The short answer is Yes . An air purifier is one of the most important and in-demand products today. It is highly efficient in removing dust from air and eliminating odors. Hence, it ensures you breathe dust-free air and promote a safe and comfortable indoor environment.
But how does an air purifier do all this cool stuff of enhancing air quality? Let’s find out more below, shall we?
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What is Dust? Know Your Enemy
Okay, probably you already know what dust is. It’s that dirty, gray/black particulate solid matter that causes people to sneeze. But it’s more than that as well.
Dust particles are not always as big as the ones we can clearly see. The smallest dust size may range from 2.5 to 10 microns , smaller than the human hair!
Dusts contain a lot of elements which may come from the following:
- Dirt from outdoor air
- Soils
- Organic material
These dusts from organic materials can form from a number of sources such as:
- Construction debris
- Dust mite allergens
- dead skin cells
- Food crusts
- Pollen
- pet dander
- Hair fibers
- Molds
- Insects and animal skin shedding
- Plants
Since not all dust is readily visible and some are even microscopic, it can easily travel into our lungs. Dust particles can have an unfavorable effect on our body. They can make people sick, cause skin and respiratory allergies and cancer.
Since we already know its physical attributes, size and nature, let’s find out how air purifiers can remove them.
How Air Purifiers Remove Dust
The air purifier works by inhaling dirty air, volatile organic molecules, and particulates. As it does, the solids get entrapped in the filter fibers. The air that goes out is now filtered and clean.
A True HEPA filter can eliminate 99.97% of dust down to the size of 0.3 microns, which includes dust mites. Without an air cleaning system, these matters can gather on surfaces and cause asthma or other allergic reactions.
Is it Possible to Remove Dust from Air Without an Air Purifier?
There are other ways you can remove dust from air without using an air purifier. However, these other solutions MAY NOT BE AS EFFICIENT as True HEPA filters, which according to standards, should remove 99.97% of dust, pollens, bacteria and molds. These are:
- Vacuum cleaners
- Microfiber cloths
- Cleaning your air conditioner filter or replacing them
- Using an air cooler
Do I need an air purifier for removing dust?
Say you’re being thrifty and wouldn’t want to buy a $200-$1000+ worth of air purifier. You can simply develop the habit of constantly cleaning the dust from your furniture and carpet, right?
Not exactly, we cannot ignore the fact that there will always be dust floating with the air.
If you have a dust mite allergy or you constantly get asthmatic especially during the cold weather, then it might be time to get an air cleaning machine.
But this is not the only reason you can benefit from an air purifier investment right now. With the Covid-19 virus outbreak and continuous lockdowns, you need to make sure you and your family are breathing clean air.
Can air purifiers work for allergies?
Allergies caused by dust inhalation resulting in asthma affects over 20% of the population. According to the Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology , putting HEPA air purifiers in bedrooms can reduce allergic rhinitis illnesses, which are common for children due to their lack of strong immune system. The air filter simply reduces the amount of dust mites and dusts in the air.
Since dusts causing allergic reactions are usually down to the size of 0.3 microns, using a HEPA air cleaner can isolate these particles even before they can get into your lungs.
Plus, air purifiers may have great therapeutic effects for those who have allergic reactions from dust mites.
What’s the Best Air Purifier for Removing Dust?
There are a lot of air purifier brands to choose from depending on your budget and the features you want.
True HEPA Air Purifiers
The best way to remove dust from air is choosing True HEPA air purifiers or multi-stage filter air cleaning machines.
They can eradicate around 99.97% of dust matter as small as 0.3 microns, including dust mites.
The True HEPA filter eliminates about 99.97% of dust as small as 0.3 microns and it is composed of dense material where harmful contaminants are trapped. Source: US EPA
An air purifier featuring a mechanical filter or a HEPA filter only can be used to reduce dust, but they are not as efficient as True HEPA filters.
HEPA filters are not as effective as True HEPA, wherein the former can only trap 99% of dust up to the size of 2 microns. With larger holes, there is a greater chance that dust mites can be exhaled back in the air.
On the other hand, electrostatic filters and ionizers can release ozone, a substance which can cause lung irritation.
One of the best, high grade air purifiers are those equipped with True HEPA filters and UV light, which can both trap dust mites and bacteria and kill them. What’s more, these models do not emit harmful substances like ionizers do.
Optimized it for your Room Area
Aside from choosing a True HEPA air purifier, you must also consider the size of your room to make sure your machine isn’t too big or too small. Some air purifiers are suitable for small rooms, and some are for large rooms .
1. Room Square Footage
Measure the size of your room. To do that, simply multiply the length (L) and width (W) of your room floor to get the area footage.
2 Air Changes per Hour (ACH)
The ACH is the number of times the machine can purify the air from the room in 1 hour.
For those who have allergies from dust, you need to consider this rating. There are different ACH requirements set for different situations.
Choosing the Right Air Purifier for Reducing Dust
As mentioned above, you’d need two things to determine the right air purifier for your application: Room Size (Sq. ft) and suitable ACH (usually 2 to 5 ACH).
Based on the table above, you can choose an air purifier with a CADR of 40 CFM, in which the HisoAir HA 1223 Desktop Air Purifier is recommended.
Wrapping Up
Dusts are literally everywhere, and even though you can’t completely eliminate it, you can at least reduce it to a safe level. One of the most efficient ways to reduce dust is to use an air purifier.
In this post, we have how air purifiers can remove dust and compare it with other equipment for dust removal. We’ve also addressed the issue on how you can size and choose the right air purifier for dust removal, suitable for those with allergy problems .
