Best Practices to Get the Most Out of Your Air Purifier

For most households, an air purifier is a major purchase. Machines that are good at removing contaminants from the air may cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, so it’s important that you get something that fits your needs. It is an investment that will benefit you and your family for a long time

But sometimes, the details of this are hard to pin down. What makes one model or system better than another? Well, first of all, air purifiers are not one-type-fits-all.  What is best for one person may not be the best for another. But there are general capabilities that are most often valuable to customers, like the collection of smaller particles, and multi-filter design. 

Let’s break down some of the best tips for getting the air purifier you need and the power to make your air livable and breathable inside your home.

The Need for Maintenance

Filters need to be maintained over time. One of the biggest reasons air purifiers are not performing optimally like they once did, is that the filters may need changed or checked.  Not only is filtration not as strong, but also, the air flow can be reduced dramatically, with the buildup of contaminants blocking the air from flowing effectively. If air flow is reduced too long and too much, one can even damage the motor.

Shoppers and purchasers should remember that you can’t get what you need out of a machine if you don’t replace the filter when necessary. That’s the single most important piece of maintenance for your machine – having a filter that’s poised to actually take the contaminants out of the air means that it has to be new enough and clean enough to do its work. Hence the manufacturer guidelines for replacing the filters. Yes, filters may seem expensive, but without good maintenance, you’re not getting the value you want out of your machine. You’re not protecting your investment. 

“I do not suggest cheaping out and trying to run a clogged filter longer,” writes one Redditor on a ‘Cleaning Tips’ forum. “One, it places excessive stress on the motor and shortens the life of the unit. Two, your air flow is cut down and won’t do a good job of filtering anyway.”

We concur.

Maintaining Good Airflow

Another one of the biggest problems with air purifiers is when they’re not in the right position.

You have to think about how the contaminated air will get to your air purifier. Some experts talk about positioning a machine close to where contaminants originate – for example, if someone is smoking on your sofa, having the machine there, by the sofa, could help.

But a bigger tip is to avoid ‘pinning’ or hiding the air purifier in a place that doesn’t get a lot of airflow at all. In other words, if it’s not relevant to the airflow that happens throughout your home all the time, the machine doesn’t do its job as well.

So don’t place the air purifier behind a door, or in a trapped corner or a cloistered hallway. Put it in a main thoroughfare where there’s air from return vents and unrestricted air movement over time.

People do this kind of analysis, airflow analysis, for HVAC, too, and there are modern tools and strategies for laying out a floor space for good “breathing” – so put some thought into your layout.

The Constant Sentinel

This one is also a detail that many people overlook.

It’s that the air purifier does its work over a long time, and certainly not quickly, or immediately, when you turn it on.

Think about vitamins that you take daily. That vitamin doesn’t start to work the first day. What happens is, it builds up in your system and creates a new normal. That’s where you can thrive with a gradual and stable change to your body chemistry.

The same is true with air purifiers, and so it often makes sense to keep them on 24/7 or for a significant number of hours each day. The machine will be working away, slowly taking pollution out of the air. It won’t do it all at once, but its result will be cumulative, so you’ll see a big change over time.

“We recommend 24×7 use and if you need to turn it down to low at night, that is fine, but keep it running,” says Barb Lulay owner of USAirPurifiers.com “It is easier for a purifier to maintain the healthier environment that it is creating than to play catch up.”

Of course, there are other strategies. Some users hit the “8 hour button” or keep the unit going a certain amount of time per day, and sometimes that can be sufficient. Others use an “auto” setting and sure enough, some of these machines will kick in when there’s an “event” like the breakage of some item containing noxious fumes, or the lighting of some combustible. At the end of the day, some contaminants move in clouds, and some machines handle that well. But in general, it’s a good idea to get the consistent “uptime” from a machine to stay ahead of things.

Keep Up with the Source

Speaking of that – of staying ahead of things- what’s contaminating your indoor air? Is it pet dander and odor? Maybe it’s mold spores? Or is it dust mite debris? Or is it some of those volatile chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene that lurk in flooring furniture and consumer products?

Whatever it is, your air purifier will have to keep up. That often means running it on ‘medium,’ and then using the ‘high’ setting as a quick clean periodically.

Your Purification Horsepower

You wouldn’t try to drag race with a tiny little engine, and you shouldn’t try to clean the whole house with a tiny little air purifier.

Basically, don’t undersize your unit. Get the ability to get the job done. We did a post recently on cubic feet per minute and the difference between manufacturer ratings and what you see in the field. Make sure you have what you need to get the right result, including using multiple units for various rooms and spaces instead of just trying to use one big unit for everything. 

The Lulay Team at USAirPurifiers is a family and veteran owned U.S. business, and we are truly here to help with your best interest in mind. Our team will help you to cleanse your indoor air, and get a better result with modern technology that fights air pollution where it lives – and where you live, too! Make an investment in your health and the health of your family, to breathe easier all day and all night.