Individuals who have difficulty due to pollutants in the atmosphere, even in their home, may benefit from a portable air cleaner. Not all are equally effective. Some only provide mechanical filters to trap particles while others are made to prevent bacteria, odors and gases. Before making a purchase, be sure to know the features needed or wanted.

It is important that consumers know how serious their problem is before making a purchase. For the cleanest atmosphere in a home, choose the right unit to do the job. Asthma and chemical allergy sufferers usually need a different type of filter than those who suffer from allergies due to pollen and dust. Some chemical allergy sufferers have found that certain HEPA filters actually make their problem worse as the glue used to manufacture the filter is released into the room.

The size of the area to be treated is also significant in selecting a device. In order to clean the atmosphere in the room, it must be exchanged several times every hour. The best of filters cannot do an effective job if the unit has too small a volume. At a very minimum, the device should offer 2 air exchanges every hour.

Keep the location the unit will be used in mind as well. Some are notoriously louder than others. In the bedroom where noise is sometimes a factor, units that can exchange the minimum amount of air may be quieter to operate. However, in family rooms with higher traffic, there may be a need for a larger exchange rate.

Units barely meet the minimum requirements for a room will need to operate on the highest speed most of the time. However, if the consumer selects a more efficient device, it may be possible to turn the fan speed to a lower setting to allow quieter operation while still exchanging the appropriate number of times.

Some purifiers offer an IR detector to monitor the particulates in the room. These devices automatically run on high speed when turned on, but as the particles decrease through filtration, the device moves to a lower speed. Unfortunately, many users find the area being measured is too small for the device to make the determination.

Critical measurements of the effectiveness of a unit include the actual number of exchanges offered each hour and the percentage of particulates removed during each exchange. The second number is called efficiency. Higher efficiency machines remove more particles each time the exchange takes place. The efficiency of the device is a better measure than efficiency of a filter. The HEPA filter removes all bout 0.03% of particles greater than 0.3 microns, however it can be installed on a machine that allows 50% of each exchange bypass the filter, reducing machine efficiency, causing a poor performance overall and not solving the problem

If an individual has difficulty breathing at home a portable air cleaner can be helpful. These devices are designed for effective removal of certain pollutants. Selecting the correct device can help to improve one's home atmosphere making breathing easier.




About the Author: 
By Jill Faulkner





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