Do Air Purifiers Help In Killing COVID-19 Viruses?
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The pandemic has taken the world by storm. The market has seen a sudden increase in demand for sanitization products such as air purifiers, gloves, handwashes, portable sanitizers, gloves, and masks. The world has finally realized the importance of sanitization and understood how fatal these micro-organisms could be. In such a scenario, air purifiers are being seen in a confused light. Most people wonder whether air purifiers of 2024 are productive in eliminating the harmful COVID-19.
Amid all the confusion and misinformation, we strive to bring you reliable and factual information to clear all your doubts. In this article, we have tried to cover all kinds of constantly rising questions in consumers’ minds. Apart from that, we have also tried to bust a few myths about air purifiers and COVID-19. Keep reading to gain all the knowledge.
Facts: Do Air Purifiers really work?
Coming straight to the crux of our article, i.e., do air purifiers kill viruses? In reality, the answer is yes. Air purifiers for the home that come with HEPA (also known as High-efficiency particulate air) filters can successfully capture a good portion of airborne virus, contaminants, pollutants, dust particles, bacteria, etc.
Once these viruses get trapped in these filters, they cannot multiply on their own and are removed from the environment. With that being said, we would also like to point out that air purifiers cannot be COMPLETELY relied upon to protect your family from a virus.
Since most of this virus is easily spread through physical transmission, once the virus has attached itself to your body, air purifiers can play no role in helping you. Although the purifiers don’t guarantee 100% protection against Covid-19, they are a good safeguard measure.
According to the CDC reports, the virus is mainly transmitted through virus-laden droplets expelled while sneezing or coughing. When a person comes in contact with these droplets, the virus can easily be transmitted. However, if you have an air purifier in place, the air will no longer remain contaminated with such viruses and others can stay there without worrying.
How HEPA works in capturing the COVID-19
Air purifiers that kill viruses come with true HEPA filters effectively remove 99.97% of particles at 0.3 microns or higher. While this description is quite true to some extent, it is not completely accurate. Only certain COVID19 and H1N1 Flu viruses having a diameter below 0.3 microns will get captured by the electrostatic attraction or in the filter’s maze-like fibers.
The novel coronavirus measures 0.125 microns, which can easily be trapped when these filters are operating in a room. But they can still be physically transmitted through droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. An air purifier that constantly draws in air and cleans it needs to work consistently to keep the room free from viruses. The filter should come with a high-speed deficiency feature, which you can check on the product’s packaging (CADR rate).
This also brings forward that things coming in contact with the physical transmission of such viruses will be infected with them, and air purifiers cannot work in such a case. Since HEPA filters only remove airborne viruses, the same cannot be guaranteed for tangible things coming in contact with the infected person.
How important are the CADR levels for efficient protection against viruses?
The CADR or clean air delivery rate plays a major role in ascertaining air purifier efficiency towards cleaning the air. Basically, the higher CADR would result in faster cleaning of the air present in a room. CADR innumerates the total volume of clean air produced by an air purifier in cubic feet per minute. When the rate of CADR is lower, this means that the purifier can clean less air. Every air purifier package comes with separate CADR ratings for smoke, dust, and pollen, each of them representing small, medium, or large particles.
What is the ideal CADR which should work the best in removing harmful viruses?
Air purifier models having a CADR over 240 are considered suitable as they easily perform up to five air exchanges in an hour. These have been lab-tested by various researchers and have proven to be effectively working in standard-sized rooms.
It is not necessary to run an air purifier at its highest speed to perform the highest CADR since these machines can make a lot of noise when set at the highest speed. They can cause sleep disruptions.
Apart from that, you must also keep cleaning your room and disinfect it, so you are free from coming into contact with viruses.
How to use it when a family member is sick
When a member of your family is sick or skeptical about them having the COVID-19, you must follow the adhered guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take care of them and practice the measures meant for other family members. While isolating them, giving them timely medicines, and taking care of them from a distance, you can easily become prey to the viruses. Therefore, to prevent transmission of the virus to other family members, an air purifier will be very helpful.
Practice these methods when someone in your family is infected with COVID-19 to prevent others from catching the virus as well:
- Run the air purifiers throughout the day in the highest setting but make sure it doesn’t disturb the person’s sleep.
- You must keep the purifier away from anything that might obstruct airflow.
- Keep the room’s door closed at all times. You can keep the windows open to let the fresh air come in.
- When changing the filters or cleaning the purifier, always use gloves and wear face masks as a precautionary measure.
- Clean and disinfect the exterior with a sanitization spray.
When practiced carefully, these steps will come in handy while taking care of an infected person and won’t let the caregiver catch viruses when they enter the person’s room. The rest will be taken care of by the air purifiers.
What are some of the best air purifiers in the market that help fight Coronavirus?
If you are looking forward to purchasing the best air purifiers in the market, you don’t have to go through tons of options to find the perfect one for your family. Our list features the best air purifiers that have successfully delivered what they claim and have garnered consumers’ best reviews.
HEPA Air Purifier – Bulex Air Purifier with True HEPA Filter for 99.97% Purification
The all-new HEPA Air purifier comes with a 4-stage filtration system that has been uniquely designed to filter large and small particulates from the air. This compact and light-weight filter is a good choice when you want to have a portable air purifier to move around from one room to another. The control system is on the top so you don’t have to bend every time you want to change it.
This air purifier with HEPA filters claims to remove particles with a diameter of 0.01 mil and successfully prove what it claims. If you have a pet at home and someone is allergic to pet dander, this purifier will solve that problem as it sucks in the allergens, hair, dander, or odor.
Most importantly, this air purifier recommended by allergists is not very expensive and will do its job in the best manner possible. You can now be relieved of coming in contact with harmful viruses and bacterias polluting your home while this air purifier works its wonders silently from a corner.
Germ Guardian HEPA Filter Air Purifier with UV Light Sanitizer
When looking for the best air purifier for your kid’s room, you must consider this Germ Guardian HEPA air purifier which comes with 3 color night light projectors that will fill your child’s room with illuminated twinkle moon, stars, animals, or sea creatures.
This air purifier’s low setting can be used to produce a low, gentle white noise that induces sleep, providing better night-rest for your little one. This 11-inch air purifier is perfect for small rooms that do not have ample space. The purifier can eliminate 99.97% germs, harmful bacteria, dust, viruses, pet dander, and pollen.
The air purifiers uv light helps in killing airborne viruses and works with Titanium Dioxide in reducing volatile organic compounds. You can replace the filter every 6-8 months to improve the efficiency of the purifier.
FAQ’s of Air Purifier with HEPA Filters
1. Do Air purifiers remove odors?
Ans: Some air purifiers that come with activated carbon filters usually remove odor from the room, but that is not the same for every air purifier. Other purifiers that have HEPA filters attached to them are not so effective in removing odors.
2. Can an air purifier protect the entire house?
Ans: The area coverage of every air purifier is mentioned on the packaging. If you want to know whether a particular air purifier will protect your house’s entire area, you should compare the mentioned area to that of your home.
3. Does an air purifier make a lot of noise?
Ans: Regardless of what most air purifiers advertise about the mechanism’s noise, every purifier will make some noise while moving the air efficiently. However, you can adjust the noise level attached to every air purifier.
Safeguard your home against viruses
Air purifiers offer a great range of protection against harmful viruses, bacteria, and hazardous miscreants present in the air.
At a time like this, when COVID-19 is spreading like wildfire, every small step towards precaution and maintaining safety measures count. Install the best air purifiers to safeguard your family against these viruses and stay healthy.
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