Is this you? Lately, you’ve been getting the impression that the air inside your home seems stuffy, dusty, or even a little stinky. Your family members suffer from assorted flu and allergy symptoms which never seem to clear up totally.
You’ve heard that an air purifier might be the answer. But you wonder about two things. First, does the air quality in your home need improvement that badly? Second, will an air purifier provide the clean, healthy indoor air that you’d like? Are air purifiers worth their cost?
Those are good questions. Here we’ll answer both in-depth, starting with 6 scenarios where an air purifier will make a noticeable, positive difference to the air you breathe. To follow up, there’s a description of how air purifiers (also known as air cleaners) work.
When You Need An Air Purifier
Why might you need an air purifier? The chances are that your grandparents didn’t have one. But today’s Canadian homes tend to be much better sealed against the weather than they were a few decades ago. This makes them very energy-efficient. At the same time, though, it traps unhealthy airborne particles, which is especially essential in the following scenarios.
1. Someone In Your Family Has Breathing Issues
According to the Government of Canada, approximately 3 million Canadians have asthma. Thousands more suffer from seasonal allergies and other respiratory problems. If you or a loved one suffers from breathing issues, installing an air purifier with a HEPA filter will remove pollen, dander, mould spores, chemicals, and similar airborne contaminants. This filtration will go a long way toward getting rid of triggers and easing symptoms.
2. There’s A Smoker In The House
Whether you smoke cigarettes or you live with someone who does, the air of your home will be polluted by smoke. (And no, merely opening a window will not get rid of it.) We’ve all heard about the dangers of smoking, and these days, most people are also familiar with the hazards of inhaling secondhand smoke. Besides, it stinks! An air purifier can remove tobacco smoke and odours.
3. You Own Pets
Unless you keep only tropical fish or turtles as pets, the chances are that your companion animals will shed hair or feathers and dander — all potential irritants to your nose, eyes, and lungs. And if your furry friends spend time outside, they’ll bring a bit of the great outdoors into your house in the form of dust and pollen on their coats. Fortunately, a good air purifier could help. Its pre-filter will trap shed fur, while the main HEPA filter will catch smaller particles.
4. Your Home Is On A Busy Street — Or Near Construction
When you live on a busy street, you are very familiar with the large amounts of exhaust, dust, and dirt stirred up by the traffic — you’re constantly cleaning surfaces in your home because of them. The same goes for a residence near an active construction site. Imagine all that crud making its way into your lungs. Now change your mental channel, so to speak, and picture it being filtered out by an air purifier before it has a chance to get to you.
5. You Have Trouble Sleeping
It’s only logical. If you can’t breathe, you can’t sleep… at least not deeply. You’ll constantly wake up in a coughing fit, struggling for oxygen. Lack of high-quality sleep is dangerous to your concentration, metabolism, and immune system and can have a cumulative effect on your physical and mental health over the years. For the peaceful, uninterrupted sleep you crave, there’s nothing like clean, healthful air in your home, courtesy of an air purifier.
6. Your Home Smells Weird
Unfortunately, your home will never feel completely clean as long as it has a noticeable unpleasant scent. Stale cooking smells, smoke, pet odours, musty bathrooms, and sour-smelling fridges can all contribute. If you’re noticing these “off” aromas, your family and guests certainly will, too. Run an air purifier to keep your indoor air neutral-scented and inviting.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
Air purifiers work by drawing in ambient air and pulling it through a series of filters. Similar to a PPE mask, these filters trap numerous contaminant particles from the air (which would otherwise be breathed in by the inhabitants of your home). Cleaned and freshened, the air is then dispersed back throughout the room.
Energy Star-certified air purifiers offer a reliably high level of energy efficiency. Among the best air filters are HEPA (high-efficiency particulate absorbing), a superfine mesh that will remove 99.97 percent of airborne particles greater than 0.3 microns in diameter. (By comparison, the diameter of a human hair measures about 70 microns or 200 times larger!)
Many homeowners install whole-home air purifiers on or near the furnace or AC air handler to circulate purified air via the HVAC ductwork. More compact units are available to treat the air of smaller spaces, such as a room or two.
Breathe Healthier
When you’re ready for fresher, cleaner air in your home, contact Husky. We carry high-quality Carrier air purifiers and air cleaners. Our experts will help you find the air purifier you need — and provide you with a free no-obligation quote!