Air Filters Reduce Indoor Pollutants

A good air cleaner should be able to remove dust and smoke particles, as well as animal dander, spores and pollen. All air cleaners have a MERV rating attached to them. The higher the MERV rating, the more efficient they are, and the smaller the particulate matter they can remove from your home or business. The more efficient ones may also have a charcoal-activated filter and ultraviolet lights, which will help with both airborne bacteria and odors.

There are two main categories of indoor air pollutants. The first is particulate matter, which consists of microscopic particles suspended in the air. These include dust, pollens, animal dander, dust mites, and airborne bacteria. Then there are gaseous pollutants, known as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). These are produced by paints, varnishes, cleaning products, gas and wood stoves, and new carpets to name a few.

Some pollutants—like tobacco smoke—have both particulate and gaseous components.

What Kind of Air Cleaner is Right for Your Home?

A good air cleaner can also help with family health issues. If you or someone in your home has allergies or respiratory disease, a good air cleaner may be worth the cost if it achieves even a small improvement. There are a few different types of air cleaners:

• Media Air Cleaners draw air through a pleated filter that is large enough to clean your air for months, reducing the number of times during the year that they need to be replaced without restricting airflow or putting unnecessary stress on your HVAC equipment. These filters will come with a MERV Rating to let you know how efficient they are at removing particulate matter.
• Mechanical Cleaners draw air through a filter to capture particles. HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters remove dust particles and potential allergens best, trapping 99.97 percent of all particles 0.3 microns in diameter or larger. Viruses, many bacteria, and other smaller particles can pass through, however.
• Electronic Air Cleaners include electrostatic precipitators (which charge the airborne particles so they stick to a metal plate) and ionizers (which cause particles to be deposited on nearby surfaces). Some air cleaners are a combination of the two technologies, and some additionally have UV features or special filters to remove some gaseous pollutants, as mentioned above.