Air purifiers for apartments: how to choose? Air purifier for allergy sufferers: reviews, prices

More and more often urban conditions, characterized by polluted air, poor ecology, which leads to deterioration of health and constant depression, make the inhabitants of megacities all quit and move out of town to breathe clean air in the bosom of nature and not to think about problems associated with permanent Bustle.

Another option is to move from a polluted industrial area to a quiet suburb without the noise of cars, electric trains and factories, with the singing of birds and the beautiful scent of lilac in the spring, and in winter with quiet picturesque streets and crackling of snow beneath your feet that you will not hear in the city.

Air purifier - an indispensable accessory

Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to move out of town. So, then, means, there is no way to breathe clean air, and not polluted, adversely affecting the health of the air?

There is a way out, it will allow you and in a big metropolis to turn your apartment into an oasis, fragrant with natural freshness. Yes, now there was an opportunity to improve the conditions and create a good microclimate at home, and without much effort, because for this the inventors worked. Today, modern technology allows you to clean the apartment air from harmful impurities. Of course, the device can not replace the noise of the sea wave or the singing of birds, but will definitely make the air clean. This is an air purifier for living quarters, and in this article we will help you choose this device.

How does the air cleaner work?

Cleaner-humidifier for an apartment is a simple device, easy to use, does not require special skills for maintenance. He kills all germs in the air, while anyone can use the device. Air purifier for allergy sufferers and often with colds is just a godsend.

The principle of operation of the device with a removable filter is based on blowing air through several special filters, depending on the type of contamination. For example, some of them can remove gas contamination or smoke from the apartment, others will clear it of dust, pollen of plants, animal wool. In the air cleaner model, carbon, mesh, and photocatalytic filters are used. The air flow can be adjusted using the buttons or the switch located on the control unit, or in auto mode.

Which air purifier is better?

Air cleaners with replaceable filters that are most in demand - products of the following brands: Daikin, Boneco Electrolux, Bionaire, Sharp Air, Comfort, Air-O-Swiss, Venta, Toshiba, Bork. In general, the choice is great, and you can find a model that meets all the requirements. Cost - from 80 dollars a basic model and up to 1000 dollars elite. The optimal air purifier for an apartment - the price of which is $ 200-500 (with the additional option of ionization and humidification), which has a multi-stage cleaning system and a control panel.

Premium models are whole climate complexes that combine in one housing several devices that are different in functionality, capable of working separately or simultaneously.

When choosing an air cleaner, be guided by your needs, and also consider the size of the area to be cleaned by the chosen model.

Also on sale are air cleaners without replaceable filters, the main purpose of which is air purification through the water. They are also called "air washes". They cost a little more expensive.

"Air wash" carries out its run through wet cartridges. Such devices not only fulfill the option of cleaning the air of pollution, but also increase its humidity to the optimum standards for humans - 50-60 percent.

With a high degree of soiling, it is best to use air cleaners for an apartment with replaceable filters, and if your main goal is to increase the humidity in the room, then in this case you need to use an air humidifier.

Market leaders producing air purifiers

Today, many want to purchase the best air purifier for an apartment. The review of the modern market shows that the most popular brands are Boneco (from 220 $), AOS (250-500 $), Ballu (from 180 $), Venta (250-800 $). For such a price you can get not just a model that cleans and moistens the air, but a universal device with additional options that regulate the noise level. In addition, there is a silver disinfection function, also a remote control is attached to the model.

Particular attention to the quality of products among air purifiers, and most importantly, requested money for them, deserve such brands as Sharp and Daikin, a good air purifier Aic. The products of these brands, above all, purify the air, and the moisturizing function is additional, which does not prevent them from coping simply superbly with their tasks. There are no differences in the model range as humidification, only cleaning systems differ.

The best air purifiers for Sharp apartments are equipped with a classic HEPA filter, an ionizer and a deodorizing filter, while Daikin has a Flash Streamer proprietary system that not only eliminates dust, unpleasant odors and allergens, but also effectively eliminates viruses, including the virus Swine flu.

The best manufacturer of professional air purifiers is the Swiss company IQAir. Household cleaners from this company have HyperHEPA filters, which are 100 times more efficient than conventional HEPA filters.

Filters in air cleaners

The filter is the key element of the cleaner device. From its kind depends both the degree of purification, and the productivity of equipment. Let's consider in more detail what types of filters are used for which, which ones are better. Let's start with the filters of rough cleaning, cleansing from large mechanical particles. They are a simple small mesh. Such a filter is needed for cleaning from large particles of wool, sand, poplar fluff, hair. Also this filter protects the device from getting these particles inside. As the grid is used, it must be cleaned or blown, then it can be used repeatedly. For normal operation of the equipment, the net must be cleaned once every 3 months.

Coal-adsorption filter

This filter contains activated carbon, which is an adsorption element, often used to control toxins. Coal-adsorption filters successfully neutralize the bad odors present in the air. But, unfortunately, they do not protect against the nitrogen oxides contained in urban air, therefore they are used only as additional.

Carbon filters absorb impurities. Therefore, they must be periodically changed. Their service life is from 3 months to one year, the cost is 30-40 dollars.

Electrostatic filters

These filters are used for better and deeper air purification, which is carried out in the following way: through the positive electrode, which is represented by a positively charged grid, air is bled and the contaminant compounds remain on the negative electrodes. These are reusable filters that need only be rinsed with water for reuse. Their main disadvantage is the allocation of ozone during their operation. This is a highly toxic gas, in spite of all its disinfecting and medicinal properties.

HEPA filters

These filters are a guarantee of effective and deep cleaning, which in addition to household use are also used in medical devices, medical laboratories and institutions. These filters deserve a lot of positive feedback. They catch up to 97% of allergenic particles larger than 0.3 μm and various pollutants. HEPA filters are disposable, the service life is 1 year, after which they need to be changed. The cost is 25-35 dollars.

Power and noise level

One of the advantages of air cleaners is a small power consumption, usually 50-70 watts, and low-cost models that use consumer demand - 20-35 watts.

Also worth noting is the low noise level, which is important, as many air purifiers work without interruption, including at night in the bedroom. In any cleaning device, the fan, as a rule, is noisy, and the manufacturers have taken this into account, creating units with a night mode when the fan speed is reduced to a minimum and the volume is 37 dB. Such a level of noise does not distract and does not interfere with sleeping. In addition, it can depend on the version of the filters used.

For example, in order to perform air purging through a HEPA filter, a larger fan is needed, which means it is noisier. Nevertheless, the manufacturers claim that the noise level is not higher than the standard value. There are air purifiers for an apartment with almost noiseless operation at night (in the "Sleep" mode). The volume at the same time is only 16 dB.

Where to place the air purifier for the apartment?

Buyers' comments say that most often cleaners are installed on the windowsill, floor, table, bedside table, etc. Some devices can be hung on the wall.

Additional options and functions

Here are some additions, which we promised to write at the beginning of the article. Thanks to them, the application of the unit for air purification becomes convenient and pleasant:

• Timer - used to turn off devices such as air purifiers for an apartment, and set work periods.
• Remote control panel - needed to switch the modes of operation of the device.
• Adjusting the fan speed - this option is used to switch the air cleaner modes, for example, to night mode, thereby reducing the speed and noise level to a minimum. There are modes "Sleep", "Turbo", etc.
• Pollution detectors - are installed in some models, for example on an air purifier for allergy sufferers, serve to determine the extent of air pollution with dust or gases. In case of exceeding the established level of harmful substances, the unit automatically switches on in the "view" field of the detector. The contamination detector also controls the intensity of the fan, reducing or increasing its speed
• Display . Most air purifiers are equipped with a liquid crystal display, which displays data on the modes and operating time of the device;
• Indicators . Sometimes air purifiers for the apartment have additional indicators that are designed to display important information about the operation of the device. Such devices are more often equipped with climate complexes of premium class.
• Aromatization . The option of aromatization is available in air purifiers of various classes. The instruments can be complemented with the fragrance additionally, although its presence is not necessary. You can add aromatic substances to the water yourself, if, of course, the cleaner device allows them to be used.

Rules for the operation of the air purifier

Manufacturers of air cleaners recommend timely replacement of filters for the full operation of the device.

In case of appearance of unpleasant odors, you need to replace the filters before the end of their use. If the air contains a lot of impurities, then you need to wash the filters more often or change.

Even the most modern and powerful air purifiers, unfortunately, do not saturate the air with oxygen, so you need to regularly ventilate the rooms.

Easy breathing to you!