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Are you thinking about buying an air purifier but not sure if it’s worth the investment?

We understand.

Manufacturers claim that air purifiers can do some amazing things but are air purifiers effective?

Or is it all just hype?

In this post, we’ll answer that exact question.

You’ll come away knowing if they’re actually good for you or not and if it’s necessary to have one in your home.

Are Air Purifiers Effective?

Air purifiers are effective at cleaning the air from particles dust, dander, pollen, mold, bacteria, and other common allergens. The more time an air purifier can filter the air, the cleaner it becomes. This makes air purifiers effective for better indoor air quality.

An air purifier’s job is to attack, trap, and collect any airborne contaminants that may be floating around your home.

They do this in one of two ways:

  • By cycling air through an internal filtration system
  • or sending out charged particles into the air that latch onto (or kill) the pollutants

For example, air purifiers with a HEPA filter can remove and trap particles as small as 0.3 microns. This includes bacteria, mold spores, pet dander, dust, and more.

An air purifier with a HEPA filtration system is very useful because it filters out up to 99.97% of harmful airborne particles. (For further reading, visit our page on what is a HEPA filter here.)

With that said, you may now be wondering, “Are air purifiers useful for helping with common health problems?”

The answer is a resounding yes.

The process of air filtration makes the air indoors more healthy to breathe.

Considering that over 24 million people in the United States alone have asthma or issues with allergies, this is a great reason for buying an air purifier.

Air purifiers are known for quickly and effectively reducing asthma and allergy triggers.

It’s also one of the most cost-efficient options to help manage the triggers inside your home without having to rely solely on medication.

One thing to keep in mind; however, is the air cleaner must be properly sized for the room you’re going to use it in. If the unit is too small, then it won’t work very well. We have a complete guide on how to choose the right size for an air purifier here, if you want to learn more about this.

You can also find our reviews of the best air purifier for allergies and the best air purifier for asthma control for the most common rooms sizes.

See all of Amazon's Best Selling Air Purifiers

Are Air Purifiers Good?

Air purifiers are good for you. An air purifier works to remove particles from the air such as allergens, bacteria, mold, viruses, pet dander, dust, smoke, and chemical gases. By removing these elements, air purifiers make the air good to breathe and can improve your health.

Obviously, if you have a respiratory condition like asthma or COPD, you’ll notice the benefits of running an air purifier faster.

The air will be cleaner and healthier which can drastically reduce your respiratory issues.

Keep in mind though that air purifiers are good for everyone to use in the home.

Not just people who have medical conditions.

Just because you don’t notice an instant feeling of relief like an asthmatic does, the long-term effects of breathing fresh air will become evident the longer you run the machine.

Also, if you use an air cleaner in your bedroom, you should notice a deeper, more restful sleep since you’re not inhaling particles that could be causing you to wake up during the night.

The fact is that a good air purifier is a long-term solution for creating an overall healthier environment inside your home.

Air purifiers trap, lock, and remove any airborne contaminants floating around.

No other device on the market can do this for you.

What are Air Purifiers Good for?

Air purifiers are good for cleaning the air of harmful pollutants. This includes particles like allergens, bacteria, mold, bacteria, VOCs, and other toxins. An air purifier is the exact opposite of essential oil diffusers and humidifiers, which add particles to indoor air.

A complete list of particles that an air purifier is good for include:

  • allergens
  • bacteria
  • mold spores
  • odors
  • pet dander
  • smoke
  • viruses

Are Air Purifiers Necessary?

While air purifiers are not 100% necessary for everyone to have in the home, the truth is that more people benefit from them than not.

Studies have shown that indoor air quality can be up to 5 times worse than the air outside.

This is because there are many things inside the home that produce invisible airborne pollutants such as cleaning supplies, building materials, paints, bacteria, cooking particles, pets, smoke, dust mites, etc.

And because our homes are so tightly sealed, this polluted air has no place to go and continues to circulate around your house.

Contaminated air can lead to all sorts of respiratory problems as well as headaches, fatigue, and worse, depending on the source of the pollutants.

If you have an air purifier in your home, the sheer number of toxins you breathe on a daily basis will rapidly start to decrease. 

Additionally, these particles will remain at lower levels as long as you have the air purifier running and keep the filters clean.

It’s those reasons why an air purifier is such a great investment.

How to Find a Highly Effective Air Purifier?

Air purifiers come in all shapes, sizes, and brands. Some are very good at purifying the air while others are not.

If you’re interested in getting a highly effective air purifier for your home, you can take a look at our list of the best air purifier reviews.

You’ll find the top 10 products as well as everything you need to make a wise decision on that page.

It’s a great resource to use because we’ve already done all of the research for you, so you don’t have to.

Summary

We’ve gone over quite a bit of information in this post. Here’s a recap of what you learned:

  • Air purifiers with a HEPA filter are effective at remove 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns. This is what makes a HEPA filter the best air filter for mold, bacteria, pet dander, dust, and more.
  • Air purifiers are good for all people regardless if they have a respiratory condition or not. Everyone can benefit from breathing cleaner, fresher air.
  • Air purifiers are not 1necessary but studies show that many homes contain highly polluted air. Most air pollution is invisible and an air purifier can eliminate these particles so they don’t end up inside your lungs.
  • An air purifier is a great long-term solution for controlling and improving your indoor contaminant levels.

Now you know the answer to the question, “Are air purifiers effective?”

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About David Morrison

David is an Air Quality & Comfort Technician. He has expert knowledge on the technology and design of air purification, air conditioning, and heating systems. His main role is to write content that helps people get the most value out of their air purifiers, air conditioners, and heating units. (See Full Bio)