How Big of an Air Purifier Do You Need for Your Home?

Your indoor air is polluted more than you think. Dust, pet dander, allergens, pollen, bacteria, and other contaminants are plentiful in your home environment. Investing in an air purifier is one of the best things you can do to create cleaner air in your home. A high-quality air purifier helps maintain indoor air quality and guarantees the health and well-being of you and your loved ones.

If you are shopping for an air purifier (find out how much air purifiers cost), you have come to the right place. There are many factors to consider when shopping for the best air purifier for your home. Choosing the right size is one of the most important considerations when investing in an air purifier. This article provides information on what size air purifier works best for your home.

Why Do You Need An Air Purifier?

An air purifier is one of the best ways to clean the air indoors. Indoor air can be polluted with plenty of triggering particles including dust, pollen, bacteria, pet dander, and other contaminants (see our picks for the best air purifiers for smoke, pet allergies, and asthma). An air purifier helps you to get rid of these contaminants from your home and purify the indoor air. A quality air purifier is one of the best investments to improve indoor air quality in your home or commercial establishment. If your family is prone to allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivities, and other respiratory illnesses, an air purifier will solve these issues and improve the health and well-being of your loved ones. High-end air purifiers are specially designed for allergy relief with multiple filters including HEPA filters to get rid of indoor allergens.

Where Will You Place The Air Purifier?

Before investing your hard-earned money in a quality air purifier, you should know exactly how much indoor space you would like to clean. Do you want the unit to purify indoor air in one room or multiple rooms? Once you have an idea about the space the unit needs to purify, you should take measurements of the length and width of the room/s you wish to purify.

Is The Biggest Air Purifier The Best For Your Home?

No. Investing in an air purifier that’s too big for your home is a waste of money and energy. You should do the necessary calculations to know the right size air purifier for your home.

Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)

The American Lung Association as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognize the CADR rate of an air purifier. Clean air delivery rate indicates how much air will be filtered in an hour by the unit. Common pollutants in a home including smoke, pollen, and dust are taken into consideration when determining this number. The CADR is given in cubic feet per minute or CFM. The higher the CADR number, the faster the unit will clean your indoor air.

How To Choose The Right Size Air Purifier For Your Home?

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (under the program AHAM) developed the 2/3 Rule to consider when determining the size of an air purifier to purify indoor air in your home. The 2/3 Rule states that an air purifier’s CADR number must have a minimum of two-thirds of room size in square feet. For example, a 15X10 feet room has an area of 150 square feet. 2/3 of 150 is equal to 100. If you are buying an air purifier for a 150 square foot room, the CADR number of the purifier should be at least 100.

What Are The Other Features To Consider?

There are hundreds of air purifiers on the market. But all of these products are not created equal. There are many factors to consider when buying a quality air purifier for your home. Your research is crucial to investing in a quality product at an affordable price. Here are some of the most important features to look for in an air purifier:

Type of air filtration technology – There are different types of filters in air purifiers to tackle indoor air pollution. HEPA filters are rated to capture at least 99.97% of particles 0.3 micrometers (µm). Carbon filters are ideal for trapping gaseous pollutants such as VOCs. Ionizers work by releasing charged ions into indoor air. These ions attach to airborne particles. On the other hand, PECO filters don’t trap airborne pollutants but destroy pollutants like VOCs at the molecular level.

Design and ease of use – This is another important consideration when investing in an air purifier.

Noise level – The quietest air purifiers in the market have a dB rating of 20-40 at the lowest fan speed.

Energy consumption – Make sure you look for a unit that consumes below 100 watts on its highest setting.

Low maintenance – Look for a unit that’s easy to clean and maintain.