Plants remove pollutants from Air by trapping them in their leaves. But also in the Soil and roots.
The Study also tells us which Houseplants are the best Air Cleaners.
However,
It was designed to test air purification for the space station.
Check out this short explainer video made by Quartz.
Plants Also Produce Oxygen. Which means if you live in a very polluted city, and can’t open a window often to get some fresh air. Plants should be your choice.
Unfortunately
You gonna need plenty of Plants to make a big impact.
Bottom Line:
Any amount of Oxygen, Humidity and other Benefits from plants(increased productivity) are welcomed.
Air Purifier
The Air Cleaner can purify the Air faster,
It can be more effective for some unwanted contaminants.
but
They require electricity and can be expensive.
Keep in mind that you need to change their filters 1-2 times a year. Which add to the cost. However, they can help you faster if you have allergies.
How do Air Purifiers Clean the Air?
It all leads down to three steps:
Step One: The Polluted Air goes in the Air Purifier by using some kind of ventilation system.
Step Two: The Air Purifier Cleans the Air Through filters like HEPA, or other types of filters
Step Three: Filtered Air goes back to the Room.
Have a Look at the Purifying Process and effectiveness of an Air purifier.
As you can see in the video the Air Purifier cleans the Polluted Air at a very fast rate.
However
It all depends on the Air Purifier that you have, and its Clean Air Delivery Rating.
Plants and Air Purifier.
The Air Purifier Vs Plants Alternative.
This may be the smartest choice for improving indoor air quality.
I cannot stress enough how much better is this combination for a person like me with allergies.
Yup, the Air purifier alone helps with symptoms relief.
but,
The plants weren’t so much effective at cleaning the air. But they humidify it and produce oxygen.
Bottom line:
If you live in a polluted city, use Plants and Air purifier in combination.
Because they supplement each other.
Conclusion:
You may have your own reasons for choosing either an Air Purifier or plants for your home or office.
The Air Purifier needs less care, filters the air faster, but its more expensive
The Plants Produce Oxygen, they are cheaper, but they purify the air slower and require more care.
Just keep in mind that Air Purifier vs Plantsalternative.
What Types of Air Purifiers and Filters there are?
There isn’t proper information about types of Air Purifiers and Filters. It is vital to know and understand this before purchasing an Air Purifier or a device that is using this set of filters.
Many of the manufacturers don’t even provide proper and explainable technical specifications and guides.
→In order to sell more products the need to know information is even removed out of the box by some marketers. It is ridiculous. We are talking about people’s wellbeing here.
For starters,
I did research and i sum it up all in one infographic.
The information in this infographics contains different types of filters and air purifiers. And it is mostly known. But we also added their Pros and Cons. We also did thorough research and added information that they don’t want you to know.
Even though the HEPA filter helps with the dust mites, the first model of the *censored* Air Purifiers I have purchased didn’t have the UV feature. It would have helped a lot if I knew this sooner. -John
HEPA Filtration
HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air. It is one of the most common and effective filters for contaminants.
How does HEPA types of Air purifies and Filters work?
It all leads down to three steps:
An Air purifier in a way vakuums the dirty Air from its environment
That polluted air Passes through a HEPA filter, which filters the air from airborne pollutants
The Clean air is exhaled back into the room
Is this HEPA Air purifier safe?
Yes. HEPA filter types of Air Purifiers and filters are the safest you can get. And this is what you should aim for. Just make sure it is a High-Quality True-HEPA filter.
Note: Even though the True-HEPA filter it might be a marketing term, there is still a difference between quality of the HEPA Filters.
Can you wash a HEPA filter?
Always check your product if a HEPA filter is washable. Even though this saves you money, I strongly advise against it. There are trapped contaminants that can make the air quality even worse, or reduce the effectiveness of the air purifier. The trapped contaminants can’t survive if that environment is dry.
However if the air entering the filter has moist, or the filter isn’t dry enough then they can breed.
Additional Advice:
Always purchase air purifier with High-Quality True-HEPA filter.
Some HEPA filters are quite expensive. This is very smart marketing move by the manufacturer. They actually make the Air Purifier very affordable(let’s say $200), but they charge you half the price for the Filters($100). Always keep this in mind when purchasing an air purifier.
Vacuum frequently.
A combination with additional filtering like UV, Carbon offers one of the best air filtrations.
HEPA types of Air Purifiers and Filters are the safest for you and your family. Research every additional type of filter with care.
Activated Carbon Filters
What you need to know:
Source: Wikipedia
Is Air Purifier with Activated Carbon Filter Safe to use?
Before I purchased my air purifier I did thorough research on air purifiers with carbon. Since I have allergies, I was researching forums, talking to people that have similar conditions like mine. In between my research, I find out that some users reported eye itching, red eyes when they used this kind of purifiers.
Also, others noticed a weird smell.
This means the quality of the carbon itself or how it is made: matters. The model and the company that has made it matters too. Read reviews carefully. Especially those with 2-3 stars. They offer the most valuable information.
Even though the cases of this happening are very rare, later I found out that it happens to people that are allergic to several environmental factors.
Keep in mind: I haven’t found exact evidence that provse this. All of the information is gathered from several sources and it is from first-hand users.
Additional Advice:
Try it out. See if it gonna work for you. The effectiveness of this type of filter is worth the try. Some Air Purifiers doesn’t even have these kinds of negative reviews.
Ionic Filter, Air Ionizer
The types of Air Purifiers that uses Ionic Filters, or Air Ionizer’s works like this:
Steam of Negative Ion is released into the Air
Airborne Particles attach to these Negative Ions, making them Negatively Charged
Negatively Charged Particles are attracted to Positive Charged Particles.
As the attraction process occurs, contaminants and pollutants are collected from the air.
This results in the Charged particles to becomeheavy and fall on the ground or to some nearby surface.
It is highly recommended to vacuum often if you are using this kind of Air Purifier or Air Ionizer.
Note: Ozone is produced as an undesirable byproduct of these Air Cleaners. There have been a number of ozone studies that have shown that ozone is very bad to human health.
Also for additional information check this article on Air Ioniser (Note: On Wikipedia it says: Ioniser, Auto-corrects this to: Ionizer)
Conclusion:
We personally avoid these. There are better and safer options to be chosen for purifying your air.
(UVGI) UV Light Purifying Technique
UVGI Technique works great combined with HEPA filter. The UV Lamp alone as the ability to destroy micro-organisms (germs, bacteria, mold).
The process of HEPA and UV filtering in an Air Purifier results on two simple steps:
The HEPA filter captures most contaminants.
This allows the UV Lamp to be more efficient on remaining viruses and bacteria.
This helps in preventing illness and disease.
Note: The downside of this is that the bulb itself is less effective over time. However, a smart integration and usage within the air purifier itself, increase the lifespan of the UV Lamp on some air purifiers.
Categories of Air Purifiers and Cleaners
Below there are two different, yet more general types of home and office Air Purifiers. It is important to know the difference before you decide to purchase one that suits your environment.
Portable Air Purifiers
This most general type of Air Purifiers that is used more and more lately. Also because several of filtering techniques can be implemented in order to be very effective. They can come with various advantages, and disadvantages.
Here is what you need to know:
Usability:
They can come in various sizes. Good to fit even in a bag.
You can move them from one area to another. To the place where you spent your time.
There are smaller that can be used while traveling, to filter the air in your car
You can use them on your vacation, destinations, hotels to filter the air
They can come with different set of filters. This depends on the model and the manufacturer.
Pros:
They can be very effective at cleaning the air you breathe.
Now it is very practical indeed, but its expensive to set up, and you need a technician to do it. Also, it adds up to the monthly electricity bill
It is great for general use.
Because of the low Air Exchange rate per hour, it might not help much with the allergies. However, if you dust free your house, clean occasionally, and have less furniture it might be a great deal for you.
The only downside is that most of these Whole House Air Purifiers produce ozone as a by-product. And we learned so far that ozone can be dangerous for your lungs.
Conclusion:
Always do thorough research about what types of air purifiers and filters suit your environment.
Usually, HEPA purifiers work the best for all situations. But make sure it is a True Hepa Filter.
Keep in mind that purchasing an Air purifier with additional filters can be both good and bad for you. The Types of Air Purifiers And Filters in this article are most commonly used in households and offices.
Finding the optimal Air Purifier location is important as choosing one for your home. Put it in the wrong place and you won’t even notice the big difference.
Short Answer:The Best Air Purifier Location is close to a source of contamination, if there is one. For better effectiveness, do not place it somewhere high or in the corner. Too close to objects it might block its proper air filtration. Do not place your Air Purifier behind Electronics.
Let’s look at it in details:
As you can see in the scheme above: Anywhere within the green area is good place for your Air Purifier, however it might be relevant at this point, because we have the following unknowns:
type of air purifier,
your environment,
surroundings
Consider this before finding the ideal air purifier location.
If you are like most of the people, you get bothered by things that seem out of place. And in this case, you are probably wondering where is the best Air Purifier location and not get upset by it.
I’ve been there
Finding the most functional space for your air purifier can be exhausting. Since we all want usability, but we also want to get the best out of aesthetics.
So if you are having a trouble of figuring out an ideal location to put your Air Cleaner – don’t worry
You’re in the right place.
What i am gonna show you is how to find a balance between usability and aesthetics, in order to improve the air you breathe.
However,
Before we start, It is also very important to consider…
#1 What Type of Air Purifier are you using? Is it Fanless? Portable? Hepa Filter? Carbon Filtered? Whole-House Portable System?
#2 How does it really work?
#3 What’s its effective CADR rating for that particular room.
#4 Is there a heavy pollutant in the house. Smoke, Mold, Dust Mites, Pet Hair?
#5 What Air Purifier Location is the vendor preferring? Or Not.
#6 How many Air Changes per Hour (ACH) are possible.
“Clean Air Delivery Rate ( CADR ) is the amount of filtered air volume returned to the air after being filtered by the air purifier.
Example: If the room has more furniture, objects, than the CADR rating goes down.
Which room is preferred for my Air Cleaner?
A general rule is placing the Air Purifier in the room where you spend most of your time. However, if you have small or portable purifier you can change it between rooms. Daily in the living-room or in the kitchen, at night at the bedroom.
It all depends on the situation
If you have open floor plan it should be placed between the kitchen and the living room area for maximum effectiveness. But if the air pollutant is dust mites, pet hair this time, should be placed in the living room.
If you hate kitchen odor, place it there.
If you have a baby, it is a good idea to have a high-quality air purifier in the baby room.
Did you know? According to WECF there was an Indoor Air Quality study wherein 40% of the baby and children rooms were found pollutants (formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds) that are above-accepted levels, that are bad for their physical and mental health. So invest in your children’s room too!
Is my Air Purifier effective for this area?
Let’s take an average 1500 sq ft home as an example.
On the specifications of your Air Cleaner, it says it filters the air in a 360 sq ft room. That’s great. So you place it in your 340 sq ft living room. In the nearby corner where there is a power outlet and it doesn’t intrude the interior of the room.
First of all
Those specifications most of the time are made for the optimal environment.
This means you might not get the full benefits of the purifier. Unless you place an air purifier that covers 360 sq ft, in a room that’s half of that size, that might actually work.
Bear with me, because I am going to show you how to get the maximum of your air purifier and help you find where is the best Air Purifier Location for your home.
Air Purifier Placement
Before you continue further, watch this 30 seconds video made by Dyson air Purifiers.
You will notice that on the 11th second he says it can be placed anywhere.
But right after that says you can use the oscillation function for better room coverage.
So yes, location matters. Have you noticed how all of the air purifier commercials put the purifier almost in the middle of the room?
Now not all of the purifiers have Fans, and only a few have a similar function like Dyson’s oscillation function in order to be more effective.
Most importantly
The tests they are doing to advertise the square footage, are in an environment that is not like yours, and even more importantly they don’t have your furniture in them. This must be taken into consideration.
This again means that the location of your air purifier do matters!
Have you considered asking yourself these questions?
Does the room have or lack air circulation?
What about a nearby window that doesn’t close?
Is the place of contamination near?
Where is the best place to put an air purifier for mold?
Air Pollutant Location? What u need to know at this point.
Either its dog hair, mold or dust mites you should really look into this.
Here are some examples of where you can find an Air Pollutant that causes your home to smell bad or it can cause you allergies.
It can be smoke in the living room from cigarettes. This can get into furniture and give the room funky smell. Keep in mind that no air purifier can remove the residue of cigarette smoke from a house that has been smoked in months or even years. TheSmall percentage of air purifiers remove the Visible Smoke, and slightly reduce the smell. However, the dangerous particles are still in the air. Before you choose an air purifier for this purpose do a thorough research. Air Purifiers from IQAir, Molekule or RabbitAir are worth to check.
From an open window, or a door you can get pm 2.5 particles caused by outside air pollution into your room, also pollen.
Pet hair on the carpet, furniture, under the furniture, in corners from the air filtration, behind grounded electronics.
Dust mites in the carpet, furniture, closet, clothes.
Mold can happen if the wall, object or furniture is wet most of the time.
Now I must add that these air pollutants can stick together. A small breeze or some kind of movement in the air can mix very small pet hair with the dust mites, which can be very bad for everyone. So if you haven’t thoroughly cleaned your carpet for very long time and you have pets it might be time to do something about it. Or you are increasing chances to get allergic to these pollutants.
Can I place it near a window?
Some air purifier actually works great if you place it 1 meter near a small open window. This way you get fresh filtered air in the room. But don’t do this all the time. Because the most preferred working conditions for an air purifier is if everything is closed shut.
Can I place it near an air conditioner?
This actually can be a good idea, since it uses the airflow of your air conditioner, which can help the filtering process faster.
Where to position?
Unless your air purifier can receive air from all the sides. Its the best to point your air purifier toward the center of the room.
What is the ideal spot for air purifier if you have allergies?
The ideal spot is near the Air pollutant! This is because it traps the bad particles faster. Speeding the filtering process. Unless you have Air Purifier that doubles the air coverage of that room it should be placed near the Air Pollutant. This is the best air cleaner location for allergies!
Where not to place your air purifier!
Don’t place it near Electronics! This means stay away from the TV, Stereo Equipment, Microwaves because it can cause interference with them.
Don’t place it too close to a wall, or under shelves, since it needs space to breathe.
Don’t place it in spaces where it has limited air flow. Example corner trapped from all sides by furniture or other objects.
Conclusion:
As you can see it all depends on the situation you are in. The Type of the Air Purifier you are using, and the Environment. However before finding the most ideal Air Purifier Location check that short summary below.
To sum up:
Place it in the room you spend most of your time.
Move it to your bedroom at night
Make sure the air purifier can breathe, this means at least 30cm distance from objects, walls.
If there is Pollutant in the house, place it near so it would trap the bad particles faster.
If it is for general use, place it somewhere more in the middle of the room.
Near walls is fine just don’t stick it next to them(Depends on the CADR rating on your air purifier).
Don’t place it in corners, under shelves, or behind furniture.
With this guide go investigate and find out what works the best for you.
Always buy an air purifier that has higher area of coverage than the area you are planning to use.
If you have any questions, thoughts please share with us. Write in the comments below. I would be more than happy to answer.
Let us know what worked for you
I hope this post cleared some thoughts for you on where you can find the best Air Purifier Location.
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