When it comes to staying safe at home, many people think about practical solutions like security systems and deadbolts on the doors. While these measures may keep you safe from intruders, there are hazards lurking inside your own home that bear considering.
Indoor air quality is not something most people spend a lot of time thinking about, but maybe you should. Allergens, toxins, and pollutants can accumulate in the air in your home, exacerbating allergies and respiratory issues and putting you at risk for getting sick. An air purifier isn’t a miracle solution, but it’s a great way to improve indoor air quality.
Today, we’ll be discussing the basics of air purifiers and talking about how many you need to keep the air in your home clean. We’ll also introduce you to one of our top picks.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
You may be wondering, “How does an air purifier work?” An air purifier looks similar to a portable air conditioner or dehumidifier. All of these devices pull air in through the use of a fan, treating the air in some way before releasing it back into the room. In the case of an air purifier, the air passes through a series of filters after it enters the unit so the air returning to the room has effectively been sanitized.
Air purifiers remove airborne particles like allergens, pollutants, and toxins. They can also remove pathogens like bacteria and viruses, depending on the type of filter. Different forms of purification technology yield different results.
The long and short of it is that air purifiers are effective. They won’t completely remove or neutralize all the airborne contaminants in your home, and they can’t help with particles that sit on soft surfaces, but they can make a difference.
Benefits of Using Air Purifiers
Now that you’re aware of how air purifiers operate, let’s delve into how they can be a positive investment for you and your family. By utilizing advanced HEPA technology, air purifiers can help remove 99.7 percent of harmful airborne particles that regularly circulate throughout your home such as:
Foul Odors
Unpleasant smells caused by volatile organic compounds found in paints, aerosol sprays, upholstered furniture or air fresheners that can cause nausea, shortness of breath, and even affect your cognitive functions. Also, at-home cooking odors from leftover smoke, cooking oil or spices that linger on for a bit too long.
Airborne Diseases
The common cold and the flu are spread through tiny pathogens that float in the air. That’s why when someone in your household gets sick, others within the same domicile usually become infected as well.
Household Pollutants
Pet dander, pollen, or dust mites can irritate your airways and cause breathing difficulty, especially for those who have asthma or other respiratory concerns. Vacuuming can eliminate some of these toxins, but some also remain suspended in the air.
Harmful Chemicals
External pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide are commonly detected in many homes. Being exposed to these chemicals in small amounts may be harmless, but routine exposure can possibly lead to serious health issues like cardiovascular or neurological disorders.
Asbestos and Radon
Both of these agents are very harmful to your lungs and can end up seriously destroying your body. Worst of all, they’re odorless and colorless, so detecting their presence is very tough.
In addition to eradicating the list above, air purifiers can also help you get better sleep by neutralizing bacteria and allergens that can lead to sneezing, coughing, and congestion. Cleaner, purified air allows for much easier breathing and a disruption-free rest.
How Many Air Purifiers Do You Really Need?
If you spend most of your time in one room of your home, you might be perfectly fine with a single air purifier kept in that room. But what if you have a very large home? Or you want to make sure everyone in the family enjoys the benefits of the purifier?
In these cases, you might want to think about adding a second air purifier.
In order to determine how many air purifiers you need, you’ll have to think about the square footage of your home in comparison to the capacity of the air purifier. The square footage of your home determines the volume of the air that needs to be cleaned while the unit’s capacity for cleaning will help you decide which unit is the right size.
If your home is under 500 square feet, a single air purifier might be perfectly adequate. You can even find air purifiers rated for larger spaces, though they’re going to be more expensive.
Think about the design of your home as well. An air purifier might work perfectly well for a large, open concept space that includes a dining and kitchen area but it might not be as effective for the closed bedroom at the far end of the space.
You really have two options. First, you can simply purchase an air purifier for each room in your house (or just the rooms you use most often). Or you can buy a handful of large-capacity air purifiers and use them in the most open spaces in your home to mimic the effect of a whole-home purification system.
To give you an idea which option is best, here’s a handy chart:
| Room | Total Volume (cubic feet) | How Many Purifiers |
| Open concept (living, dining, kitchen, foyer) | 4,200 | 2 or more, focus on activated carbon filter for odors |
| Master bedroom | 1,600 | 1, focus on low noise |
| Nursery | 800 | 1, low noise, true HEPA |
| Basement | 2,000 | 1, should also have a dehumidifier |
It’s really your decision how many air purifiers to use in your home, but it’s worth considering which combination of units will deliver the optimal results.
There’s no harm in having more air purifiers than you need, though they can be expensive. Do a few rough measurements in your home and compare them to the capacity of popular air purifiers to determine which combination might best fit your needs.
Our Pick: VEVA 9000
Whether you’re looking for a powerful air purifier for a single room or trying to get away without having to buy additional purifiers, the VEVA 8000 is one to consider.
This model is equipped with a 3-stage fan so you can choose from three speed settings. The compact filtration system includes a HEPA filter and an activated carbon pre-filter which helps tackle odor as well as airborne impurities. This model doesn’t produce any ozone, so it is completely safe for use around children and pets. It is also ETL Certified and has an automatic shut-off safety feature that turns the unit off when the front panel is removed.
Unlike some air purifiers that only remove large particles, the VEVA 8000’s HEPA filter is effective in removing particles as small as 0.3 microns. Combined with the activated carbon pre-filter, this model removes everything from pet hair and dust to mold, bacteria and viruses.
The VEVA 8000 is economically priced but what really makes it a great buy is the fact that it comes with three replacement carbon pre-filters. This unit comes with everything you need to get up to a full year of performance before you need to buy replacement filters.
View the VEVA 8000 on AmazonBottom Line
If you suffer from allergies or other respiratory issues, indoor air quality could be a significant concern. Even if you typically breathe just fine, however, an air purifier is a worthwhile investment to remove toxins, pathogens, and other airborne contaminants from the air.
In many homes, a single air purifier might be perfectly sufficient. If you have a very large home, however, or limited airflow between rooms, you might think about buying an additional air purifier. Use what you’ve learned here to determine your needs and, if you’re in the market for an additional air purifier, consider the VEVA 9000.
Additional writing by Michael Catalano.