What To Look For In An Air Purifier

It may be winter now, but spring will be here before you know it. It will come with its warmth and comfortable weather for outdoor fun. But it will also come with the first wave of pollen, dust, and other airborne irritants. So it pays to think ahead and prepare in advance so you can enjoy the wonders of spring to the fullest. We plan to do that by making sure it stays comfortable inside our house by keeping those airborne irritants under control with an air purifier. 

If just going out and buying the first air purifier was the solution we needed, that would be great, but sadly that isn’t the case. When buying an air purifier, we have found that there are two big things to keep in mind so that you get not only a good air purifier but also a good air purifier for the room you plan to use it in.

What is HEPA?

First and foremost an air purifier has to be able to grab and collect the small airborne particles that are the primary source of our indoor air pollution. To do this air purifiers often use filters to drag the air through and catch anything that is too big to fit through. Super fine mesh filters are called HEPA filters and are certified to catch up to 99.97% of airborne particles that are 0.3 micrometers in diameter. This means these filters can catch everything from mold spores, dust, pollen, and even smoke particles for example. In other words, they are super effective and should be something to consider when shopping for an air purifier. Be wary of purifiers that tout HEPA-type or HEPA-like filters as these are not the same and not likely to be as effective.

A good example of what to look for is an air purifier that has HEPA 13, as it is efficient at catching pollen, and even virus and bacteria particles from the air.

What is CADR?

CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate and is an important statistic to look for when you are shopping for an air purifier. Why you may ask? Air purifiers come in various sizes to help purify the air for different sized rooms. To help determine if the air purifier you are looking at is the right size for your room, we use the CADR statistic. The CADR rating roughly translates to the equivalent in cubic feet, meaning 250 CADR means it should be able to capture the particles in an area of 250 cubic feet. The higher the CADR number, the more space it can adequately keep clear of airborne particles and if it is kept in the same sized space, the more efficient it is. Therefore we recommend that you pick an air purifier that is rated for a little bit bigger of a space than the room you plan to use it in.

What’s Your Opinion?

There is a lot to take into consideration when choosing the ideal air purifier but these are our two main items. What about you, what  are your main priorities when it comes to buying an air purifier? Let us know in our Forum or Discord channel.