Thinking of buying a new air purifier? This article clears up some common myths most shoppers believe that lead to hundreds of wasted dollars (or health side effects). #3 is the MOST IMPORTANT ONE. Buying a new air purifier is tough, so it’s important to not fall for sales tricks and promises that can’t be delivered.
Myth #1 - “You’ll never need to dust again!”
Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, you might want to sit down for this, because we’re here to tell you that you may not want to rush to throw away your Swiffer. An air purifier will NOT remove dust from all surfaces. Seriously, if they had fans that powerful, you might as well just run a lawnmower through your living room (that’s how loud it would be!). While a good air purifier will remove dust particles from the air, it won’t have the ability to clean your bookcase, or desk, or hardwood floor. That’s right, if you want to pass the “white glove test” when your mother in-law visits, you better stay on top of your dusting.
Myth #2 - “Air purifiers eliminate all odors!”
Contrary to popular belief, an air purifier will not remove the rotten chicken from the bottom of your kitchen garbage can. If you don’t stay on top of your housekeeping, it will catch up with you. You still need to scoop the kitty litter, take your trash outside to the curb, and clean out your garbage disposal. Air purifiers are not designed to eliminate odors, but to remove imperfections from the air. We don’t have The Jetsons technology yet (which is a huge disappointment), so you’re still going to want to clean up after yourself, at least until helper robots are invented.
Myth #3 - “Air purifiers will cure your allergies!”
If you suffer from allergies, then stop here and listen carefully. Your allergies are likely to never go away. An air purifier will remove some allergens from the air, but pollen and dust are both heavy, and they’re still going to fall to the floor and cling to other surfaces. An air purifier is a great tool to have in your arsenal against allergies, but you don’t want to be caught having an asthma attack after deciding you no longer need to refill your inhaler. We’re not saying that you won’t see an overall improvement in your allergy symptoms, but an air purifier is something you add to the regimen you already have in place.
TIP: If you suffer from particularly bad allergies, consider rearranging the furniture in the room. This could drastically reduce the amount of surfaces that are susceptible to dust and pollen buildup.
Myth #4 - “This air purifier will be effective at any speed setting!”
We’re going to take a page from Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor’s book and tell you that MORE POWER is better (grunt!). A lot of us prefer to run our air purifiers at a lower setting to reduce noise. This is especially true if your air purifier is in either your work space or where you sleep. The sad reality is that your device will not work optimally at a lower setting, and you’re just going to be wasting electricity (Don’t believe us? Check your utility bill). Here's a trick for smaller devices: Run it at full capacity an hour before bed, then turn it down or off so it doesn't distract you. For larger devices, just run it on low. It will also be relatively quiet compared to pushing a smaller unit to its limit.
TIP: Look out for the ENERGY STAR label when shopping for a device. They will run more efficiently than devices without this label.
Myth #5 - “Air purifiers will remove tobacco smoke!”
Air purifiers remove particles left behind by smoking, but will not remove the smoke or toxic chemicals associated with it outright. If somebody in your family suffers from allergies that make you need to purchase an air purifier in the first place, we would suggest keeping the smoking outdoors. A good air purifier will cost hundreds of dollars, and the filter replacements aren’t cheap either. Unless one of your hobbies is hemorrhaging money, then we don’t recommend smoking near your device.
An air purifier is an excellent tool to have around your house. If you suffer from allergies, or live in particularly dusty or pollen heavy area, a good air purifier will greatly reduce the amount of harmful particles in your house. Your device will not work well if you neglect to perform basic housekeeping and maintenance. If used correctly, an air purifier will greatly improve your quality of life if you add it to whatever cleaning or allergy regimen you’re currently doing. In short, your device will give you better results if you use it alongside your good habits.
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