Home Air Cleaner For Indoor Pollutants

There are many harmful materials present in the air around us and air pollution can be a health hazard.  This environmental health risk can be combated by controlling or eliminating the sources of the pollutants.  In this way you can ventilate your home with clean air from outside.  Sometimes, due to weather conditions ventilation may be limited.  Hence a home air cleaner can be useful to remove the pollutants from the air inside.

A home air cleaner can be designed in such a way that it can be installed in the duct of a home’s central heating.  It can also be put in the air-conditioning duct or the ventilating duct.  In this way the air in the whole house can be cleaned. But it is also possible to clean the air in a single room or a specific area with the help of a portable room home air cleaner. 

How It Works

Most of the time a home air cleaner has mechanical air filters.  These filters trap large airborne particles like dust, pollen, dust mite and cockroach allergen, molds and animal dander.  However, these particles settle quickly and the air filters cannot remove them completely.  When there is some movement in the house, these particles are stirred up, but the larger particles resettle before the air filter manages to remove them.

Most air-conditioners and residential furnaces have flat panel air filters and act as

home air cleaners.  Most of these filters are used to protect the equipment.  But they do filter cat and dog allergens, viruses, bacteria and even dust mite allergens.

The portable home air cleaner has a fan to circulate the air and uses filters to clean the air.  It can be moved from one room to the other and can be used wherever air cleaning is required.  It is quite effective in reducing airborne pollutants, and depends on the size of the room or area it is placed in.

Health Issues

The home electronic air cleaner also removes small particles, but is not effective in removing large particles. Electronic air cleaners may produce ozone, a lung irritant.  Ultrafine particles may also be produced and this occurs as a reaction of ozone with indoor chemicals like household cleaning products, air fresheners, or even carpets. These particles can have adverse health effects. 

The home air cleaner definitely helps to reduce levels of smaller airborne allergens or particles.  But it is not able to remove particles like microorganisms, which can cause disease.  Children, old people or people suffering from asthma and allergies can benefit from a home air cleaner, especially if they are affected by the small particles in the air.  But with larger particles, it is often difficult to control indoor pollution, and hence may not be of help at all.