The air quality in a dorm room can vary drastically from one moment to the next. In order to keep the air in your room fresh and clean all the time you need an air purifier. The answers in this article will help you select the unit that will be most effective.
Is a HEPA filter necessary? It is probably the most important filter to have. As the name high efficiency particle arresting indicates, it is incredibly effective at removing particles. What is also true is that it can remove particulates as small as .3 microns with a micron being measured as one millionth of a meter.
And while a lot of airborne viruses and bacteria are smaller than .3 microns, these organisms tend to attach to larger particles to move from one place to another. Because this filter can remove such a large quantity of particles it is solving two problems at once by being able to remove airborne germs too..
Is a small amount of ozone acceptable? The United States Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that any amount of ozone produced is unhealthy.
And ozone at really low levels is not very effective at clearing the air. In fact, in order for ozone to be effective the levels would need to be so high that it would be deadly.
What kind of maintenance should be expected? Maintenance on an air cleaner should be minimal. College life is busy, and when it isn’t very few coeds want to have to perform major maintenance on an air purifier.
Being able to perform maintenance without losing filtration time is a huge advantage. So a maintenance procedure that allow you to vacuum the outside of the unit as it continues to run means your filter is operating at peak efficiency all the time.. Stay away from units that require you to open them to clean them. This can allow the very pollutants you are trying to get rid of to go back into the air.
Will a one-filter air cleaner do the job? One filter won’t work very well or for very long. Since pollutants come in both solid (particles) and gaseous forms it is necessary to have filters that can effectively remove each type.
And even though HEPA filters are great at eliminating particles, carbon filters are best at removing gases, odors and chemicals. To avoid having to use more that one cleaner, your unit should contain both carbon and HEPA filters.
How long should the filter be expected to last? You should expect to get at least 5 years out a cleaner with multiple filters. One of the best types of filters that will indicate this kind of longevity are pre-filters.
As their name suggests, they are the first line of defense against particles. They trap large and medium particles so that they don’t needlessly clog the HEPA that is best left for removing microscopic particles.
An air cleaner that has these features can really clear the air in the dorm room, and is likely to be there for you after college in your first home. Buying the right cleaner allows you to buy once, and ultimately saves you money.