In our quest to help inform and educate in the best ways for you to have the cleanest possible air quality at home, we thought it prudent to turn our attention this week to home air purification and whether it really is worth your attention. If you’re looking for the short answer so you can run out and purchase a purifier or schedule your next maintenance session, the answer is yes, air purification is definitely worth your time.

That being said, it’s not a one stop shop for an allergen free home. If you’re looking for the best possible results you should be aware that air purification is but a single part of what should be a much larger effort to reduce allergens.

What is Air Purification?

Air purification is exactly what it sounds like. Purifying the air within your home to ensure that your family has the cleanest air to breathe. Thorough air purification aims to reduce or eliminate allergens which are most commonly found in the everyday home including dust, second hand smoke, pollen, pet fur and mould spores.

What Can You Do to Purify the Air in Your Home?

There are numerous ways in which you can attempt to clean the air within your home, all with differing levels of success. Here we’re going to look at 2 methods which focus specifically on air purification.

The most popular method is to simply buy an air purifying unit to place in your home. The success of this particular approach really depends on the kind of machine that you purchase. These machines tend to focus on removing second hand smoke and dust. Whilst there are definitely effective machines out there, you will need to buy multiple units and place one in every room. If you are worried about your home air purity, ensure that you place your first unit in you bedroom as this is where we tend to spend most of our time at home.

Commercially available air purification appliances can make a difference. However, any indoor space will act as a sort of net for allergens, eventually turning your home space into an area with a higher allergen count than external areas. The more fabric you have (carpet, heavy drapes etc), the higher the allergen count in your home. With this in mind, it can be quite difficult for small air purification machines to clean the air to a satisfactory level.

A more effective method is to use an air exchange system. This system removes stale air from within your home and replaces it with fresh, filtered air taken from an external vent. Having an exchange system installed is obviously not as easy as picking up a purification unit from your local shop, however, the benefits are far greater as all contaminated air within your home is redirected outside. An air exchange system is the equivalent of opening all of the windows in your house without having to worry about letting the heat escape or leaving your property unsecured!

Is it All Worth It?

Any effort to clean up the air in your home is worth your time. Even the most minute of improvements can lead to better all around health and prevent any unwanted illnesses. However, simply buying an appliance and turning it on is unlikely to garner great results. You need to consider the placement of the purifier, we’d recommend placing it in an area you spend a lot of time or near to an allergen source. If you already have an air exchange system, you’ll need regular maintenance and cleaning or you risk negating it’s benefits and will probably end up spreading allergens throughout your home.

Do you take any measures to purify the air in your home? How effective have you found it in reducing allergens and allergic reactions?

Image – Kristaps Bergfelds