Picture this: you went to bed with a coughing fit, or maybe sniffling, and when you woke up the next day, it hadn’t gone away. Your air might be dirty, and you might need an air purifier..
If this is the case with you, you may be having some sort of an allergic reaction that is typically caused by indoor air pollution. This issue can easily be solved with a good air purifier. A nice air purifier can help with reducing the above symptoms, so that you can sleep much better.
Sleeping better is one of the most important and practical things you can do to improve your life, because sleep is a force multiplier, and the better you sleep, the better you’ll be able to do anything else.
Air purifiers are used to remove any pollutants and particles indoors that can make you sick. Removing these harmful things helps you relieve any allergies you may have, as well as any respiratory issues and other health-related problems that arise from indoor air pollution.
Don’t worry, we’re getting to the best air purifiers and filters, we just need to quickly explain the difference between the TYPES of air pollutant so you can make a better decision!
Types of air pollutants
The type of pollutant in your air usually comes down to two main types, and it’s very likely your air contains BOTH as most peoples homes do:
- Particulate matter: Animal dander, bacteria, mold, viruses, pollen as well as dust and dust mites.
- Gaseous pollutants: Tobacco smoke, paints, varnishes, cleaning products, adhesives, pesticides, carpets and furnishings etc…
Now this is up to each individual, their bodily constitution and susceptibility, but any of the mentioned pollutants can cause a variety of health issues. Especially if you’ve been exposed to it over longer periods of time.
Why you need to have an air filter in your room
If you really think about it, you spend about a THIRD of your life sleeping. Add the time that you spend getting ready from bed and getting up in the morning, and that’s a lot of time to spend in a single room (your bedroom). So putting an air purifier in your bedroom seems like a reasonable thing to do.
The cleanliness of your bedroom is significantly decreased if you have a pet that sleeps in there with you. And it’s not only because they are a furry critter that sheds all over your sheets! In fact, your pet can easily drag in pollen or other particulates from the outside which can trigger your allergies.
Furthermore, you also carry various microscopic particulates as well. And don’t forget about all the dust that builds up in the corners that your vacuum can’t reach. Additionally, using any type of cleaning spray or a household cleaning item in your bedroom means you are also inhaling that gas through the night.
This is why many people tend to wake up in a coughing fit in the middle of the night, or have a stuffy nose for no reason. And that is the reason you should consider getting an air purifier for your bedroom.
How to choose an air purifier (filter)
There are three main and very important features that you should pay attention to, aside from size, when buying your air purifier:
- HEPA Filter: A High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter is supposed to remove at least 99.97 per cent of the particles that are as small as 0.3 microns. This means that they tend to trap most of the common particulates and the reason why most allergists recommend buying and air purifier with a HEPA Filter. However, if an air purifier doesn’t use a HEPA filter, it usually uses ionization to trap all the charged particulates. These are also effective, but they also emit ozone, which can cause an adverse reaction in people with heightened sensitivities.
- Gaseous Pollutant Removal: If you’re a smoker shopping around for an air purifier, this feature should be important to you. While the HEPA devices have a charcoal filter that eliminates any odors, in this regard, ionizers work much better. They can eliminate smells such as from tobacco smoke or any other gaseous pollutants.
- Ultraviolet (UV) Light Technology: These are also known as ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) cleaners. They use UV radiation to destroy most airborne viruses, allergens, molds as well as bacteria.
Best Air Purifiers for mold, allergies and pollutants (list)
Finally we’re onto the list, so here are the absolute best air filters you can get for your house, bedroom or lounge.
1: GermGuardian AC4825 Air Purifier
It has a HEPA filter and a UV light so you have two of your bases covered. It also has odor reduction capabilities and is very quiet, which makes it perfect for the bedroom. It has a 22-inch tower frame and a three-speed fan.
This is more than enough to accommodate the needed air purification of most bedrooms. It’s most recommended for people with allergies, asthma or respiratory issues. The only downside is that it may smell of plastic when you turn it on, but this smell fades away over time.
2: Coway AP-1512HH Mighty Air Filter
A small and compact design that has five fan settings, a four-stage filtration system, and it’s able to rotate to 360-degree cleaning capabilities.
It comes with both a HEPA-filter and an ionizer and it’s another air purifier that is very quiet. However, its size means that it tends to cover less square footage than other models, and it is somewhat expensive.
3: O-Ion B-1000 Air Filter System
If you’re looking to remove any odors from your bedroom, this is, by far, your best choice. It is an ionized, so it may not be the greatest for people with severe allergies or various respiratory problems, but it does have UVGI Technology.
This means that it destroys any airborne pathogens. It’s ionization capabilities also means that it produces small amounts of ozone, which may not be great for some people, but it is inexpensive, quiet and easy to clean, so it may be perfect for others!
4: GermGuardian AC4100 Air Purifier
Although with its size it covers less square footage than other air purifiers, it’s perfect for smaller-sized spaces. This is a table-top unit with a three-speed motor that removes almost all of the particulates in the surrounding area.
It may be louder than the rest, but not enough to wake you. It has a HEPA-filter and UV Light Technology so it’s great for people with allergies.
5: Alen BreatheSmart Air Purifier
This is another great table-top model with a HEPA-filter. It’s also very quiet and has a low power consumption while being able to cover up to 700 feet of room.
Although it’s expensive, it’s also very customizable, as it has four types of filters to choose from as well as 14 different panel color options.
