Most of us spend a great deal of our time inside our homes. Because of the many different pollutants in the air we breathe, the air in our enclosed homes, schools, and offices can be bad for our health. In some instances the air inside our homes is 2-3 times more polluted than the outdoor air. Some air impurities are particularly detrimental for small children and seniors, and those who have preexisting health problems.

Aside from allergies and respiratory illnesses, indoor air pollutants can cause sore eyes, burning sensation in the nose and throat, recurrent headaches, and fatigue. Some pollutants are at high concentrations, such as carbon monoxide that has the potential to cause death.

The best way to improve the indoor air is to eliminate the individual pollutant sources or decrease their emissions. As an example, you should ask members of your household to refrain from smoking indoors. Fuel-burning equipment ought to be tested for leaks or adjusted to reduce emissions. The best way to control the source of bad air is to ventilate your indoor spaces which will provide cleaner air inside your home. However, bringing outdoor air into the home isn’t always possible because the air outside can have excessive levels of contaminants. In such cases, an air cleaner may be necessary.

Air cleaner cleans and purifies the air several times each hour. Some use internal fans to pull in air and pass it through fine filters which gets rid of airborne particles. Some air cleaners also create ions that bind with airborne contaminants, causing them to increase in weight and fall to the ground.

There are many different models and sizes of air cleaners you can buy, from the inexpensive table-top models to a high-end whole-house system. Professionals recommend that when buying air cleaners you should check its effectiveness, which is shown as a percentage efficiency rate and how much air it draws through the filtering element expressed in cubic feet per minute. The cubic square footage needs to be close to the same volume of your room. Bedrooms usually require small to medium size air cleaners, while living rooms require larger ones. When shopping for air cleaners, you should check energy usage. Evaluate the volts and amps of cleaners you desire so you know how much energy your unit will use.

Indoor air can be as much as two to three times more polluted than outdoor air. Using an air cleaner can provide your home with healthy and clean air.

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