The Benefits Of Using A HEPA Filter Air Purifier And How It Can Improve Indoor Air Quality

The air in your home contains numerous contaminants, such as dust, pollen, and pet hair. These are especially harmful to those suffering from asthma or allergies since they can aggravate or induce lung-related illnesses. If you or any family member has respiratory problems, it’s a good idea to invest in a HEPA filter air purifier. Doing so can help get rid of the air contaminants in your home. 

This type of air purifier has become popular over the years because of the concerns of homeowners over indoor air quality. A HEPA filter is an indispensable component of an air purifier system that can help improve the overall air quality of your home. 

In today’s article, we’ll take a closer look at the HEPA or High-Efficiency Particulate Air technology. Likewise, we’ll explore how it deals with the different types of pollutants in an indoor environment.

What Makes HEPA Filter Air Purifiers Different From Other Types Of Air Purifiers?

Each air purifier company incorporates their products with a specific air purification technology. These technologies include HEPA, carbon, ionizer, and PECO filtration systems. Some companies also developed their own unique technology. 

Knowing the differences between these filtration systems will ensure that you’ll end up with the best possible air purifier for your home. And if you’ve been shopping around for one, you’ll most likely come across the term HEPA filter.

As mentioned, HEPA is the acronym for High-Efficiency Particulate Air. An air purifier with a HEPA filter uses a fibrous filter that can trap very fine particles. The filtration system was created when the atomic bomb was being developed to help prevent the spread of tiny airborne radioactive particles.

Today, it plays a significant role in air purifiers used in homes as it filters harmful particles that are linked to respiratory illnesses, cancer, and heart disease. These include, smoke, air pollution, molds, pollen, dust, and pet hairs. Moreover, HEPA filters can remove large particles almost perfectly. But as efficient as HEPA filter air purifiers are, they can’t filter out odors, gases, chemicals, and other toxic modern-day pollutants.

Does An Air Purifier Make Indoor Air Dry?

The pollutants present in the air from cooking and smoking to chemicals and traffic are constantly increasing. Hence, it is vital to ensure the air in your home is clean if you want to protect the health of the entire family. 

The causes of our planet’s pollution are endless. For this reason, most homeowners are taking significant steps to ensure the air in their home is healthy and safe by using air purifiers. 

There is no doubt that an air purifier offers plenty of benefits to your health. However, one of the most common questions on people’s minds is whether an air purifier dries out the air or not. 

This article answers that question. Additionally, we’ll provide you with essential information about air purifiers to help you better understand how these devices work. 

Will An Air Purifier Dry Out Or Take The Moisture Out Of The Air?

The short answer to this is no. Unlike dehumidifiers, an air purifier does not take out the moisture from the air. This device works by trapping dust, mold, mites, pet dander, and other air pollutant particles. 

It draws in the air in your home, filters and eliminates every harmful particle present, and disperses it with the help of ionizers or a fan. Moreover, it will not alter the air’s humidity level at all. Watch this impressive video to learn more about the airflow technology of air purifiers. 

For the air to dry out, a device would need to get rid of the air’s moisture. It does this by driving the air within the unit. Then, it will transfer it into a rotator or a cold evaporator coil, causing the air to cool beneath its dew point before dispersing it back into the environment. 

Most air purifiers available on the market will not reduce the moisture from the air. Nevertheless, there are those with a dehumidifier or humidifier feature that can impact its humidity level. Still, the majority of air purifiers you can find will not include this feature since their main purpose is to clean and improve indoor air.

If you’re using a dehumidifier in a room for longer periods, it may cause the air in your home’s atmosphere to dry out. As a result, you may experience several health concerns like the drying of your throat, nose, and skin. That’s why air quality monitoring and opting for a unit that can detect humidity level is essential.

An air conditioner is another device that can dry out the air and remove its moisture. Keep in mind that cold indoor air means low humidity level. The reason for this is because cold air can’t retain moisture. 

Still, using an air purifier does not mean that the humidity level in your home is going to be stable. Humidity can change depending on the weather and environment. 

How to Easily Monitor Air Quality

With so many health issues going on, it’s understandable why many people are more conscious about the air they breathe. Air is life, but it can also destroy the life it supports if it is polluted. Keeping yourself informed about air quality is one effective way to protect your health and also helps the community in many ways.

Air Pollution: How Bad Is It?

The problem with air pollution is that because it’s invisible, many people just shrug it off until they get sick. It’s difficult to determine which place is safe since many toxic pollutants are colorless and continue to linger in the air for quite some time. Without using any tool, you will find yourself in danger of getting exposed to harmful elements that can get inside your body.

Here is how small the particulates in the air are measured in microns (µ):

• 90µ – Fine beach sand
• 50-70µ – Human Hair
• < 10µ – Dust, pollen, mold spores
• 5µ or smaller – Combustion particles (e.g., vehicle emissions), organic compounds (VOC) like Carbon Monoxide (CO), CO2, and metals.

The most dangerous of all the pollutants listed above are those particles that measure 2.5 µ (microns) or smaller as they can reach into your lungs and bloodstream. When they enter your body, it can bring serious health problems like stroke, lung cancer, and heart disease.

Using Apps to Monitor Air Quality

In this digital age, monitoring air quality is easier through mobile apps. Most of these popular apps can give you information on the latest pollution levels in different places. It can also predict how worse the pollution level will get and what time it will peak. Some apps also show the latest health advisories from reliable sources. The best part is many air pollution monitoring apps are free to download from Google Play and Apple Store.

There are many free apps that you can try depending on which city you are in. Most of these apps are reliable and very user-friendly even for kids.

Improve Indoor Quality Using Air Purifier

Monitoring air quality tells you what to do to protect yourself and your loved ones from air pollution. Improving the indoor air quality in your home and office is possible using an air purifier. Air purifiers use various kinds and layers of filtration systems to effectively remove the contaminants from the air. Some filters are so powerful that they can trap even the smallest pollutant in the air, including smoke and odor.

Modern models of air purifier also have ultraviolet lights which claim to kill germs. A combination of HEPA filters plus charcoal-based activated carbon filters can effectively remove air pollutants and pesky smells.