This week we have a guest post from Janet Miller who is passionate about living with clean air.
Kirsten previously wrote about how air purifying plants can play a very important role in naturally cleaning the air in our living environment. In this article I would like to share an alternative to air purifying plants: air purifiers.
Air purifiers typically use a series of filters to filter out common air borne particles and toxic substances that can be averse to our health. Here are 10 benefits of air purifiers:
1. Removes Volatile Organic Compounds
Volatile organic compounds or VOCs are chemicals that at normal room temperatures have high vapor pressure. Some VOCs are harmful to human health, especially if accumulated. Anthropogenic VOCs such as that found in paints and other coatings are especially harmful. Persistent exposure to VOCs, especially indoors, has been found to be linked to increased incidences of cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. Thankfully, air purifiers are able to remove VOCs as well, keeping our living environment safe.
2. Removes common air pollutants
Here are only a few of the common air pollutants you may find in your living environment:
– Pet allergens
– Dust Mite Allergens
– Plant spores
– Bacteria
– Fungi and mold
– Pollen
The most common air purifiers use HEPA or High Efficiency Particulate Air filters to remove common air pollutants. These filters are able to remove 99.7% of all particles that are as small as 0.3 microns. These include all of the above-listed common air pollutants.
3. Removes insects and other pesky little creatures
One little known benefit of air purifiers is that they are able to remove mosquitoes and other pesky little insects that may otherwise be difficult to get rid of without toxic sprays.
4. Removes germs
There are some air purifiers that come with germicidal filters – these will help get rid of common germs.
5. Removes odors
Some air purifiers come with carbon filters – these help absorb odors and leave your house smelling fresh. This is especially helpful for those who live with smokers in the house and for those who want to cook with an open kitchen.
6. Improved mood
Personally, I found my mood improving significantly after I got an air purifier. It feels good to be able to breathe clean air. I found myself getting agitated less and became much better able to control my temper.
7. Reduced stress
The corollory to the previous point is that your cortisol levels will also decline, helping to reduce stress and leaving you more relaxed throughout the day. This in turn improves your productivity, allowing you to get more done.
8. Improved sleep quality
Your sleep quality will also improve with an air purifier in the house. Air purifiers typically generate some white noise – I have had no issues with this and in fact found it very helpful in aiding sleep.
9. Improved air circulation
Ever had that unpleasant feeling of sitting in a stuffy room with poor air circulation? Air purifiers, depending on their ADR or air delivery rating, typically fully circulate the air in the room up to 5 to 6 times per hour.
10. Negative Ions
Negative ions are usually found in nature. They naturally clear the air of common air pollutants by attaching to positively charged articles. They also have a relaxing effect, and create the feeling of being in a rainforest. Ionic air purifiers generate the same negative ions and allow you to experience these benefits even at home.
Hope you enjoyed this list of the 10 most important benefits of air purifiers. For an extensive list, see 99 Air Purifier Benefits.
Janet Miller is a nature lover, health junkie, work-at-home mom and full-time housewife. She graduated from the school of hard knocks and spends much of her free time learning about how to live healthy and reviewing common household appliances including air purifiers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers. Read more about cleaning your air in her at Best Air Purifier Review.