best Home Air Purifier Possible

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This home air purifier guide raises questions you may have asked and gives you clear, simple facts.

Please use it to your advantage by avoiding ineffective products and succeed at getting the clean air you really want.

Which Pollutants Do You Really Need To Remove?

Will your air cleaner really protect you?

The first key is realizing allergens, dust and smoke are only the tip of the iceberg.

Medical evidence reveals a greater health threat from ultra fine particles.

Your typical home air purifier does little to remove these pollutants.

Sufferers of respiratory problems like asthma, COPD, hyperreactive airway or MCS especially need to remove ultra fine particles.

Why not learn the real secret to a top home air purifier?

Which type home air purifier cleans the air best?

Reject poor performers

It’s good to have choices, but not if you lack the information to choose confidently.

Knowing the limitations of different types of air cleaners lets you reject poor performers and focus on the best one for your needs.

To help you make a satisfying choice examine how these common air purification systems compare and learn how they perform against the most harmful pollutants.

You’ll be appalled by how many are a waste of money or even dangerous.

Is it true HEPA filters really are the best choice?

HEPA air filters are the gold standard

If your goose laid golden eggs would you complain it was too noisy, wasn’t handsome and was too fat?

Would you trade it for one laying rotten eggs?

Why then do people fault HEPA filter purifiers when only these perform to the exacting standards needed by medical facilities and high tech?

Here is your “golden opportunity” to learn why HEPA filters are the best air purification you can buy.

Do you need to remove odors and chemicals?

Do you need to remove odors & gases?

Many home air cleaners include a trifle amount of activated carbon so they can claim to remove odors.

Others misrepresent ozone, a lung irritant, as an odor destroyer due to its sweet smell and ability to desensitize your nose.

If you need chemical control knowing how actvated carbon, chemisorbers and catalysts really work is vital.

Learn how to remove odors & gases. Coming Soon.

How can you identify quality?

Poor quality isn’t always this obvious

Do you know the factors you should consider when determining the quality of a home air cleaner?

For instance, just because an air cleaner claims to use HEPA filter media doesn’t mean the air cleaner itself will perform at that standard.

Poorly made media, loose housings, poor gaskets and seals, and air bypassing to cool a cheap motor all reduce effectiveness.

Make sure your home purifier really works as you expect. Coming Soon.

How do you choose the size air purifier you need?

What if the Grande comes half empty?

One of the many deceptive tricks is misrepresentation of capacity.

Marketers often rate room size on just one air change per hour, not the recommended six.

They use free flow CFM ratings, that means without filter resistance, to boost apparent output.

Learn how to calculate how much capacity you need and where you can get accurate ratings. Coming.

How do you balance needs and air purifier cost?

Spare your budget an evil fate

The wrong choice is always more expensive than the right one, even if the price is the same.

And speaking of price, most people do not understand that price is no guarantee of quality or performance in a home air cleaner.

Why? Because shady marketers churn out inferior products by the hundreds (over 800, the last reliable numbers I saw) and sell them for “what the market can bear”.

These products can be quite expensive while providing little to no value. Some are even dangerous.

Learn to make savvy comparisons and strike the balance between what your budget can afford and the performance you need. Coming Soon.

How do you choose the best air purifier supplier?

Is this the best way to make a decision?

Price, selection, service, return policies, guarantees, shipping.

Even if you’ve decided upon the best home air cleaner should you place an order at any online store?

How To Choose The Right Air Purifier?

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Air purifier reviews are something you will definitely want to take a look at, if you are considering buying an air purifier. When buying an air purifier you will need to take into consideration a lot of essential factors in terms of features and functionality. We have lots of important information for you, so let’s get started!

Dust, mold spores, pollen, pet dander and smoke particles – all of these air pollutants can cause a number of health complications, primarily respiratory problems with children and older adults. Air purifiers are designed to improve cardiovascular health. As per the recent study conducted in Copenhagen, it was found that cardiovascular health of non-smokers can improve by making use of a hepa air purifier.

In order to protect our loved ones from the harmful effects of unwanted pollutants, you can always consider buying a good quality true hepa air purifier. Air purifiers need not be expensive, as there are many reputed brands that have introduced a wide range of affordable models in the market.

How To Choose The Right Air Purifier?

According to experts, an ideal air purifier is the one that has the capability to remove even the most pollutant particle from the environment. When planning to buy your own air purifier, there are certain factors that you need to keep in mind. The list of factors that can affect the functionality and effectiveness of the unit includes – the size of the house, pets, and the location where you stay. It is important to choose only the best make and model of the best air purifier, designed to suit your particular needs.

 Factors To Choose Right Air Purifier

 Clean Air Delivery Rate – (CADR)

CADR, as the name suggests, is the measure of the efficiency of an air purifier in terms of removing the air pollutant particles. It is important to get the CADR number tested by AHAM. The report is provided for pollen, dust and tobacco particles. CADR is tested with the highest fan speed. So, keep this in mind when doing the same.

Safety

Most air purifiers from almost all major brands are safe to use in both home and office. However, some models may produce ozone and other gas chemicals known to cause irritants of respiratory system and can even aggravate asthma. Many states in the US, for instance, California has already banned ozone based air purifiers for home use.

Air Purifying Performance

The design and built of a hepa filter air purifier usually determine the performance. Make sure you match the product’s specifications with the kind of performance you expect or actually need. For instance, if you require filtering odor from air, you need a model with high quality carbon filters. Most low end air purifiers are equipped with carbon filters, but have limited ability to remove smells. This can be a problem for households having pets and even teenage boys with some bad lifestyle habits.

Features and Functions

Modern air purifiers in the market are available in a wide range equipped with basic to advanced features. While the final choice will depend upon your budget, it is important to understand how taking a closer look at features and functions will help you make the right choice. Most advanced features are good such as dirty filter indicator, automatic fan adjustment and air quality indicator.

Some air purifier features are self-explanatory, but many advanced features need detailed descriptions. But, you should not get carried away with all the features being offered because in the end, the only and most important is how good the air purifying unit. Here are some that you must focus on while buying. Others may be compromised if you have a unit featuring all the listed features.

HEPA-grade and True HEPA

Hepa filter is primarily designed to remove 99.97% of pollutant particles of size 0.3mm and larger. In fact, HEPA air purifiers have become quite common in the market. They are reliable, work well and have proven to be safe and effective. The only problem is that HEPA filters need to be replaced regularly to maintain the efficacy of the system.

In the market, the term “True HEPA” is quite common and companies makes sure that customers get attracted by this feature as it means that their purifiers are HEPA certified and meet the required standard. Since true HEPA filters cannot be washed, you need to replace them regularly, depending upon the requirements of your make and model.

Ionizer

Ionizer use electronically charged plates to pull air pollutants from the environment. It follows the law of Physics, where we learned that static electricity pulls hairs standing. This is exactly how Ionizer works. Best part is that it does not need filter replacement. But, you need to clean it regularly as the plates get covered with dusts and dirt that can lead to formation of rust.

 Carbon filter

These days most air purifiers make use carbon filter that chemically bind odors from the present environment. Since HEPA filters are not enough to remove odor, having a model with additional benefit of carbon filter will help you get best benefits. Remember that Carbon filters should also be replaced regularly as the carbon will be spending a lot of its potential to remove the odors.

Pre-filter

Pre-filters are designed to increase the lifetime of subsequent filters. Since True HEPA filters are quite expensive to replace and not everyone can afford the same, using pre-filters will save you money in the long run. These are washable and replaceable. They are also more efficient, as well as extend the life of the air purifier.

There are many famous brands like the Hunter air purifier, Hepa air purifier, Holmes air purifier, Honeywell air purifier that you will easily find in the market. These are most reputed and reliable brands of all. Even though we know about all the brands, it is still very important to be careful when choosing a particular air purifier model. We hope our air purifier reviews have given you all the information to make an informed decision. Now you should be able to compare well and pick the best as per your needs and requirements.

Guide to Air Cleaners for the Home

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A lot of people have written to me wanting to know more about Air
Cleaners for the Home. If you are one of them, then you might find the following article helpful in your search
for information. We hope you find some useful pointers.

Air pollution has always been a major concern, but when we speak of air pollution we often
refer to the air outside the home. These days, people are more concerned about pollutants in the air indoors,
especially those pollutants that cause asthma or trigger allergies.

As more and more children are being diagnosed with breathing problems and respiratory
ailments, there is a growing need for efficient air cleaners for home use. With so many types of air purifiers
available today, you have to find out how to choose the best air cleaner for you and your family.

Indoor Pollutants

Dust is a major pollutant inside many homes, and indoor air can be 2 to 5 times as
polluted as the air outdoors. This is according to the estimate of the Environmental Protection Agency. Dust is the
generic terms for the tiny residues that come off a house and its occupants. It can include pollution from the
fireplace, skin, cooking smoke, pet dander, molds, fungi, pollen, mildew, plant spores and other sources. Dust
eventually gathers on furniture, floors, shelves, etc.

People who have allergies, asthma and other bronchial problems can suffer badly from
airborne pollutants. Visible dust is approximately 10 microns in diameter. The dust that you breathe in is
typically 0.3 micron in size.

Other indoor pollutants include noxious odors and gases.

The Best Filters In Air Cleaners

If you want fresh air in your home you have to get an air cleaner with the best filters.
Cigarette smoke has very small particles and is difficult to eliminate, unless you have the right filters in your
air purifier. HEPA or High Efficiency Particulate Air filters are recommended if you want to remove at least 99.97%
of contaminants in the air inside your home. HEPA filters can remove even those particles that are 0.3 microns in
size.

To enhance the efficiency of air purifiers, a combination of filters is often used. Some
products are equipped with pre-filters, activated carbon filters, electrostatic precipitators and the like for
cleaner air in the home. Experts do not recommend the use of ionic-type filters because they are not very effective
and they emit ozone as a by-product. Ozone is considered an air pollutant and can trigger breathing problems in
sensitive individuals.

Numbers That Matter

When shopping for an air purifier, one of the numbers to consider is the CADR or Clean Air
Delivery Rate. This number is an indicator of the product’s ability to remove pollutants from air. A higher number
means the air purifier is more efficient and better at cleaning. To determine what CADR you need for a room,
multiply the square footage of the room by 0.75. This will give you the minimum CADR to look for in an air
purifier.

You also have to figure out the CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air that moves through the
unit. In general, 250 square feet of space requires about 100 CFM. Room models can provide up to 400 CFM while
tabletop models offer up to 175 CFM. You may also want to choose a model that isn’t too noisy and has an air intake
and output on opposite sides for maximum efficiency.

Air cleaners for the home are becoming more efficient and affordable. They also offer more
features including energy efficiency.

There is a lot of information to be considered before purchasing an Air Purifier and
those that are looking to get one are likely to want to find out a lot more information about air purifiers. Even
if this article serves as no more than an introduction, nothing stops you from putting the information to good
use.

Winix WAC9500 Ultimate Pet Review

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The Winix WAC9500 Ultimate Pet True HEPA Air Cleaner forms the cream of the high-end air purifiers in the market. With a streamlined design, it can be integrated into any home that has a rather cosmopolitan design about itself. This machine is designed for use in areas where the highest quality of air is needed such as in a family bedroom, where there are little children who can be sensitive to dust and other allergens.

The machine is quite powerful and it features the best technology in the market to clean the air. The PlasmaWave filter that is built into this machine further adds potency to the HEPA filter cleaning mechanism by making the dust easy to filter and remove. There is also the normal filtration process in the machine that needs the conventional filters and then the HEPA filter, which removes the airborne microorganisms. Testing has shown that this machine is indeed very effective. It was used in a room that faces a busy street in the main financial district of the city where there is ample dust. The air was fit for breathing in no time and considering that this was a rather large room, it can be said that the Winix WAC9500 is suitable for use in almost any location possible irrespective of the type of house and the room that it is to be placed in.

The Winix WAC9500 is great to control the dust levels and even the odor content in the room. If you have an animal such as a cat, this machine can remove all the odor that comes from them. In addition, any lint or fur that is left lying around is effectively removed. The pre filter can be washed when it gets full and needs replacement only when its quality gets so degraded so as to be ineffective. On the other hand, the HEPA filter is very effective and it requires no replacement as it is actually permanent. You merely have to clean it when the indicator shows that it is full.

This air purifier is quite intelligent as it has sensors that set it automatically to the sleep mode when the lights go off and based on the air quality, the power level is adjusted too. The manufacturer claims that this purifier can get rid of 99.99% of the airborne particles thanks to the PlasmaWave technology and based on the testing, it does seem true as users have reported a drastic decrease in their allergies and the like after they started using this machine.

This machine is very efficient in terms of power consumption too. It consumes only around 17W at the high power mode and can clean the air in a medium sized bedroom about 5 times in an hour. With this machine in place, there is nothing to worry about it in terms of the airborne diseases department.

There are hardly any downsides to this machine. In fact, it performs with such a low noise level that you will have to check if it is indeed running. Moreover, the maintenance of this is very low and you will save a lot of money in the later stages despite the higher initial investment. The only thing that can be improved is that the sleep mode should turn on right away rather than wait a while after the lights are turned off and the buttons for this mode should be made readily available. This is a great machine and a worthwhile investment.

    Pros

  • Very effective cleaning with the PlasmaWave technology
  • Pre filter can be cleaned with ease
  • Sensors work great for sleep mode

    Cons

  • Sleep mode setting should be made easier

Winix PlasmaWave 5300 Review

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The Winix PlasmaWave 5300 stands tall and streamlined in a medium sized room and it performs to the level of an industrial air purifier. That might be a slight exaggeration but its ability to skim through dirt in the air is pretty impressive and makes for a good corner tool in the living room or large bedroom. The machine is quiet and it has some interesting features that let it stand apart from the crowd.

The first thing that you will notice about the machine is the design. It has a vertical grill on the front that make the air purifier look rather streamlined as opposed to the conventional horizontal grill and vents. The body has a good brushed metal-like finish and it goes with any of the modern homes, but with air purifiers, aesthetics are not your first priority, right? Anyway, coming to the performance of the machine, it features the standard three-stage air filtration system starting with a pre-filter, followed by a plasma generator and a HEPA filter. The most impressive in these three is easily the plasma generator that can tackle polluting particles in air, which are invisible to the eye. The HEPA filter does just what the name says. It is very efficient when it comes to getting rid of bacterial and other allergens to keep the air breathable. The carbon pre-filter does most of the noticeable job as it traps the larger dust particles and filters the air to free it from foul odors and the like.

The machine tests good with rooms as large as 350-sq.ft but it can be stretched a little beyond that. Standard tests on this machine revealed that it was capable of improving the air quality in the room to near perfection and that too quite quickly. The interesting aspects of this machine come in the features of it. The most useful one is the presence of a sensor that takes care of the fan speed automatically. This means that you do not have to take pains in adjusting the speed manually and changing it when you feel you had enough.

The Winix PlasmaWave 5300 is rated to be pollutant free and it doesn’t emit any annoying gases like ozone. Moreover, it happens to be quite energy efficient, as certified by the agencies. The machine is fairly quiet and if you use the auto control, you can’t adjust the noise level, which gets slightly loud at high power levels. There are also air quality indicators on the front of the machine for your convenience and information.

This machine has been designed to perfection and it is fairly small too for the power it packs. It can sit in a corner of the room and do its job quietly. However, if you have to use the high power setting, make sure that it is done only for a small period of time, as we noticed some slight heating in the machine. In addition, the turbo feature, which is used for a rapid cleanup, works great but the downside is the sound that the machine makes in this mode. The included remote control is great to adjust the machine from a distance and it has its own little enclosure on top of the machine to keep the remote from getting misplaced. On the whole, a great machine to keep at home, especially in living rooms.

    Pros

  • Powerful and effective cleaning
  • Filters are effective and remove a lot of the particles
  • Automatic fan speed control

    Cons

  • Turbo mode is quite noisy
  • Slight heating issues

Surround Air XJ-3800 Intelli-Pro Review

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The Surround Air XJ-3800 Intelli-Pro Air Purifier is among the high end air purifiers that use several sensors to monitor the air quality and make changes to the purification process accordingly. The machine looks futuristic from the front, as it should considering the digital technology it uses but from the side, it is rather bulky as the vents are on the side and top. The XJ-3800 has a great finish to it and it is the type of air purifier that you will want in a minimalistic room or study.

The XJ-3800 features six types of filtration processes at various levels to ensure that the air it sends out is as clean as possible. In fact, this machine can be compared to the clean rooms used in small scale laboratories. The types of filters used here are the pre-filter followed by the activated Carbon filter, which is supported by the HEPA filter. These are all working in tandem with a UV lamp, an ionizer and a dust collection grid. While the first three are common to most lower end air purifiers, the latter three are what really make the difference.

The UV lamp is aimed at killing bacteria and other microorganisms that get away easily. The radiation is dangerous to them but Surround Air XJ-3800 uses only minimal doses so you have nothing to worry about. The ionizer is used to crush the dust particles to smaller pieces to ensure that they can all be eliminated with ease by the dust collection grid that uses electrical potentials to segregate the particles and collect them.

The other notable feature of this machine is the use of various sensors that work all the time to monitor the air for levels of pollutants and the like. Based on this the machine adjusts itself to the right power for optimized cleaning. This can be bypassed by the manual control of the fan speed but it is best to let the gadgets do it for themselves. Moreover, the use of these sensors ensures that the machine uses just the amount of power it needs and nothing more. In addition, there is a display that lets you know exactly how clean your air is. There are also sensors and displays for odors, dust and other allergens too. The most useful indicator is undoubtedly the one that tells you how full your air filter is and when it has to be cleaned. Note that the HEPA filter is permanent and needs vacuuming only about twice a year, which is very economical.

The machine also has a great sleep or quiet mode setting that makes almost no noise. This is ideal for the night especially in the bedroom if you need the air to continue circulation. The fan in the machine is also low volume but this is made up with the number of air inlets. Together they work to reduce the power consumption of your machine and maintain its efficiency.

Surround Air is pretty confident of this machine’s quality that it offers a risk free guarantee of 30 days where it is willing to refund the whole of the amount if you are not happy with the machine. In the testing period, there were no noticeable flaws with the machine but some customers had problems with the UV filtration, which were immediately replaced. However, do check the dimensions of the machine carefully before purchasing as you might get something different from what it looks like in the photos.

    Pros

  • Great use of sensors and high efficiency
  • Six stages of filtration are very effective
  • Quiet mode is barely noticeable but cleans air anyway

    Cons

  • Sporadic cases of non-functioning UV lamp

Rabbit Air BioGS SPA-582A Review

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The Rabbit Air BioGS SPA-582A is a small but incredibly powerful air purifier that is capable of treating rooms as large as 780 sq.ft. The machine comes with washable filters that help in keeping the maintenance costs down and a motor that is powerful enough to circulate the air in a room at least twice an hour. All the power is packed into a rather small package that is ideal for use in large areas such as a living area with a high ceiling or an office.

On first looks, one would not expect this machine to be as powerful as it is because of the size and the aesthetics. It has a minimal design with a bold front and vents on the top and side. This air purifier can be set on the floor or a table top depending on the convenience but it works best when it is not surrounded by anything. It has a neat operating panel on the front that is easy to read and use and setting it takes hardly a few minutes.

The BioGS SPA-582A is among the best high-end machines in the market. It is not cheap but it is well worth the money as it has several purification systems that work to remove nearly all the dust and even germs and the like from the air. In addition, it can remove all the odors effectively while the lint and other visible dust are trapped by the pre-filters. The purification system includes the pre-filters that are washable for easy maintenance followed by carbon pre-filters, which run on activated charcoal. These are followed by the unique BioGS HEPA filter, which is essential for getting rid of all the allergens and any disease causing microbes. The BioGS HEPA filter is exactly what makes this machine so useful for those who are prone to allergies. Users who have been running this machine have reported that they have seen a drastic decrease in the frequency of allergy attacks.

This air purifier is also tuned for the optimum energy consumption. There are sensors, which detect the air quality and adjust the fan speed accordingly. This allows for easy maintenance in cleaning the filters as well. The machine is very convenient as it comes with a remote, which can control all the functions from a distance. The fan speed can be manually adjusted with a single press and there are five different speeds. The lowest speed is barely audible and even at the highest power it is no more louder than a buzz. The turbo mode happens to be very effective and after running for a little while, the air is noticeably cleaner.

This machine has a wide airflow so it can reach all the corners of the room in which it is being used and service the area uniformly unlike the unidirectional airflow machines, which can direct the air, say only upwards. There are several color variants available, each one is as attractive as the next, and you can make the choice depending upon which room it has to be used in.

For its price, this machine is easily the best and worth every penny spent. There are hardly any downsides to this machine and almost all the users are happy with it. The only exception is that the machine tends to be a little instable on low fan speeds due to the position of the axis but it doesn’t affect functionality as the only result is that the purifier vibrates a bit. Overall, one of the highest rated and recommended machines in the market.

    Pros

  • Very effective air purification
  • Easy to maintain filters
  • Automatic sensors and speed control
  • Remote for easy use

    Cons

  • Shakes a little on low speed

Hoover WH10600 with TiO2 Technology Review

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A great mid-range air purifier for your room that looks futuristic is the Hoover WH10600 with TiO2 Technology. This machine is ideal for medium to large sized bedrooms and can effectively clean the air in areas as large as 200-sq.ft. This machine comes with the revolutionary Titanium Dioxide method to clean the air, which boosts the efficiency and potency of the UV filtration process by several folds. This mechanism, in addition to the regular filtration process makes this air purifier from Hoover one of the most effective in the market today.

Once you unbox the machine, the first thing that you will notice is that it is quite different from the conventional air purifiers. This one has a rather curvy design that is meant to go well with any area of the room, whether it is the corner or by the side of a bed. Moreover, the grills and air vents are reminiscent of a wraparound mechanism to increase the efficiency of the outflow.

The filtration system used in this air purifier is similar to most competition with the one exception. While the pre-filter aims to trap the bigger dust particles and get rid of the grime and the like, the HEPA filter is where the finer particulate filtration takes place. The HEPA filter is permanent and needs cleaning only once or twice a year. In addition to these basic mechanisms, there is a UV lamp that is boosted by the TiO2 technology. The UV lamp radiates the bacteria and other microorganisms, which are then easily killed. The use of TiO2 in the air purifier works to eliminate even the most potent of bacteria.

The best part of the machine is easily the control panel on the top. There is nothing that you cannot do with this panel at your fingertips as it controls almost every aspect of the machine. There are several indicators in the panel that tell you the quality level of the air and the speed of the fan and many more functions. In fact, it is this panel that you choose the timer and power settings from so that you can get the best out of the air purifier. The timer lets you run the machine for as long as you want and then it has an automatic shut off. This is best if you are using it in the bedroom and want some peace in the middle of the night.

The Hoover WH10600 is a very quiet air purifier but it is quite effective at the same time. Though the recommended area of use was around 150-sq.ft, it can be put in a room that is slightly bigger and the results will still be pretty impressive. Furthermore, the machine’s adjustable levels of power and fan speed are great to get the best out of it. At high speeds, there might be some slight noise but it is quite manageable.

The remote control makes for a convenient adjustment mechanism but once the right setting is made, there is hardly any need to change it. This machine is easily one of the best in the market right now and offers great value for money. Most users are happy with this fine equipment but there are a few who would like a few improvements or additions. The UV filter might have replaced the ionizer but it would have been preferable to have one anyway to further reduce the quantity of allergens in the house. This is indeed a great machine to buy and you will have almost no problems with it.

    Pros

  • Great value for money
  • Remote control makes using the machine very easy
  • Control panel has impressive displays
  • Very quiet while working in low power

    Cons

  • No ionizer included
  • High power is slightly noisy

Honeywell HHT-011 HEPAClean Compact Review

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For small rooms that are already short on space and cannot afford to have large air purifiers, the Honeywell HHT-011 HEPAClean Compact Air Purifier is the perfect choice. With dimensions small enough to snuggle away in a corner or it can be placed on a small table. This purifier is perfect for rooms that are no larger than 85-sq.ft.

Despite the small size, the Honeywell HHT-011 packs quite a bit of power and keeps the area dust free to a very large extent. This can be attributed to the three layers of filters that are built in the machine. The first filter is obviously the pre-filter that can be removed and washed whenever necessary. The key feature comes in the second one, which is the permanent HEPA filter. This filter looks stable enough to be used in laboratories. It is very effective and sample analysis as part of the testing showed that the HEPA filter is very efficient and effectively eliminates the dust particles and other germs and microorganisms that might have invaded your private space. The next layer is an ionizer, which is optional but should be used if you want clean air to breathe.

Coming to the technical details of this air purifier, it has to be said that its performance is rather impressive and since it was recommended by the manufacturer for small rooms, that is where it was tested. The machine makes almost zero noise as it filters liters of air from the sidelines. There was a noticeable difference in the room after opening up a window for a while, then closing it and running the air purifier for about an hour. Of course, an hour was stretching the time a little to get results but you can leave the machine running for about 15 minutes and breathe clean and safe air.

The pre-filter is where the bigger dust particles get stuck and if you use the machine on a continuous basis, it might require cleaning. There is nothing to worry about though as cleaning this pre-filter is child’s play. You merely need to soak it in cold water for a while and then use a fine brush to get rid of the grime that forms in the pores of the filter. The HEPA filter is permanent and there is nothing that you can do about it. It does its job perfectly and gets rid of the germs for you. The HEPA filter is really what makes this purifier great. Competing air purifiers of a similar size and capacity are devoid of a HEPA filter and rely purely on the pre-filter and the ionizer to purify the air. The result is that the Honeywell HHT-011 emerges the winner.

The machine has three levels of power that can be adjusted and at the lowest level, the sound merges into the background. In addition, it comes with a light that offers slight illumination without being too hard on the eyes. It can run all through the night and you will get used to it in a couple of days at the most. At higher power levels, it does make a buzzing sound but then again, you will not have to run it for too long in the high power mode as the air gets purified almost immediately.

On the whole, the machine is great for small rooms such as a small bedroom or a study, especially if you are short on space. This model has found great favor with users, many of whom have reported an improvement in their allergies after its use.

    Pros

  • Small size
  • Permanent HEPA filter is very effective
  • Ionizer removes almost all the dust in the house
  • Little to no noise from the machine

    Cons

  • Pre-filter needs to be washed occasionally
  • Running the machine for too long results in mild heating

Honeywell HFD-120-Q QuietClean Tower Review

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For areas around 180-sq.ft, that is ideally a bedroom or a study, the Honeywell HFD-120-Q QuietClean Tower Air Purifier is a great option in terms of both design and functionality. It has an effective three-stage filtration process that removes most of the household dust and airborne particles. On the design front, this machine is shaped like a tower so it can sit away snugly in any corner and not occupy too much space. The overall aesthetics of the machine are impressive and the black one is more appealing.

The Honeywell HFD-120-Q is the type of machine that stands out in a lineup of air purifiers and its design will make you want to buy it. The vertical grill makes a stylish statement though that might not be of utmost importance when looking for an air purifier. Coming to the functionality of this machine, it has to be said that this is one of the most powerful ones in the market for the size of rooms it can service. The three-stage filtration process comprises a permanent pre-filter that can be removed and washed at any time. This is followed by the IFD filter or ionizer that can remove most of the fine particles. The IFD is supported by a HEPA filter on the back that does the final processing and offers clean air to breathe.

Performance wise, this machine can churn out the air in a room around three times per hour. This is quite sufficient for a bedroom and the machine does this very quietly too. The testing was done in a rather dusty room and the various power levels of the machine were tested out as well. The results were felt in a short while and there was a noticeable positive change in the odors in the air.

The Honeywell HFD-120-Q air purifier features several neat tools that make using the machine almost enjoyable. Firstly, the three levels of fan speed can be controlled using a small touch panel. On the lowest level, the machine is very quiet and at the highest level, all you can hear is a buzzing. You can choose either depending on whether you want silent purifying in the background or a quick way to get rid of the dust in your room. On this machine, the pre-filter doesn’t need to be replaced. It can just be removed and cleaned by either washing or vacuuming when the indicator on the top shows that the filter is clogged. This filter traps the large, visible particles in the air and is very critical to the whole process and not having to replace it reduces the maintenance cost drastically.

This machine scores well on several fronts but there are certain areas that can be improved. Firstly, there is no option of a digital timer or sleep mode. The three levels of fan speed need to be readjusted manually and if you use this in the bedroom, there is a chance that it might need adjusting in the middle of the night: something that should be avoided. The other aspect is that this machine doesn’t let you separate out the HEPA filters and ionizers. It is more effective when both are in use but the ionizer is not always needed or suitable and the option to use them individually is something Honeywell should look into.
On the whole, this machine is great and is ideal for those on a budget looking to clean up the air in medium sized rooms. With a low power consumption and even lower maintenance cost, the Honeywell HFD-120-Q is definitely a worthwhile investment.

    Pros

  • Stylish design
  • Quiet but effective air purifying
  • Permanent and washable pre-filter

    Cons

  • No timer control
  • Ionizer cannot be separated

Honeywell 50250 Round Review

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Honeywell, one of the world leaders in household products has outdone itself in the air purifiers department with the development of the Honeywell 50250 Round Air Purifier. With a perfectly circular design that allows for airflow in all directions, this machine is capable of servicing large rooms up to 400 sq.ft in area. The new models from Honeywell, including this one are all priced quite reasonably and they offer some of the most effective air purification in the market.

The machine comes with the standard filtering process, which uses a carbon pre-filter that is followed by a true HEPA air filter. The difference between the HEPA filter used here and the normal HEPA filters is that this one doesn’t need to be replaced unlike the ones in some of the older air purifiers which require frequent, if not at least occasional replacement of the filter as they get clogged up with the dust and other particles. This HEPA filter is a permanent filter and it requires to be cleaned only once or twice in a year. The same can be done with just a vacuum and if it is particularly dirty, it can be cleaned by just washing. The pre-filter on the other hand is not permanent and needs replacing whenever necessary as instructed by the indicator built into the machine. The pre-filter health indicator is virtually a lifesaver as it tells you exactly when to replace the filter to optimize the air purifier.

The circular design of the machine allows you to use it in any area of the room and not compromise on quality of air purification. In addition, the large inlets allow for maximum air intake to ensure that the air is purified as quickly as possible. Testing in a reasonably dust filled room, which was exposed to the outdoor for a while, didn’t take very long.

Most of the time, circular household appliances are frowned upon because they occupy a lot of space but that is not the case with the Honeywell 50250. It measures smaller than most conventional air purifiers, but performs at the same level. In fact, it measures only 18”x19”. The machine features three fan speeds that have to be manually adjusted. There is a clear distinction in terms of the power of these speeds as the highest one is quite noisy when compared to the lowest. The high power fan speed is far more effective as well and it can get rid of almost all the dust and disease causing organisms living in your room. This machine is great for those who suffer from sort of allergy or disease caused by airborne organisms.

The Honeywell 50250 is among the best-rated machines by consumers who are looking for clean air within a budget. However, it does have some downsides such as the absence of a remote control or automatic sensors and speed adjustment. The machine makes up for these with its unique and effective design and the offer of a 5-year warranty. This means that you can be sure of the quality of the machine for 5 years. Moreover, the pre-filter needs replacement only rarely whereas the HEPA filter is very cheap to maintain.

    Pros

  • Effective circular intake for best cleaning
  • Small footprint and suitable for any area in the room
  • Great value for money

    Cons

  • High power consumption
  • Noisy at high fan speeds