Benefits of Air Purifiers
The Air Purifier’s Purpose
According to the EPA Americans spend, on average, about 90% of their time inside.1 While passing the time in an indoor environment might sound ideal, it can actually be the opposite. That’s because the concentration of pollutants inside the home can be higher than it is outside -- by a factor of 2-5 times.1 Those numbers are the result of energy-efficient home construction combined with increased use of synthetic building materials, harsh cleaning chemicals, personal care products, pesticides and more. In addition, mold spores, pet dander, dust mites, combustion byproducts and other sources of indoor air pollution are circulated from room to room via forced air systems that, ironically, are designed to make you comfortable. The good news is your HVAC system can also be the key to clearing the air when it includes an air purifier or high efficiency filtration. And, that’s why more and more homeowners are investigating the benefits of air purifiers.
An air purifiers purpose is to capture airborne pollutants, allowing cleaner air to circulate back into your living areas. There are many types of filters on the market, including whole-home electronic air cleaners and purifiers, High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, and room-based portable models. Carrier offers several air purifiers, including our Infinity® air purifier with Captures & Kills® technology for whole-home filtration and our portable Smart Air Purifier that includes a HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter that helps remove odors.
What Are Air Purifiers Used For?
The answer to the question, “what are air purifiers used for?” varies. For some, it’s just a way to keep your home cleaner and more dust-free. For others, it’s a matter of capturing and eliminating airborne particles that can trigger allergies and asthma. And don’t forget the benefits to your HVAC system – air purifiers can reduce the buildup of dirt and debris inside your HVAC system to help keep it operating at its best. Regardless of your motivation, the goal is to match an air purifier with the air quality needs of the home.
Highly efficient air purifiers can offer three main capabilities: trap airborne particles like dust, pollen and pet dander; help remove odors from the air; and help prevent contaminants from the air being recirculated back into air. One option for a portable solution is the Carrier At Home air purifier. With a variety of capabilities and sizes to choose from, they offer three types of filtration – a prefilter that collects larger airborne particles like dust and pet dander, a high-efficiency filter that traps 99% of particles down to 0.3 microns, and an activated carbon filter to help eliminate odors. For an outstanding whole-home solution that captures airborne particles and also inactivates 99% of select airborne germs and viruses trapped in its filter, Carrier offers the Infinity air purifier.
Trap Dust Mites
HEPA filters are very effective at trapping very small particles in the air. However, larger pollutants like dust mites, pollen and pet dander can all be trapped by basic 1-inch filters, pleated filters and even some of the pre filters used in high-efficiency air purifiers. This level of filtration can help reduce build-up of dust and dirt in your home and can also reduce the amount of allergy-triggering matter in indoor air.
Remove Unpleasant Odors
Standard air filters, including HEPA filters, are great at trapping airborne particles. However, if you are concerned about odors, activated carbon filters are what you need. Activated carbon filters incorporate a carbon source, such as coconut shells, wood, or coal which are “activated” through a specific heating process. Once activated, the carbon material contains a series of pores which can trap odor-causing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building materials like caulk, paint, adhesives and carpeting.2 They can also help capture odors from tobacco smoke, pets and other household sources. Once they are “full”, activated carbon filters will no longer control odors and must be replaced. As a part of their three-step filtration process, Carrier room air purifiers include an activated carbon filter for odor control.
Filter Contaminants from the Air
Many filters, both whole-home and portable, can trap common household allergens, bacteria and even some viruses. For even greater protection, look for a system that can also make them inactive, like the Carrier Infinity air purifier. Using our patented Captures & Kills technology, a Carrier Infinity air purifier traps 95% of particles in micron size range 1.0 to 3.0 flowing through your HVAC system3 and subjects them to an intense electric field. This technology inactivates 99% of select airborne germs and viruses trapped in the MERV 15 filter including coronavirus, human influenza, the common cold and bacteria that causes strep throat.4
For more information about how air purifiers work, check out our Do Air Purifiers Work? page.
Benefits of Air Purifiers and Healthier Homes
Air purifiers can help remove airborne particles like dust, pollen, pet dander and other pollutants known to cause allergies, creating a healthier home environment. As mentioned before, air purifiers such as the Infinity air purifier also have the capability of inactivating select airborne germs and viruses trapped in the filter, preventing those harmful particles from being circulated back into the air you breathe. As you consider the many reasons for an air purifier, be sure to take a look at the Carrier products for your home, our smart room air purifiers
Combat Seasonal Allergens
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, air filtration has shown an ability to reduce airborne allergens.5 HEPA filters capture 99.97% of particles sized 0.3 microns, including dust, pollen, and other airborne particles.6 For more information on the topic of Air Purifiers for Allergies, check out our page dedicated to that topic.
Part of the Defense Against Germs
Germs are tiny microbes including bacteria, viruses and fungi. They can be found on virtually any surface, in the air, in the water and on humans and animals. Many are harmless, but others cause disease and can make us sick. Regularly washing your hands with soap and water, keeping household surfaces clean and using an air purifier are three ways you can help reduce the spread of germs within your home. As mentioned earlier, the Carrier Infinity air purifier, takes it a step further by inactivating 99% of select airborne viruses, bacteria, and pathogens trapped in the filter.4
Healthier Homes with Fresher Indoor Air
According to the American Lung Association, poor indoor air quality can contribute to infections, chronic lung diseases like asthma, and even lung cancer.6 For those already suffering from lung disease, the risk is even greater. Sources of poor indoor air quality include bacteria and viruses, dust mites, pet dander, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and many more. To help keep your indoor air fresher and cleaner, consider adding a high-quality air purifier that both traps and inactivates harmful particles.
Adding an air purifier to your home is a great first step towards improving the quality of the air inside your home. To maximize the benefits provided by your air purifier, proper maintenance, including replacing filters is extremely important.
For more information and an estimate on how a Carrier air purifier can improve the air in your home, contact your local Carrier indoor comfort expert today.
Sources
1https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality
2https://epa.ohio.gov/portals/27/engineer/eguides/carbon.pdf
3Based on third-party testing (2012) showing 95% of particles size 1.0 to 3.0 microns captured and 85% of particles size 0.3 to 1.0 microns captured.
4The Infinity air purifier has demonstrated effectiveness against the murine coronavirus, based on third-party testing (2020) showing a >99% inactivation, which is a virus similar to the human novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19. Therefore, the Infinity air purifier can be expected to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 when used in accordance with its directions for use. Third-party testing (2012, 2007) also shows =99% inactivation for the type of virus that causes common colds, Streptococcus pyogenes and human influenza. Airborne particles must flow through your HVAC system and be trapped by the MERV 15 Infinity filter to be inactivated at 99%. The Infinity air purifier achieves a MERV 15 rating based on third-party testing (2012) showing 95% of particles size 1.0 to 3.0 microns captured and 85% of particles size 0.3 to 1.0 microns captured.
5https://acaai.org/allergies/management-treatment/living-with-allergies/air-filters/
6https://www.lung.org/clean-air/at-home/indoor-air-pollutants
