It’s winter, which means flu season. The air is full of contaminants, which can cause illness, allergies, asthma, and more. Can an air purifier help keep you healthy? It can. There are a lot of benefits to having an air purifier, especially in winter. However, it’s important to not overestimate its abilities. Here’s a look at what your air purifier can and can’t do this season.
What Air Purifiers Do
When you seal up your home for the winter, it can help keep your house warm and save energy. However, it’s also bad for your indoor air quality (IAQ). If fresh air isn’t coming into your house from outside, then the same air circulates through your home over and over via your HVAC system, including an increasing amount of dust and other contaminants. The warm air also fosters mold.
An air purifier can help make up for the decreased ventilation and eliminate those contaminants from the air. Air purifiers picks up more than your HVAC filter can, thus ensuring cleaner air and reducing your risk of disease.
What Air Purifiers Don’t Do
Air purifiers can get rid of the dust in your air, but it doesn’t completely eliminate it from your home. You still need to vacuum your carpet and also dust surfaces regularly. This is one of the most effective ways of improving your IAQ. By removing dust, you ensure less of it will be breathed by household members.
Furthermore, while a high-efficiency air purifier can remove viruses and bacteria, it won’t kill them. For that, you’ll need a UV air cleaner. HVAC air is exposed to ultraviolet light, which kills organic matter on contact, getting rid of germs, mold, and mildew. However, this method doesn’t remove contaminants from the air. For the best results, use both: a UV air cleaner to kill organic contaminants and an air purifier to eliminate inorganic contaminants. It will help ensure cleaner air for your home all winter long.
For help choosing the best air purifier for your home, contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services. We provide quality home-comfort solutions to the Dayton area.
