Do Air Purifiers Help with Dust Allergies and Asthma?
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Air purifiers have been designed to remove as many indoor air pollutants as possible.
Some of these indoor air pollutants include dust mites, mold, bacteria, cleaning products, paints, smoke, allergens, pollen and animal dander.
Do Air Purifiers help with Dust Allergies and Asthma?
To answer this question let us first understand the working principles of air purifiers.
Contents
Two types of air purifiers:
There are two different types of air purifiers depending on what type of filters they use.
Type 1: Air purifier using mechanical filters such as HEPA filter
Mechanical air purifiers use a mechanical filter such as HEPA filter.The filter is easily replaced from the purifier or can be washed with water and reused again.
HEPA filters will collect particles down to 0.3 microns (0.00001 in, 0.0003 mm) in diameter.
Type 2: Air purifier using electrostatic filters
An electrostatic filter purifier pulls pollutant particles from the air using static electricity. They work by creating a cloud of free electrons through which dust particles are forced to pass.
As the dust particles pass through the plasma, they become charged, making them easy to collect. Electrostatic filters can collect particles down to a diameter of 0.01 microns (0.00001 mm).
A Scientific study to answer the question do air purifiers help with asthma and dust allergy?
At one point, William Fisk decided to do a study on air purifiers and titled it Health Benefits of Particle Filtration. Mr. Fisk was part of the Indoor Environment Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California.
He began the study by stating that people who had allergy and asthma symptoms would most likely have their symptoms reduced with the use of an air purifier.
According to what Mr. Fisk found, the people in all of the studies reported some improvement in their health. However, there was no statistical significance in the finding.
[su_note note_color=”#E9FADA”]At the end of the study, The Institute of Medicine concluded that “overall these studies suggest that air cleaners are probably helpful in some situations in reducing allergy and asthma symptoms, but air cleaning, as applied in these studies, is not consistently and highly effective in reducing symptoms.”[/su_note]Myths about Air purifiers
There are many myths when it comes to air purifiers and how useful they are.However, many of these myths have been disputed over the years and are not actually true.
Myth 1:No one will ever need to dust again when they use an air purifier.
Many people believe that the air purifiers will allow them to never have to dust their house again.This could not be further from the truth because air purifiers are not powerful enough to lift the dust off any surfaces in a house.
If a person were to make an air purifier capable of doing that job, then a person who suffered from allergies and asthma would have a huge problem.
An air purifier capable of lifting the dust off of a surface would be powerful enough to make the dust swirl around a room.Plus, the noise from the fan would be tremendous.
You will still need a decent vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter as well as microfiber cloths for dusting even if you have an air purifier.
Myth 2: People with allergies and asthma will not need to invest in any other items if they have an air purifier.
Air purifiers can only help a person with allergies and asthma to a point.People who suffer from allergies and asthma will want to remove any carpeting from their house.
Dust, dust mites, pet dander, and other particles can be difficult to remove from carpeting.
An easy way to remove dust mites and other particles from throw rugs and bedding is to wash them in hot water.It is also helpful to keep the humidity in the house at fifty percent or less because it discourages mold and dust mites growth.
A person with allergies or asthma might also find it helpful to take an allergy medication to prevent an attack when pollutants are extremely high inside the house.Please check with your physician for medication.
Myth 3: An air purifier is the first line of defense when it comes to dust mite allergies.
Air purifiers will only capture dust mites that are floating in the air. This will not help a person who has dust mites on their beds and pillows.
The first thing that people should do when they find that they have a dust mite allergy is to purchase dust mite covers for their beds and pillows.
Dust mite covers are zippered dust-proof covers with material that do not allow the dust mites or their waste to leak through to the bedding.
All of the bedding should be washed in hot water once a week and anything that cannot be washed in hot water should be disposed of.
When cleaning a room, people with allergies to dust mites will want to wear a mask so that they do not breathe in the particles.They should use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and use microfiber cloths for dusting.
Even though air purifiers are not the only line of defense that a person with allergies and asthma have, they can still be helpful to a certain point.
If used correctly along with regular cleaning and dusting, a person may be able to reduce the number of allergens in their house.
Best HEPA Air purifier for allergies and asthma: Honeywell 50250-S
One of the best air purifiers for dust mite allergies is the Honeywell 50250-S Pure HEPA Filter which is also recommended by Doctors for allergy sufferers.
Some of the features which make it the best air purifier for asthma and allergy are:
- It is AHAM certified.AHAM certification is necessary when it comes to air purifiers because an air purifier needs to meet certain standards in order to be considered an exceptional working device.
- Certified Clean Air Delivery Rate(CADR) of 250 for pollen, dust, and smoke.This is a high delivery rate and particles will be removed faster than they would be with a unit with a lower delivery rate.
- This air purifier is designed to circulate the air from an entire room with a 360-degree airflow. The air can flow in and out of the air purifier from any angle at any time.
- The carbon pre-filter captures larger particles that are in the air and eliminates the odors in the air.
- The permanent pure HEPA filter guarantees that 99.97% of airborne pollutants are captured.This filter can also be vacuumed or washed.It can last for at least five years before it needs to be replaced.
- The Intelli-Check Electronic Filter indicators which allow you to know exactly when the filters (Carbon prefilter and permanent HEPA filter) need to be cleaned or replaced.
- SurroundSeal technology helps minimize air leaks and insure that the air passes through the filter.
- There are 3 three different settings for the fan (Turbo,Day and Sleep mode)
- Recommended room you can use this air purifier is up to 388 sq.ft.
- It’s dimension(WxDxH) is 18in x 18in x 19in
- You can move it around the house easily.
