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Are Portable Home Air Purifiers a Waste of Money

Here's why you should say goodbye to portable air purifiers so you can save money and breathe better air. A whole-home purification system efficiently cleans indoor air and makes life easier.

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If you don’t already have a whole home or portable air purifier in your home you’re missing out on a slew of benefits. Purifiers help reduce harmful pollutants, eliminate toxic chemicals from living spaces, and neutralize unpleasant odors. These are only some reasons air purifiers have gained so much traction and interest of late.

Why is air purification such an important topic? Research suggests that clean air possibly helps boost life expectancy. Air purifiers prevent harmful chemicals and pollutants from building up and impacting wellness or worsening health conditions.

Indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Prioritizing healthy indoor air is essential. However, not all air purifiers are created equal. Portable air purifiers, or single-room standalone units, are often a waste of money in the long term.

Cost is also a huge factor for most people when considering clean air upgrades and the best practical method to get better indoor air quality. If you’re eager for the benefits of clean air in your living space, find out why it’s best to opt for a whole home purification system over single-room units.

Try Our Home Air Purifier Efficiency Calculator: Simply input basic information about your space, current air quality, and your purifier’s rating. Our calculator does the rest by providing an estimate of how efficiently your air purifier can clean your air. Make informed decisions for a healthier home and use our Home Air Purifier Efficiency Calculator today. Try it now →

Do portable air purifiers really work?

Portable home air purifiers are often the go-to solution for households looking to improve the air quality in their homes. It’s important to understand that not all products are created equal, and you should research a specific product before making any purchase.

In most cases, portable units are not as efficient as whole-home purification systems at eliminating airborne pollutants.

This is because of their relatively small size and limited air supply; no matter how good their filters may be, a portable purifier can only capture and eliminate as many pollutants from that limited air as best it can.

This means that households will have to look into more comprehensive solutions than just purchasing a standard portable purifier to have a healthy home environment.

The downside of portable air purifiers

Limited Space

These appliances are on the smaller side and quite limited in how much air they can purify at once. The door must be shut for maximum efficiency, and the purifier must always be on. Making the process both time-consuming and frustrating.

Inconvenience

At first glance, portable home purifiers seem like the more convenient option. After all, you can move the appliance from room to room whenever you feel like it. However, these purifiers are often heavy and unwieldy despite their small size. Purification is also not an immediate result.

Again, for maximum efficiency, it needs to be placed in the center of the room, kept on for multiple hours, somehow enclosed in the space to actively purify the air.

Placing them against a wall or in the corner of the room will not suffice. This can make it a hassle to clean every room of the home or office space with a portable purifier.

High Maintenance

If you’re busy (and who isn’t?), you might think twice about choosing a portable purifier.

Portable unit owners must put in considerable time and effort to keep them running smoothly. Also, they must be cleaned often and require frequent filter change. HEPA filters should be replaced every 30 days while carbon and other filters should be changed roughly every three to six months. And yes – they’re expensive. 

Should you buy a portable air purifier?

At the end of the day, portable units take too much of your time and energy to be considered adequate. In addition, maintaining these units can end up costing more money than necessary. Standalone units can have a bit of a placebo effect. Most users assume simply turning it on means it works as effectively as possible and ensures cleaner air. 

Make the switch to a whole-home purification system.

Installed directly into the home or building’s HVAC system. Work with the system’s existing air filters to improve the filtration process. Utilize bipolar ionization technology, quite literally emitting negative and positive ion charges. This encourages air particles to clump together, making it easier to filter out harmful pollutants and purify the air. Works to clean every room in your space without the added hassles of a portable air purifier. The HVAC system (air, heat or just the fan!) must be running. 

Considering the spaces we live, work and operate in are often larger than what a single-room unit can cover, now is the time to look into upgrading your home’s HVAC system. Whole-space active air purification systems are an easy and ideal indoor air quality upgrade.

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