Increasingly, urban living conditions, characterized by gassed air, poor ecology, which leads to poor health and constant depression, make residents of megacities leave everything and move out of town to breathe clean air in the lap of nature and not think about the problems associated with constant vanity.
Another option is to move from a gas-polluted industrial region to a quiet suburb without the noise of cars, trains and factories, with birdsong and a wonderful scent of lilac in spring, and in winter with quiet picturesque streets and crackling snow underfoot that you no longer hear in the city.
Air purifier - an indispensable accessory
Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to move out of town. So, then, is there no way to breathe clean, not polluted, health-damaging air?
There is a way out, it will allow you to turn your apartment into an oasis in the big metropolis, fragrant with natural freshness. Yes, now there is an opportunity to improve conditions and create a good microclimate at home, and without much effort, because the inventors worked for this. Today, modern technology allows you to clean the air of the apartment from harmful impurities. Of course, the device cannot replace the noise of the sea wave or the singing of birds, but it will definitely make the air clean. We are talking about an air purifier for residential premises, and in this article we will help you choose this device.
How does an air purifier work?
An air humidifier cleaner for an apartment is a simple device that is easy to use and does not require special maintenance skills. It kills all microbes in the air, and anyone can use the device. An air purifier for allergy sufferers and those often suffering from colds is a godsend.
The principle of operation of the device with a removable filter is based on blowing air through several special filters, depending on the type of contamination. For example, some of them can remove the gas contamination or smokiness of the apartment, others will clean it from dust, pollen of plants, animal hair. The model of the air purifier uses carbon, mesh, photocatalytic filters. The air flow can be adjusted using the buttons or the switch located on the control unit, or in auto mode.
Which air purifier is better?
The most popular air purifiers with replaceable filters are products of the following brands: Daikin, Boneco Electrolux, Bionaire, Sharp Air, Comfort, Air-O-Swiss, Venta, Toshiba, Bork. In general, the choice is large, and you can find a model that meets all the requirements. Cost - from $ 80 a basic model and up to $ 1,000 elite. The optimal air purifier for an apartment is the price of $ 200-500 (with an additional option of ionization and humidification), which has a multi-stage cleaning system and a control panel.
Premium models represent entire climate systems that connect in one case several devices with different functionality that can work individually or simultaneously.
When choosing an air purifier, focus on your needs, and also take into account the size of the area that needs to be cleaned with the selected model.
Also on sale are air purifiers without replaceable filters, the main purpose of which is to clean by passing air through water. They are also called "air wash". They cost a little more.
The “air wash” runs it through wet cartridges. Such devices not only carry out the option of purifying the air from pollution, but also increase its humidity to optimal standards for humans - 50-60 percent.
With a high degree of contamination, it is best to use air purifiers for apartments with replaceable filters, and if your main goal is to increase the humidity in the room, then you need to use an air humidifier.
Air Purifier Market Leaders
Today, many want to buy the best air purifier for an apartment. A review of the modern market shows that the following brands are the most popular: Boneco (from $ 220), AOS ($ 250-500), Ballu (from $ 180), Venta ($ 250-800). For such a price you can get not just a model that purifies and moisturizes the air, but a universal device with additional options that regulate the noise level. In addition, there is a silver air disinfection function, also a remote control is attached to the model.
Brands such as Sharp and Daikin, a good Aic air purifier, deserve special attention on the quality of products among air purifiers, and most importantly, the money requested for them. The products of these brands, first of all, purify the air, and the humidification function is optional, which does not prevent them from coping simply perfectly with their tasks. There are no differences in the model range in the quality of humidification, only cleaning systems differ.
The best air purifiers for Sharp apartments are equipped with the classic HEPA filter, ionizer and deodorizing filter, while Daikin has the proprietary Flash Streamer system, which allows not only to eliminate dust, unpleasant odors and allergens, but also to effectively destroy viruses, including the virus swine flu.
Best producer considered the Swiss company IQAir. Household air purifiers from this company have HyperHEPA filters, which are 100 times more effective than conventional HEPA filters.
Filters in air purifiers
A filter is a key part of a cleaner device. The degree of purification and the performance of the equipment depend on its type. Let us consider in more detail what types of filters are used for what, which of them are better. Let's start with coarse filters that clean large mechanical particles. They are a simple fine mesh. Such a filter is needed to clean large particles of wool, sand, poplar fluff, hair. Also, this filter protects the device itself from getting these particles inside. As you use it, the mesh needs to be cleaned or purged, then it can be used repeatedly. For the normal functioning of the equipment, the mesh needs to be cleaned once every 3 months.
Coal Adsorption Filter
This filter contains activated carbon, which is an adsorption element that is often used to combat toxins. Coal adsorption filters successfully neutralize the bad odors in the air. But, unfortunately, they do not protect against nitrogen oxides contained in urban air, so they are used only as additional ones.
Carbon filters absorb impurities. Therefore, they must be changed periodically. Their service life is from 3 months to one year, the cost is 30-40 dollars.
Electrostatic filters
These filters are used for a more advanced and deeper air purification, which is performed as follows: air is driven through the positive electrode, which is represented by a positively charged grid, and the contaminants remain on the negative electrodes. These are reusable filters that are sufficient to rinse with water for reuse. Their main disadvantage is the release of ozone during their work. This is a highly toxic gas, despite all its disinfecting and healing properties.
HEPA Filters
These filters are a guarantee of effective and deep cleaning, which, in addition to household use, are also used in medical devices, medical laboratories and institutions. These filters have earned many positive reviews. They capture up to 97% of allergenic particles larger than 0.3 microns and various pollutants. HEPA filters are disposable, their service life is 1 year, after which they must be replaced. Cost - 25-35 dollars.
Power and noise level
One of the advantages of air purifiers is a small power consumption, usually 50-70 watts, and for inexpensive models that are in consumer demand - 20-35 watts.
It is also worth noting the low noise level, which is important, since many air purifiers work without interruption, including at night in the bedroom. As a rule, a fan is noisy in any cleaning device, and manufacturers took this into account when creating units with night mode, when the number of fan revolutions is reduced to a minimum, and the volume is 37 dB. This noise level is not distracting and does not interfere with sleep. In addition, it may depend on the type of filters used.
For example, to run air through an HEPA filter, you need a fan with a larger capacity, which means more noisy. Nevertheless, manufacturers claim that the noise level is not higher than the standard value. There are air purifiers for an apartment with almost silent operation at night (in the "Sleep" mode). The volume at the same time is only 16 dB.
Where to place an air purifier for an apartment?
Customer reviews say that most often cleaners are installed on a windowsill, floor, table, nightstand, etc. Some devices can be hung on the wall.
Additional options and functions
Here are some additions that we promised to write about at the beginning of the article. Thanks to them, the use of the unit for air purification becomes convenient and enjoyable:
- Timer - Used to turn off devices such as air purifiers for the apartment, and set the periods of work.
- Remote control - needed to switch the operating modes of the device.
- Setting the fan speed - this option is used to switch the air purifier modes, for example, to night mode, as a result of which the speed and the level of noise produced are reduced to a minimum value. There are modes "Sleep", "Turbo", etc.
- Contamination detectors - are installed in some models, for example, on an air purifier for allergy sufferers, are used to determine the degree of air pollution by dust or gases. If the specified level of harmful substances is exceeded, the unit automatically turns on in the field of view of the detector. The dirt detector also controls the intensity of the fan, reducing or increasing its speed
- Display Most air purifiers are equipped with a liquid crystal display, which displays data on the modes and time of operation of the device;
- Indicators . Sometimes apartment air purifiers have additional indicators that are designed to display important information about the operation of the device. These devices are often equipped with premium climate systems.
- Aromatization . The aromatization option is available in air purifiers of various classes. Devices can be equipped with an additional flavor, although its presence is not necessary. You can add aromatic substances to the water yourself, unless, of course, the purifier device allows them to be used.
Air Purifier Operating Rules
Manufacturers of air purifiers recommend timely replacement of filters for the full operation of the device.
In case of unpleasant odors, replace the filters before the end of their use. If the air contains a lot of impurities, then you need to wash or change filters more often.
Even the most modern and powerful air purifiers, unfortunately, do not saturate the air with oxygen, so you need to regularly air the rooms.
Easy breathing!