Air purifiers are extremely useful home appliances that can significantly improve your respiratory health. They are, however, not commonly used in Singaporean households. Here’s why air purifiers are important, as well as how to buy one.
Why are Air Purifiers Important?
Getting the right air purifier can help you to refresh the air in your home and remove up to 99.7% of airborne particulate matter to improve air quality. Good air quality can help you sleep better. It reduces your chances of developing health problems caused by pollutants, which can cause respiratory infections, aggravate asthma symptoms, and, in severe cases, cause neurological and cardiovascular problems.
Some new technologies can even effectively eliminate 99% of COVID-19 virus particles to keep your home safe.
So, how do you choose an air purifier?
- CADR Rating
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) developed a metric known as the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). It is labelled on many air purification devices to inform consumers about the effectiveness of the device in filtering particles in a given room size. In general, the higher the number, the better the air purifier’s ability to remove particles and clean larger rooms.There are various types of air purifiers on the market; some have a single CADR while others have multiple CADR for different particles such as pollen, smoke, and dust. These numbers can be found in their technical specifications. If an air purifier has a CADR of 200 for pollen, it means that it can reduce pollen concentration at the rate of adding 200 cubic feet of fresh air per minute.
- Type of Filter
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends using air purifiers fitted with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. These filters trap 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger in size.Some devices have “HEPA-type” filters, but they are not rated to meet HEPA filtration standards. It is much safer to use air purifiers labelled with HEPA filters or “true” HEPA filters.
If you have pets or live with a smoker, getting air purifiers with additional filters on top of HEPA filters may be a good idea. However, they are only designed to absorb a limited number of specific compounds and must be changed regularly to remain effective.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), odours, and other gaseous pollutants in the air, such as formaldehyde, can be filtered out by air purifiers containing activated carbon filters. The filters remove pollutants through a process known as adsorption, where pollutants stick to the carbon when air is filtered through.
There are also air purifiers that use ionisers or ultraviolet (UV) light to clean the air.
Ionisers electrically charge positively charged particles in the room by emitting negative ions into the air. The particles then fall to the ground, where they are swept up.UV air purifiers work by exposing inactive airborne particles and microorganisms like mould to short-wave UV light. Air is forced through the device containing UV lamps, which disinfects the air via germicidal irradiation.
- Sound Level
Air purification devices make use of internal fans to draw air through a series of filters.
Air purifiers are an easy way to reduce the number of air pollutants in your home. Even if you get one of the most cost-effective options, it is a worthwhile investment. Whatever features you’re looking for in an air purifier, Harvey Norman Singapore carries a variety of them that will fit your budget.
