Are Air Purifiers Really Worth It?

As we move forward to a generation that prefers staying indoors, – adding the fact that COVID-19 aided the process of solitude – a clean environment is something that every individual wish for. However, with the rise in pollution, our homes are no exception to pollutants that can induce or aggravate major respiratory and lung diseases.

In such scenarios, a solution to this problem has one answer: improving air quality. This led to the birth of air purifiers. But, do that work, or are they just a means for companies to profit yet again? We have to dig deeper to find out.

What Are They?

Air purifiers are the opposite of diffusers and humidifiers: they add particles to the four-walled space. They work by sanitizing the air of pollutants, allergens, and toxins.

Mistakenly enough, people assume air purifiers are filters but they are not. While filters only remove particles, purifiers sanitize them.

Air purifiers work in many ways to improve air quality. Some air purifiers contain activated carbon filters that can remove odors from your home!  Others either work by filtering out particles as air runs through them or neutralizes particles without filtering. The latter works by introducing negative ions to the air that is passing through so that they are neutralized. However, the downside to neutralization is the possibility of ozone emissions. Quite the irony, no?

Are They a Good Buy?

The main question: are they effective? In the short run, yes – however, an air purifier can't remove or neutralize all particles in your home. The reason being that many particles can easily sit on surfaces such as walls or furniture.

Nevertheless, there are some benefits to having an air purifier in your home. People suffering from asthma and allergies can often reduce reactions and lessen the symptoms by medication, air purifiers can help one remove the source that is causing the symptoms to begin with. If used often, people can have fewer reactions and symptoms.

However, this should not be a means for you to stop your medication, it’s important to talk to your doctor regarding the dose of your medication in case you decide to purchase an air purifier.

Is It Affordable?

Certainly, when we talk about purchasing an air purifier – the cost isn’t cheap. Many models can cost more than $200 and can go up to $900. Moreover, they are expensive to operate as well. They require filter replacements once or twice a year, some models have multiple filters that would be needing replacement. Carbon filters can cost you around $50 every three months – which is on top of the main filters that range from $20 to $200.

The bottom line is that are air purifiers worth it? Well, research shows that filtering air can indeed be helpful to remove pollutants, allergens, smoke, and mold from homes.

But air purifiers work best alongside other cleaning techniques and filtration processes. What can be deduced is that an air purifier can complement the daily cleaning of your household but can’t entirely purify the air. Adding the cost factor in the equation, air purifiers will only be a burden to one’s pocket.