Buyer’s Guide
People that suffer from allergies know that the air quality inside their homes can often be worse than that of the air outside. When people think of pollution they don’t really think about all the harmful substances that exist inside their homes but health-conscious individuals and allergy sufferers realize the importance of using a high quality air filter. The problem is that there are so many options to choose from that finding the right machine at the best price can be challenging so we decided to put together this brief air purifier buyers guide to tell people what to look for so that they get the best quality machine at the most affordable price.
For a lot of people, price is their primary concern. If you are on a budget you won’t be able to spend a huge amount of money on the highest quality air purifier on the market but there are a lot of affordable options that do a good job as well. To make sure you are getting a high quality yet affordable air filter and not just a “cheap air filter” you’ll need to spend some time comparing various machines, not only by price but also by the features they offer.
One of the most important features to look for is that the air purifier you purchase be a true HEPA filter and not a “HEPA type” filter. A true HEPA filter will remove up to 99.97% of airborne particles that are small as 0.3 microns in size. What this means is that a true HEPA filter will be able to remove things such as dust, dust mites, pollen, tobacco smoke, pet dander etc.
There are many true HEPA filters at a wide range of different price points so there are a number of other things to consider as well. When putting together this air purifier buyers guide one of the things that we wanted people to keep in mind is that with many models you will need to replace the filters two or three times per year so in addition to considering the initial price of your air purifier you’ll also need to think about how much replacement filters cost and how often they need to be changed so you can make sure this ongoing cost will fit into your budget.
Another important consideration is the size of the room that you intend to use your air purifier in. Air purifiers are designed to cycle a certain volume of air through the system over a certain period of time. You’ll need to make sure that the air purifier you are considering buying is designed to work for the room you’re going to put it in. Most models will tell you how much square footage they are designed to be used with so pay attention to that number. To cover a very large area you may even need to purchase more than one unit. If you want to purify the air in your home upstairs and downstairs and you cannot afford to purchase more than one unit the weight of the unit will also be an important consideration. You’ll need to make sure that you will be able to move your unit up and down stairs.
So far our air purifier buyers guide has covered what we consider to be some of the most important things such as making sure your unit is a true HEPA filter, making sure the unit is suitable for the amount of space you intend to use it in, considering the price of the unit and replacement filters etc. There are also a number of other features that are not necessarily as important but might be nice to have. Some models will have an indicator light to tell you when it is time to replace the filters. This is a handy feature and is much easier than trying to remember when to replace them or trying to keep track of notes you may have written. Some models will also have ultraviolet light which is designed to kill bacteria and other biological airborne contaminants. These additional features are the types of things you should consider when comparing air purifiers because with the more bells and whistles you add the more expensive the price will generally be.
When you are researching various units and comparing features and prices you will narrow down your choices to a few units that will work great for you but the only way to truly know if a particular air purifier will work for you is to use it and try it. The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to purchase a number of different units and try them for yourself because the Internet makes it very easy to research user reviews so you can read about other people’s experiences with any particular unit. When you have narrowed down your choices to a unit that is affordable and has the features you are looking for, reading reviews about what other consumers think will help you make your decision with confidence. Getting the opinions of people that have purchased and used a particular air purifier will give you a lot of valuable information. People will tell you the good, bad and the ugly, listing all of the pros and cons for any unit, making it much easier for you to make your final decision.
