Do you really need an air purifier?

AIR PURIFIER - PROS AND CONS

Let’s talk about air purifiers today. I’ve received a few requests for air purifiers. I’ve always wondered what’s so great about air purifiers and if it really works.

My goal with this video is helping you decide if you REALLY need a product and then once you decide you need a product - I can help you decide which one can be best for your usecase in the next video.

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Let’s understand the conditions under which an air purifier works and does not work:

1. It is important to know that air purifiers can’t get rid of every pollutant from the air in your house. But it can greatly lower the concentration of indoor air pollution - especially in enclosed spaces.

2. Whether an air purifier works or not for a set of particles depends on the size of those particles. Hepa filters that are used in the air purifier can trap particles above 0.1 microns and nothing below that. So that means -

   1. Yes: pollen, dust, smoke, soot, mould can be captured,

   2. No: Odors like pet odor, smoke odor cannot be captured

   3. No: Other chemicals that are evaporated in air called volatile organic compounds cannot be captured - like paint smells

3. For odors you need an air purifier with an activated carbon filter

4. It does not prevent coronavirus - there is some news floating around that air purifiers can help with coronavirus - which is incorrect. HEPA filters in air purifiers can trap particles as little as 0.1 microns, but the coronavirus is even smaller - 0.06 to 0.14 microns- so does not help.

5. Air purifiers are used to clean indoor air in enclosed spaces. To start with, it was designed for countries where the doors and windows were permanently shut (either due to AC or heaters) - to clean and purify the indoor air. It continues to be the same - for best performance of the air purifier - doors and windows need to be shut and the air purifiers are run throughout the day. If you constantly keep your doors and windows open (which is good) - an air purifier may not work for you till you make it a completely enclosed space

6. While it can help with asthma and allergies, it cannot help with sinus problems per feedback I’ve received from few people I know who use it

AIR PURIFIER IS REQUIRED IF

If you meet one or more of the following conditions - you may need an air purifier for your home.

1. You stay in an area with high Air Quality Index - The Air quality index helps determine the quality of air. In a range of 0 to 500, it determines what’s the acceptable range. You can see on this map approximately what the air quality index is in various parts of India. To give you context - every year in Delhi - the air quality goes beyond 999 - not because that’s the limit, but that’s as much as these monitors can capture. You can get monitors online which can help you determine the AQI for your house or area. Most air purifiers have this inbuilt. You can purchase meters available or use this link to give you an approximate AQI for your area. If it is in the unhealthy reading - you probably need an air purifier. Most air purifiers come with an aqi meter.

2. You stay close to a place with high traffic density - which may be the case for many of you watching this video. Nitrogen and carbon monoxide are found in areas of heavy traffic - even if you keep your windows and doors shut all the time.

3. You frequently have smog in your area - if you stay in or around the Delhi - NCR area - you may be very familiar with this. Soot or smoke particles can be filtered using an air purifier but smog also contains other chemicals that have evaporated into the air - and a hepa filter used in an air purifier is not good for that as those particles are too small to be captured by teh filter.

4. You or your family member suffer from asthma or allergies - Depending on where you live - pollen and dust could be floating around your house. Pollen and dust mites could irritate the airways of people who suffer from asthma or allergies, causing difficulty breathing. Pollen particles can come into the house through open windows or via your clothes when you are outside. Dust mites are the most common indoor allergens - as you can see on the screen, you may have seen those cotton types of collection in areas where your vacuum or broom cannot reach or on top of your fans - those are dust mites. They feed on dead skin cells and multiply quickly in your bed, carpet, and other upholstered furniture.

5. You live with someone prone to cold and flu - Cold and flu are airborne i.e., it spreads through tiny pathogens floating around. That’s why it is so easy for the entire family to fall ill when one person catches the flu. This is because everyone is breathing the same air that’s infected with bacteria and viruses. So if you live with someone who is prone to it - air purifier may be useful to capture these bacteria and viruses

6. You have pets at home - similar to humans, pets also shed skin and hair - that can cause issues such as sneezing, runny nose, wheezing and difficulty in breathing. Air purifiers can help to clean such pet dander

AIR PURIFIER ALTERNATIVES

While in some cases - you absolutely require an air purifier as mentioned above - there are certain things you can do to keep your home and air clean:

1. Choose vacuuming over dusting/using your broom as dusting / brooming just displaces the pollutants from the floor to the air

2. Vacuum your bed, carpet, and floors atleast once a week to eliminate these pollutants.

3. Lack of ventilation in homes has spurred the demand for air purifiers - increase cross ventilation in your house to minimize pollutants remaining inside the house. Ofcourse don’t open your windows if the outdoor air quality in your area is poor

4. Make sure to use an exhaust fan in your bathrooms and a chimney or exhaust in your kitchen and leave it on for a few minutes after use

5. Minimize smoking and use of candles inside the house. If you do, make sure to ventilate. Make sure to ventilate your puja room too as the fumes from the diya or incense sticks can add to the pollutants.

6. Wash your linen often - bedsheets, towels, pillow covers etc should be washed atleast once a week in hot water and use bed covers to keep the allergens out.

So tell me - did this convince you to buy or not buy?