Which air purifier to choose: compare and draw conclusions

Ecology in today's cities leaves much to be desired. In addition to dust, cigarette smoke and bacteria rush through the air, and heavy smog accumulates. And all this gets into our apartments and offices. Air purifiers help cope with these harmful substances by delaying them. Such devices are urgently needed for allergy sufferers, and they will not hinder everyone else. Next, we will talk about which air purifier to choose for an apartment, what parameters and functions to pay attention to and what to be guided by when choosing.

How to choose an air purifier for an apartment or a house

 

Types of air purifiers and their features

Each unit includes a fan, powered by the mains, as well as a filter system. Due to the rotation of the fan wings, the air flow is drawn into the device, passing through the filters. Which can be dry or equipped with a moisturizing option. In addition, there are models that provide for ionization of air (which, incidentally, is very beneficial for human health). First, consider what the choice and features of each type of air purifier are made up of.

Humidifiers and air cleaners

As you know, excessively dry air is not at all useful for people. Therefore, many use moisturizers. By the way, they at the same time clean the air masses of harmful impurities (mainly, of course, dust, seven tenths of which are dead skin epithelium cells and other traces of human life).

We bring dust home on dirty shoes and outerwear, it bursts into the windows and windows when the apartment is ventilated or a draft occurs by chance. Those who are prone to allergies may have a hard time with it - in asthmatics, for example, an attack is quite possible.

But buying a conventional humidifier does not completely solve the cleaning problem. After all, it is only a side effect: humidified air binds dust particles. And they, becoming damp and heavy, fall to the floor and other planes. Leaving from the upper level, where we breathe.

Conventional humidifier device
The device is a traditional humidifier.

1. Clean air.
2. The float bag.

3. The cleaning filter.
4. A tray with water.

5. Dirty air.
6. The fan.

The air washes are completely different. Their main purpose is contact air cleaning, and humidification is an additional option. The design of the sink is very simple: a plastic container filled with water. Plastic disks are blown into this container (not completely), blown by air coming from the fan. Dust adheres to wet discs, which is washed off by rotation.

Sink models all have the same design, differing only in the power of the electric fan, the dimensions of the disks and the external design. Additional functions may also be present: ionization, filtering.

Air cleaner
Air cleaning device.

1. Dirty air.
2. The fan.

3. Ionization of air.
4. Clean air.

5. The rotating drum.
6. A tray with water.

+ Pluses of humidifiers and air sinks

1. Economical in operation - consume only 120 to 400 watts of electricity;

2. They do not make noise at all, since the fans use not very powerful ones;

3.They are structurally simple and do not require complicated maintenance (you only need to periodically flush the device).

- Cons humidifiers and air sinks

1. Slow enough work. Express modes are not provided here. And if you want to quickly clean the air in the room, then washing with humidifiers will not help.

2. There is a claim that such devices contribute to the growth of bacteria (loving heat and moisture). But it can be refuted. Follow the instructions, caring for the device, and everything will be in order. No health hazard will appear.

Dry Filter Air Purifiers

Units of this type are characterized by good performance and high power. Therefore, many dwell on this option. In the device, air mass under pressure is passed through a series of filters. An electric fan installed in front of the exhaust grille draws in contaminated air with force, forcing it to go through the filters.

A little touch on the main varieties of these filters. There are three of them:

  • Pre-filtering devices are a kind of sponge mesh, easy to blow. It is able to trap particles of dust and dirt, the size of which is from 1 to 5 microns.
  • Fine filtering system - a frame, inside of which there is a piece of special material folded in accordion, speckled with microscopic holes. A similar original design increases the usable contact area. In addition, an electrostatic field arises, allowing you to attract additional dust. As a result, contaminated particles from 0.1 to 1 micron are retained.
  • The HEPA filter is able to cope with very tiny particles (as a rule, these are the most dangerous allergens). It is advisable that such a filter be present in the device - pay attention to this when decisive.

In principle, a dry cleaner that pressurizes (tends to vacuum) works like a vacuum cleaner, which the British even call a "vacuum cleaner" (in the original - "vacuum cleaner"). In other words, if we put a closed chamber in front of the filters, we will get a vacuum cleaner.

Air cleaner device
The device of an air purifier and its filter.

1. The fan.

2. Coconut coir filter.

3. HEPA filter.

4. Strainer.

+ Pros of Dry Filter Air Purifiers

1. Power and performance are quite high.

2. You can perform express cleaning (there is such a mode).

3. A large line of models of various capacities.

- Cons of air filters with dry filters

1. Such units are pretty noisy, as they have powerful fans. Only expensive premium options can work quietly.

2. They consume a lot of electricity.

Ionization Air Purifiers

Devices of this type have in design a circuit developed back in the last century by the Soviet scientist Alexander Chizhevsky. Everything happens as during a thunderstorm - the air is electrified and saturated with ozone.

It also turned out that air saturated with electricity is capable of performing useful work. If you take a plate or a frequent grate of metal, and then electrify it, then it will be able to attract dust, however arbitrarily fine (with which no filter of a modern vacuum cleaner can cope). That is, to perform the function of an air purifier.

So in the ozonizer, the air is not only ozonized, but also successfully cleaned. And at the same time, you do not need to drive it under pressure (as in a dry air purifier) ​​- there is plenty of air circulation that is created when people walk around the room or through a draft window. Dust will attract itself to the grate.

If the device was invented now, the word "nanotechnology" would certainly be mentioned. So effectively he copes with the task, having in service only an electric field. At the same time holding dust particles of any size. Using the device in tandem with other devices, they create a stream of air saturated with ozone that can both neutralize water and clean products from “chemistry”.

We choose a cleaner in accordance with the problems that need to be solved

We cope with the abundance of dust

It is worth paying attention to the following devices:

Air cleaner viewDegree of effectiveness

Air purifiers with HEPA filters.
If you buy a model with an HEPA filter, you can be sure that a reliable barrier to all dust particles and bacteria, including allergenic ones, will be created. And caring for the device is not so complicated: vacuuming the filter once a month and changing it regularly (every 6 or 12 months). Replacing the filter depends on the air pollution in the room.

9/10

9 oc

1 mesto

Air purifiers with electrostatic filters.
When deciding how to choose a home air purifier that can quickly and successfully eliminate dust, you can purchase a model equipped with a plasma (otherwise, electrostatic) filter. The dust itself will be attracted to it. It is enough to rinse a dirty filter, which is very easy. It serves for a long time without requiring replacement. That's just with huge dust debris, he is unlikely to cope. And completely all the pollution from the air can not be removed - only 9/10 of them. For allergy sufferers and young children, this is important. In this case, go to option number two.

8/10

8 oc

2 mesto

Air cleaners ionizers.
If you buy a model with an HEPA filter, you can be sure that a reliable barrier to all dust particles and bacteria, including allergenic ones, will be created. And caring for the device is not so complicated: vacuuming the filter once a month and changing it regularly (every 6 or 12 months). Replacing the filter depends on the air pollution in the room.

7/10

7 oc

3 mesto

Allergy sufferers who do not tolerate dust

In this case, the threat is represented by very small particles that cannot be seen with the eye. From them something allergy sufferers and flows from the nose, rashes on the skin and sneezing attacks appear. And even worse, people with bronchial asthma (which is becoming more and more every year) can experience a serious attack.

Let's look at what devices are best able to help allergy sufferers:

Air cleaner viewDegree of effectiveness

HEPA air purifiers.
In the first place we put devices equipped with HEPO filters. They pass only 0.1 percent of dust particles, delaying all the others - this is an excellent result, the best of all.

9/10

9 oc

1 mesto

Air purifiers with electrostatic filters.
Plasma filters, as already mentioned, are not so effective. Part of the dust (from 10 to 19%) flies past electric plates, slightly distant from each other.

8/10

8 oc

2 mesto

Sinks of air.
Air washers drive dirty air through a finely atomized water suspension. Dust is washed away, no longer returning. The percentage of remaining contaminants is from 5 to 20. The sinks with the pre-ionization function work more efficiently - while the drum plates hold additional particles.

8/10

8 oc

3 mesto

Air cleaners ionizers.
Ionizers with a remotely operating ionization option are a good choice for allergy sufferers. Such a device forms a huge amount of ions around itself, removing almost all allergens (which settle on flat surfaces) from the air masses.

7/10

7 oc

4 mesto

Humidifiers.
Humidifiers also purify the air with water (either sprayed inside the appliance or poured into the evaporator). But in this case they will be the least effective. Pass from 15 to 20% of dust.

6/10

6 oc

5 mesto

It is worth knowing that the cause of allergies can be deeper. Often it is not the dust itself, but the dust mites that live in it. There may also be an allergy to mold, as well as to fungus. Eliminating them completely, you can destroy the root of evil. For this, air purifiers with the ozonation option are successfully used, as well as photocatalytic type purifiers. However, they must certainly have dust removal functions - they must be disposed of first.

Photocatalytic air purifiers operate on the basis of a symbiosis of ultraviolet radiation and a catalyst. This is detrimental to harmful microorganisms and chemical compounds that are destroyed quickly and efficiently.

As for air purifiers of ozonizers, they have their own powerful weapon - ozone, which also effectively destroys microbes due to oxidizing qualities.Such devices can not be used in the presence of people. Turning them on, you must leave the room.

Fighting tobacco smoke

Air cleaner viewDegree of effectiveness

Photocatalytic air purifiers.
Photocatalytic type apparatus with ionization function (it will disperse the smoke) will be of great help here. Optimally, if the filter is plasma (it will allow you to clear the air of tar and add a little ozone). The HEPA filter in this case is disadvantageous - it will require frequent replacement.

9/10

9 oc

1 mesto

Air purifiers ozonizers.
Using an air purifier with the function of an ionizer, we will ensure that the smoke turns into water and carbon dioxide, completely safe.

8/10

8 oc

2 mesto

Sinks of air.
Air washes will help little in the fight against smoke rising up. They just do not have time to catch it. And smoke water is not a panacea.

3/10

3 oc

3 mesto

Air purifier equipped with a carbon filter.
Also an unsuitable apparatus for this purpose. He will not be able to quickly respond to rising smoke in order to neutralize it through adsorption.

2/10

2 oc

4 mesto

Get rid of bad odors

Air cleaner viewDegree of effectiveness

Photocatalytic air purifiers.
Once again, photocalytic aggregates that clean up any odors without a trace should be praised. Which, moreover, can be safely used while indoors.

9/10

9 oc

1 mesto

Air purifiers ozonizers.
But when the ozonizer is on, you have to leave the room. But it also works wonderfully - using the oxidation reaction, it breaks down both organic and inorganic compounds. Smells too.

8/10

8 oc

2 mesto

Air purifier equipped with a carbon filter.
Devices with a carbon filter can capture odor molecules, but they work much slower (at times) than photocatalytic devices.

7/10

7 oc

3 mesto

Air disinfection

When an epidemic walks around the city, children or adults get sick, it will not be superfluous to clean the air from bacteria and viruses. And in child care facilities, this procedure should be carried out regularly.

Air cleaner viewDegree of effectiveness

Air purifiers ozonizers.
Ozonizers are an even more effective solution. After all, the effect of ozone is three times more powerful compared to ultraviolet. It turns out faster. And in standard mode, the device can ionize the air.

9/10

9 oc

1 mesto

Photocatalytic air purifiers.
Photocatalytic devices using photocatalysis in combination with ultraviolet light. From such weapons there is no salvation for most harmful microorganisms.

8/10

8 oc

2 mesto

If the air is too dry

Here, deciding what to choose a cleaner and humidifier for an apartment, you can stop on two options.

Air cleaner viewDegree of effectiveness

Air purifier with humidification function.
Air purifier with humidification function - cleans the air masses using a water suspension, and also passes them through a filter system.

9/10

9 oc

1 mesto

Sinks of air.
Air washing - it simultaneously purifies (using water) and moisturizes.

8/10

8 oc

2 mesto

The financial side and ease of maintenance

Before choosing a specific model, it makes sense to ask yourself a few questions. Let's voice them.

Are additional maintenance costs important to you?

If so, then you can pay attention to ozonizers, ionizers, air washers, photocatalytic models. That is, those devices where there are no filters. If the subsequent costs are not scary, you can take a powerful model equipped with a filter system. It is often more effective.

Costs of service time - how much do they mean to you

In order for the device to serve faithfully, you need to take care of it: clean, rinse, change filters. If this is not critical at all, and you are ready to service the device at least every day, then there will be no problems with washing the air or humidifier (after all, they need to be regularly added water, changing it every three days).

Do you want to approach the unit no more than once a week? Then you can look at the plasma models. Their electrostatic plates need to be washed just weekly.

Well, if the best option is to take care of the device every month, then you can advise several types of devices at once. For example, photocatalytic devices, ionizers, ozonizers. A cleaner equipped with HEPA filters is also suitable - they need to be vacuumed just monthly.

Often or rarely you will use the device

In fact, it is best that the device is constantly in operation, dealing with pollution. Breathing clean air, residents will feel better and less likely to get sick.

And if you plan to turn on the air purifier around the clock, then pay attention to the power consumption. Choose more economical appliances.

And deciding to use a cleaner from time to time, do not stop at sinks with humidifiers. If they are left turned off, then the water soups. However, this is not a problem if desired. Each time it will be necessary to drain the water and dry all the details.

The most important features

Room Area

ploshad pomesheniya

Perhaps this is the most important parameter. However, most of the manufactured household appliances are of the zonal type. They are suitable for rooms ranging in area from 20 to 50 square meters. There are more powerful models - at 70 and even 100 squares. When buying, make a small margin in area.

Air flow

rashod vozduha

Here, two parameters are taken into account at once. This is the area as well as the ceiling height. The necessary productivity of the device depends on them, which per hour can be from 180 to 420 cubic meters. Also, this characteristic is often called air exchange rate.

dimensions

gabaritu

This characteristic becomes especially important when you plan to move the device from one room to another. If it is too heavy and bulky, this will be problematic.

Number of modes

rezhim rabotu

There can be from two to five. Of course, it is better that there are more of them - then you will definitely find the best for yourself. Necessary: ​​night mode (quiet and not interfering with sleep), fast mode that uses maximum power.

Popular manufacturers

Characteristics are important, of course, but the brand also has considerable significance. In order not to be disappointed in the purchase quickly enough, it is worth turning your eyes to the goods of manufacturers that have worked well in this sector of the market. Which air purifiers will last a long time, without breaking and not requiring constant repair.

Ballu

ballu

Ballu air purifiers are famous for their excellent cleaning system, consisting of four filter stages - each of a different type.

Timberk

timberk

Swedish manufacturer Timberk produces air purifiers specifically for residents of cities. Their task is to create and maintain an optimal microclimate in apartments and offices.

Jet

jet

Those who are puzzled by the question of how to choose an air purifier for a large room (office, for example, or production) can be advised by the technique of JET (Switzerland). The manufacturer supplies it in the form of special blocks, each of which can be installed in the required place. For example, on walls or on the ceiling. Or even in the ventilation system.

Panasonic

panasonic

The well-known Panasonic brand produces solid and solid stationary air purifiers that can not only clean, but also moisturize the air masses. In addition, they work very quietly and can cover a large area.

Here, in fact, are all the main recommendations. And then decide for yourself. In any case, start from the tasks set, as well as from the specifics and sizes of the room in which you need to clean the air.

Which air purifier did you decide to buy?