Air Purifiers: Benefits for Cleaner Indoor Air

Air purifiers are devices that help remove contaminants such as dust, pollen, pet dander, and pollutants from indoor air. They work by filtering the air and capturing particles to improve air quality.

air purifiers FAQ

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What does an air purifier do?

Air purifiers are portable cleaning devices which remove particles and contaminants from the air in your home, helping to improve your indoor air quality. Air purifiers contain a fan that sucks air into one or more filters.

What is an air purifier / air cleaner?

An air purifier or air cleaner is a device which removes contaminants from the air in a room to improve indoor air quality. These devices are commonly marketed as being beneficial to allergy sufferers and asthmatics, and at reducing or eliminating second-hand tobacco smoke .

Do air purifiers clean the air?

While regular cleaning is always good, it won’t come close to investing in one of the best air purifiers, which clean the air and remove impurities. Air purifiers literally plug pollutants out of the air and trap them in a filter. The CADR (clean air delivery rate) indicates how quickly the purifier will remove contaminants from the air.

How can air purifiers improve indoor air quality?

The best ways to improve your indoor air quality are ventilation and reducing or removing the sources of pollutants. But air purifiers can effectively complement ventilation and pollutant source control. So, when shopping for an air purifier, look for the ones featuring HEPA filters and make sure their CADR is sufficient for your room.

What makes a good air purifier?

But most commonly, you will find air purifiers with cylindrical or boxy housings. A fan is another critical component of any air purifier. It helps the purifier suck in the polluted air and push out the filtered air. Air purifiers have different fan speeds to control how quickly you want the surrounding air to get filtered.

What air purifier should I buy?

You want a strong air purifier: This air purifier achieved an average CADR of 360 across dust, smoke and pollen — the highest rating of those I tested. By comparison, the Dyson Pure Cool TP01 reached an average of 71. This means the Blueair Blue Pure 211+ can handle rooms up to 550 sq ft.

How many air purifiers are there?

For more options, explore our comprehensive air purifier ratings, where you can read more about the 150-plus models we currently rate and filter them according to your needs (including by price, brand, room size, and weight). To learn more about how air purifiers work, check out our air-purifier buying guide.