How can an air purifier help with your allergy?
Over 50 million Americans experience different types of allergies every year, according to Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Meanwhile, an allergy is capable of causing death, if not taken care of. It’s also worth noting that allergies cost more than $18 billion every year, which is a lot.
If you’re on this page, there are chances that you’re suffering from one kind of allergy. In that case, you must have researched for a lot of methods or solutions to reduce or cure your allergies. While allergies usually don’t have a cure, they usually can be prevented. One of the most recommended methods of preventing allergies is using the best air purifier for allergies, and if you suffer from asthma, you can have a look at the best air purifiers for asthma alleviation.
The majority of the things that cause allergies are from airborne pollutants. And of course, you can use an air purifier to combat this. Keep in mind that the cleaner the air you breathe in, the better and healthier your life will be.
Features to consider while choosing an air purifier for allergies
While there’re many things you have to do in the build up to your shopping for the ideal air purifier for your allergy, probably the most important of them all is considering some important factors. Some of those factors include:
Type of filters
Generally, you will want to find an air purifier that utilizes a true HEPA filter. Professional groups and government agencies, which include the American Lung Association and the EPA, recommend these filters as the ideal for air purification. True HEPA filters are capable of trapping 99.97 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns at least in size.
Some air purifiers are equipped with HEPA-type filters, which work in a similar way but aren’t believed to perform as high. Meanwhile, our Editor’s Choice, the Medify MA-40 Air Purifier uses Medical Grade H13 Filters, which is in some quarters believed to be better than true HEPA filters.
Also, your air purifier is likely to come outfitted with a pre-filter that captures the big stuff such as human hair and pet fur before it gets to the primary filter. Some air purifiers come with extra filters such as charcoal or carbon filter, which capture gases, odor compounds or VOCs.
Coverage area
As you might have thought, the coverage area is the amount of space that your air purifier is capable of cleaning without getting overloaded. In the event that you want to save some money, then it’s reasonable to measure the space you want to purify and buy a model accordingly. That’s because the larger the coverage area, the costlier it will be.
However, if the cost isn’t a problem, then it’ll be more reasonable to buy an air purifier that is capable of covering more area than you actually need. With that, you will have a guarantee that the machine you select will be capable of handling your area without any problem.
CADR
Also known as the Clean Air Delivery rate, CADR is a number that allows users to understand the effectiveness of their device in a particular room size. Therefore, the higher the CADR number, the more particles your purifier is capable of removing, and the larger the area it’s capable of cleaning. Some air purifiers have different CADR ratings for dust, pollen, (the largest particle) and for smoke (the smallest particle).
However, bear in mind that not every model is tested with the CADR rating system, real-life reviews and feedback can provide you with an idea of the effectiveness of a device if a rating is unavailable.
Fan speeds/settings
Apart from the filter, there are other things that affect the performance of an air purifier. One of those things are the number of fan speeds. If you’re looking for a purifier that will perform based on the current quality of air in your room, find a model with multiple fan speeds. With that, you will be able to easily adjust the machine’s fan according to the quality of air in your room at a certain period. Boasting ten fan speeds, the Dyson Pure Cool TP02 is the best in this regard.
Noise level
While the human’s average whisper rates at about 30 decibels, torrential rain clocks about 50 decibels. Meanwhile, traditional vacuum cleaners come in at about 70 to 80 decibels. As you might have guessed, the reasons why we are giving this information is that you have to consider the noise level with which you can sleep peacefully.
If you are the kind of person that can sleep in any kind of environment, regardless of the noise level, then this consideration might be deemed useless. However, if you can’t fall asleep when there’s too much noise, opt for an air purify that is quiet in its operation. Some quiet models on our list are the Levoit LV-H13 Air Purifier, the Vornadobaby Purio Air Purifier, and the Hamilton Beach TrueAir Air Purifier.
Filter change indicator
Another important consideration you need to think about is a filter change indicator. As you might have guessed, this indicator will warn you when your filter is due for cleaning or a replacement. Because some of the filters usually last for more than a year, it’s easy to forget about cleaning or changing it. This indicator will allow you to know when you need to change it.
Dimensions
It’s also important to know the dimensions of the air purifier you are looking to buy. It will allow you to determine whether your storage space will be able to accommodate the machine.
Also, the size will determine how portable the machine will be, making it easier to transport it from one room to the other.
Warranty
There’s no assurance whatsoever that your machine won’t break down eventually. Therefore, if and when that happens, rather than getting rid of it, you might have to check the terms of the warranty that comes with it. Air purifiers are usually machines that last for a long time, so you need to make sure your machine comes with a two-year warranty at least.
Extra features
While some features are must-haves, others are just nice-to-haves. Generally, more expensive models are usually equipped with more features, like dimmable lights, programmable timers, and filter indicator lights. Some even come with a remote control, which in our opinion, makes things easier a lot.
