Air purifiers absorb room air through a filter and thus clean it of a number of particles that can cause or aggravate allergies. These include not only typical allergens such as animal hair, house dust and pollen. Pathogens can also be filtered out of the air.
When choosing an air purifier, it is important to choose the right size or filter strength. Only if the filter is good enough, all relevant substances can be filtered from the room air. Since many allergy sufferers have problems especially at night, an air purifier in the bedroom is recommended.
What are the benefits of an air purifier for allergies?
Adsorption air purifier are an extremely effective means of providing allergy sufferers with virtually pollen-free indoor air. To achieve this, air is drawn in by the air cleaner and passes through a filter. In this filter, small particles that pollute the air are trapped.
These are mainly pollen, but the air is also cleaned of other substances. In general, air purifiers help against pollen, animal dander and house dust. These particles cause many problems for allergy sufferers because they react directly to the proteins they contain.
But other irritants can also be filtered out by the air purifier, so that the lungs of allergy sufferers are additionally protected. This applies especially to pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and mould spores that like to settle in the already irritated airways of allergy sufferers. Cigarette smoke, for example, can be partially filtered from the air, thus avoiding long-term additions damage caused by harmful substances. While most allergy sufferers already have problems with their allergies outdoors (especially pollen allergies), this effect is usually intensified indoors, where a versatile mix of potentially allergenic substances comes together. Therefore, an air purifier for the home environment is highly recommended.
What air purifiers are available?
Air purifiers are available in different shapes and sizes from a wide variety of companies. When choosing the right air purifier, the most important thing is the choice of filter. For allergy sufferers, three different filtration techniques are useful: HEPA filters are so-called High Efficiency Particle Air Filters.
These are fiberglass mats that filter even the smallest particles from the air. However, they are unable to remove odours, fine dust and gases from the air. Activated carbon filters, on the other hand, are particularly effective against odours, but can also filter pollen, dust and pet hair well.
Common to both methods is that filters must be changed regularly. Allergy sufferers should be especially careful not to inhale harmful substances when changing them. An elegant alternative is the ionizer.
Here the particles in the air are negatively charged and then electrically attracted to the air cleaner. The big advantage is that this method does not require a filter, so it is especially popular with allergy sufferers. Air filters, which are equipped with fragrances to improve the smell in the room, often cause severe allergic reactions and are therefore not suitable.
Another criterion for an air purifier is the size, which should be adapted to the size of the room. Also, the volume of the cleaner can be an important criterion depending on the location.