Do you have allergies, asthma or other respiratory troubles? HEPA room air cleaners are often presented as a complete one size fits all solution. I personally use a HEPA air cleaner in my own home, so my position is that they do offer benefits.
However, I find that much of the marketing is a little overly enthusiastic to put it kindly. Some claims simply are not supported by the research and the true measure of benefit is not as you might be led to believe.
The reality is the air in your home is influenced more by what you put into it than what you can take out of it. Does that sound reasonable?
HEPA room air cleaners can and should be only one part of a greater effort. My purpose in this article is to discuss some of the most common reasons for buying a HEPA filter air purifier and to what extent that air purifier will really help. I also will offer some alternatives that are even more effective. When these steps are taken together with air purification you’ll see the best results.
HEPA Room Air Cleaners For Seasonal Allergies
HEPA filter air purifiers are a great benefit if you suffer from seasonal allergies. HEPA filters trap both large and small particles so you aren’t breathing them in. Allergy triggers that cause itchy, water eyes, sneezing, and coughing are effectively removed from your air allowing you to breathe easy. This is one of the best uses for HEPA filter air purifiers.
HEPA Room Air Cleaners For Pet Allergies
If you have pets and you or someone in your home is allergic, then an air purifier may help the situation. However there are limits.
Cats are especially allergenic and are prolific creators of allergen. Worse yet, their allergen aggravates sensitivity to other allergens like pollen, making the allergic person even more miserable. One Japanese study found levels of cat allergen 160 times that of dust mite allergen in a typical home. The primary cat allergen, Fel d 1, is not only airborne but sticks to surfaces and textiles throughout the house. The allergic person is as likely to contact it via household furnishings and objects as to breathe it in.
A cat can also be compared with a lit cigarette; as long as it is present the continuous pollution exposes you even as the air purifier tries to remove it. Most studies have found air purifiers provide limited benefit to households that keep pets indoors. The best option is to remove the pet entirely. Even then pet allergens can take 6 to 12 months to subside from carpets and furnishings sufficiently for the allergic individual to be symptom free.
Some place the air purifier in a specific room, such as the bedroom, and forbid the pet from entering. This helps create a safe room for the allergy sufferer to go to for relief. However, the best option is to eliminate the source by removing the pet. Once you’ve come to grips with this reality, an air purifier will remove residual background allergens and help you breathe easier.
HEPA Room Air Cleaners For Dust Mite Allergies
Dust mites are tiny organisms that live off material such as dead skin flakes.
The dust mites themselves are not likely to ever become airborne and so a HEPA filter air purifier is not going to become a breeding ground for them as some competing air cleaner marketers wrongly claim. However, particles from their droppings and dead bodies can contaminate the air and a HEPA filter air purifier will remove these.
In all honesty though, most persons encounter dust mite allergen through their mattress and bed sheeting. Since your face is essentially lying upon the source of allergen an air purifier elsewhere in the room has limited effect with this allergen while you are sleeping.
Pillow and mattress casings specifically designed to prevent dust mites are your best option for reducing this exposure. Regular washing of sheets in hot water is also helpful. Dehumidifiers that keep humidity low also prevent them from multiplying since they require moisture from the air to live and breed.
HEPA Room Air Cleaners For Asthma
HEPA filter air purifiers are the most effective way to improve your indoor air if you suffer from asthma. Asthma triggers saturate indoor air and an HEPA filtration can help to diminish them.
There are many HEPA air cleaners on the market today designed to target asthma triggers. They can add a real piece of mind, knowing you are doing all you can to stop an asthma attack before it starts. For asthma, you may also wish to choose a unit with substantial carbon filtration, to address things like perfumes and other indoor chemical pollutants that can aggravate asthma conditions.
HEPA Room Air Cleaners For Smoke
Smoke: Smoke from your fireplace, cooking, or tobacco are potent irritants that can aggravate many respiratory conditions as well as cause them in otherwise healthy persons.
Getting rid of the smoke through source control is a far better choice than any air purifier. However, for intermittent exposures HEPA filter air purifiers coupled with activated carbon can quickly clear the air of both smoke particles and odors.
If this is your number one concern, then choose a unit that is specifically designed to handle this problem. There are air cleaners with specialized carbon blends designed to handle smoke more effectively than standard models. Allerair offers a number of excellent smoke air purifiers.
HEPA Room Air Cleaners For Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
Chemical sensitivity can be divided in two categories.
First, some individuals are sensitive to one chemical or a number of chemicals present in their home and need an air purifier to address this specific issue. A high-quality unit with ample carbon and good filtration will be able to solve this problem easily.
The second type of chemically sensitive person is one who is highly reactive to most chemicals they come in contact with and, in general, that includes the glues, filters, and plastic material found in many air purifiers.
If you feel you fall into the latter, don’t despair. There are great units on the market that are specially made not to off-gas.
When you are ready to purchase a unit, just remember you want to take special care in choosing your air purifier, as many units claim to not off-gas but still do. Individuals with severe chemical sensitivities should only consider air purifiers designed for individuals with these specific needs. Typically, these are going to include large quantities of activated carbon, often specially blended to give added control of specific vocs.
The key to picking the right air cleaner for your indoor space lies in knowing what problems you want the unit to address.Some air purifiers can be custom created to suit a variety of needs, such as customer-specific carbon profiling to make sure you get the right activated carbon for your chemical sensitivity.
Allerair provides this service prior to purchasing their MCS model air purifier. A sample carbon test kit is sent to you to determine your sensitivity to a variety of carbon blends. Once you have indicated which one is most acceptable they will include that blend in your new air purifier. The cost of the test kit is deducted from your air purifier’s purchase price.