If you suffer from a lot of allergy symptoms then you might be looking for an air purifier recommended by allergists. Having allergic rhinitis or hay fever can be one of the most inconvenient instances in one’s life because it can disrupt their daily activities, such as work, school, playtime with the kids, and the like.
An air purifier is considered one of the methods of controlling air pollution. Frankly speaking, air purifiers can clean the air and purify it (hence the name) from various pollutants that could not only trigger allergies but could also do your respiratory system harm.
Therefore, having an air purifier at home can benefit even those who don’t have allergies at the moment. Life can get easier if you have clean air, after all.
Do air purifiers really work for allergies?
Yes, they definitely do! Allergies are usually caused by pollen and various dust and particles from the air, in which the air purifier can clean using their HEPA filter. If you want to know which is the best air purifier for allergy sufferers, here are some examples that are recommended by allergists:
- Germ Guardian True HEPA 3-in-1 AC4825 – ideal for home and office use, this air purifier has the following features:
- 3-stage filtration system – allows you to thoroughly clean your indoor air.
- Energy Star certified – to save energy consumption in the long run.
- Up to 167 square feet – best for small to medium-sized rooms.
- 3 speeds to choose from – you can choose depending on the severity of the air quality.
- Quiet operation – can allow you to sleep peacefully in the middle of the night.
- Whirlpool Whispure WPT80B – we chose this one for homes with mold problems that might also cause allergies. It has the following:
- True HEPA filter – cleans up to 99.97% of particles and pollutants from the air.
- Anti-bacteria filter – can get rid of bacteria that can cause sickness to humans and pets.
- Activated carbon filter – it can help clean mold smells as well as other VOCs and odors.
- 3 speeds – you can use it for lowering the speed during nighttime.
- 5-year limited warranty – to give you peace of mind.
- Honeywell HPA104 True HEPA Allergen Remover – yet another well-recommended air purifier, this one may be ideal for medium-sized rooms. Check out the following features:
- Auto-off timer – you can use this while sleeping or when out of the house.
- True HEPA filter – can help clean up particles as small as 0.3 microns.
- It can also neutralize odors – it uses an activated carbon filter to fulfill this.
- Filter change indicator light – no need to look inside the unit to check on the filter’s condition.
- Up to 155 square feet – best for small or medium-sized bedrooms and the like.
- RENPHO Air Purifier for Allergies RP-AP001 – for homes with pets (that often shed and spread dander in the air), we’d like to recommend this one. It has the following:
- 5-stage filtration system – can thoroughly clean the air from particles and bad odor.
- Activated charcoal filter – can filter out bad smells, mold odors, VOCs, smoke, and the like
- As low as 35 dB – not as noisy as other air purifiers on its lowest setting.
- Child lock mode – can get curious little hands off the air purifier.
- No ozone – the unit is environment-friendly and human-friendly.
How long does it take an air purifier to clean a room?
An air purifier can clean up a room in an average span of 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the size of the room, the power or speed of the air purifier, and the severity of the air quality in your room or area.
For best results, we’d recommend you to leave your air purifier on all day and all night – just use a timer to automatically turn it off or turn it to low power to avoid too much energy consumption and motor wear.
Here’s a helpful table on the CFM (cubic feet of air cleaned per minute) of air purifiers and which room they are best for:
|
CFM |
Small households |
Larger households |
Heavily polluted areas, hospitals
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Air volume in cubic feet |
||
|
100 to 300 |
1,500 to 4,500 | 750 to 2,300 | 250 to 750 |
| 400 to 600 | 6,000 to 9,000 | 3,000 to 4,500 | 900 to 1,400 |
| 700 and above | 10,500 and above | 5,250 or more | 1,680 or more |
Note: the reason why the air volume gets smaller for the hospitals is that they need a faster air change as compared to smaller households, so their air circulation for air purifiers should be quicker.
How often should I run my HEPA air purifier?
Ideally, you’d want to run your air purifier at least all day. This is because your air can change very quickly and it can get contaminated again and again, especially for places that get a lot of pollution. Air purifiers also need to work 24/7 in delicate areas and situations such as in hospitals and clinics to avoid the exchange of airborne viruses.
This is why air purifiers have a timer option or an automatic shutoff, as well as an air sensor. The timer allows the unit to rest at a certain period of time (let’s say 8 hours), so you can save up on energy consumption and you won’t wear the motor down. The sensor, on the other hand, detects the air quality in the vicinity so your air purifier automatically adjusts the speed depending on that level.
Conclusion
To conclude, allergists definitely recommend air purifiers, along with A/C units, and a well-balanced diet (e.g. vitamin C) to fight allergies. They can be helpful so that your allergies don’t get in the way of your normal life and productivity.
Sometimes, we have to clean up our surroundings first so that we can breathe properly and keep away the allergy symptoms, and one sure-fire way to do that is to invest in an air purifier that’s allergist-tested and recommended.
