How do you know if you need an air purifier in your home?
When do you need an air purifier?
Let's talk about when you do need an air purifier. The first is the air quality index. Now, the air quality index, as the name suggests, determines the quality of air in your area. It's typically measured on a scale of 0–500. 0–50 is an acceptable number. 50–100 is moderately acceptable. Anything beyond 100 is not acceptable.
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Now, on the above photo, as you can see in different parts of the country, the air quality level is very, very different. In some major cities in northern India, the air quality is fairly low. To get an accurate air quality index in your house and in your area, you might need to get an air quality index meter. I've linked to a few in the below. And if you do purchase an air purifier, most air purifiers come with an air quality index. So, based on what you saw on the screen, which areas have a high air quality index, if you do decide that you do need an air purifier, then you don't need a specific metre because the air purifier comes with the metre anyway.
The next reason you do need an air purifier is if you stay close to an area that has high-density traffic. Now, you might be staying in a city where the air quality index is not so bad. But in that city, you might be staying in an area where the traffic density is really high. Because of this high density of traffic, nitrogen and carbon monoxide can stay for long periods of time in an enclosed space. An air purifier is useful to purify the air.
The third reason you might need an air purifier is if you have smog in your area. People in the Delhi NCR region are probably familiar with this. Yes, soot and smoke that are present in smog can be captured by an air purifier. But there are also certain particles in smog that are really small and cannot be captured by the HEPA filter in an air purifier. So, although you use an air purifier, you'll get some relief from the smoke and the smog. but not completely, because some particles are not captured. I just want you to keep this in mind when you do make a purchase based on whether you have smog in your area or not.
The next reason you might want to purchase an air purifier is if somebody in your family has asthma or allergies. Depending on where you live, pollen and dust might be floating around in your air. This pollen and dust typically cause allergens in people who have asthma and are susceptible to allergies. Dust mites are also fairly common within the indoor spaces of a house. You might have noticed in your house in certain areas where your broom or your vacuum or your robot vacuum does not go. You might have seen cotton-like dust in those areas or on the fans. And those are also allergens that can affect people with asthma or different types of allergies. And yes, the air purifier is able to clean out the dust mites that are floating in the air. But you might need to vacuum the areas where the dust mites have settled on surfaces or on the floor.
The next reason you might need an air purifier is if you have a member of the household who frequently gets colds and flu. Colds and flu are generally irborne; they spread because of pathogens in the air. And that is why when one person in the family gets a cold or the flu, the rest of the family also generally catches it. So, an air purifier, in this case, is useful to clean out the air. and hence, reduces the bacteria and viruses that are spreading the cold and flu. And the last reason is if you have pets at home. So, similar to humans, pets also shed skin and hair. So, this can cause runny noses, sneezing, and other types of allergies in some people. If that is the case, you might need an air purifier in that scenario.
In what conditions does the air purifier not work?
It is important to know that air purifiers cannot get rid of all impurities or all pollutants in the air. Yes, it does reduce the amount of pollution in an enclosed space. Whether an air purifier works or not in your house depends on the size of the particles in it. So, most air purifiers use something called a HEPA filter, which actually reduces particles only up to 0.1 microns. What this means is that it can get rid of dust, smoke, pollen, mold, and soot.
It cannot, however, remove odours such as pet or smoke odors. And it cannot get rid of volatile organic compounds like paint, odours, and so on. Like I mentioned, for odors, you need to purchase an air purifier that has an activated carbon filter as well. The fourth thing is that it does not prevent coronavirus. There have been some news articles and some marketing that have been saying that it does prevent coronavirus. But it does not. It is primarily because coronavirus is less than 0.1 micron, which is the limit for the HEPA filter.
Air purifiers primarily work in enclosed spaces. So, if you keep your doors and windows open all the time, even at night, an air purifier will not work for you or its efficiency will be significantly reduced. Air purifiers actually started in western countries, where people use a lot of air conditioning and heating and predominantly stay in enclosed spaces. So it kind of became a mandatory requirement. Along with ACs, the ducts also have an air-purifying duct. But in India, in your homes, if you're used to keeping your doors and windows open, unless you actually create an enclosed space, the efficiency of an air purifier will be really low, or almost negligible.
And the last point is that, while it can help with asthma and allergies, it does not help with sinus problems. I'm aware of some cases where people with sinus problems were advised to use air purifiers. But I've been told that it does not work in those conditions.
Best Air Quality Index Meters
Best practises to minimise dust
While in some of these cases, you definitely do need an air purifier, there are some basic practises you might want to follow to make sure that the amount of dust in the air within your house is minimized.
1. The first is that you should almost always try to choose vacuuming over dusting or brooming. Primarily because when you dust and broom, the dust just resettles from one surface to another, and it gets spread in the air. Hence, it's preferable to do vacuuming over dusting and grooming.
2. You should plan to vacuum your upholstered surfaces, like your mattresses, your sofas, and other upholstered surfaces, on a frequent basis, at least once every two weeks. This helps to minimise the amount of dust in your house.
3. Lack of ventilation has increased the demand for air purifiers. So, keeping your area well ventilated with cross ventilation helps in making sure that the air quality within your house is good. Of course, don't keep your windows open if the air quality outside is bad.
4. Next is to make sure that you use an exhaust in your kitchen and your bathrooms every time you use them to make sure that the pollutants don't stay within the house but are sent outside the house.
5. Minimize smoking within the house or use of candles within the house because it does add to the pollutants in the air. And when you are using dias and incense sticks in your house, make sure that you keep that space well ventilated.
6. The last item is to wash your linens often; your pillow covers, your bedsheets, your bedspreads. And also make sure you have a bedspread over your bedsheet where you're sleeping so that the dust on the bedsheet is minimized.
So, tell me. Did this convince you to buy an air purifier? Then check the Best AIR PURIFIERS in India under ₹25,000
In that article, I covered the BEST Air Purifier in India for small, medium, and large-sized rooms. The air purifier's filtration system—which includes the HEPA filter, activated carbon filter, and pre-filter—is the most important aspect of the air purifier. You need to change your air purifier filters every 6 months to 3 years. Which air purifier gives the best filtration and value for money?