There isn’t just one technology dominating the market, there’d always been different concepts of cleaning the air needed in certain environments. Here you can find the different technologies used on todays market and learn more about air washers, air fresheners and air cleaners or purifiers.
Clean, pure breathing air contributes to greater well-being and performance. Especially in the colder seasons of the year, our physical resilience is strained by excessively dry, dusty room air. Illnesses such as flu, colds but also allergies are then on the rise. Air scrubbers can create better breathing and room air through their cleaning and humidifying function.
How air washer work:
The polluted room air is sucked in by a fan and passed over plates rotating in the water bath. The air is thus washed and cleaned. Even small particles down to 10 microns are bound and separated in the water. The plates then release humidified air into the room according to the cold evaporator principle. Air washers not only clean the room air, but also release humidified air at the same time. The advantage is the self-regulating evaporation, which prevents over-humidification and achieves a constant air humidity without a hygrostat.
Usage of hygienic products is a must!
Due to the dirt dust bound in the water, a hygiene agent or silver ionisation should generally be used with the air washer. Otherwise germs and bacteria can form in the dirty water, which are then released back into the room air. The cleaning intervals recommended by the manufacturer must also be observed.
Good humidifying function
When properly maintained and cared for, air scrubbers offer a good opportunity for clean, fresh breathing air. The double function as air cleaner and humidifier provides protection against dry and dusty room air, especially during the heating period.
You definitly know this situation at home: After cooking or celebrating, through the pet or cold tobacco smoke, the home smells and the air quality is to be assessed rather modestly. A quick grip to a modern room spray or the so-called air freshener seems the quickest help for that. For many situations, this provides better, more fragrant air to breathe. But with some fragrance sprays caution is required, often the ingredients are classified as hazardous to health.
Air fresheners harm the environment and health
Many sprays contain concentrated chemistry, some ingredients have caused cancer in animals in various series of tests. Certain substances are also suspected of eliminating the vital red blood cells. Artificial fragrances and preservatives can also become a problem for allergy sufferers and promote allergic reactions of the respiratory tract. Some ingredients have even been detected in breast milk and can accumulate in human fatty tissue. Relevant test results were published and controversially discussed by scientific eco-magazines.
Some air fresheners release allergenic fragrances like “Hydroxycitronellal”, “Cinnamal” or “Lyral”. Air fresheners can also contain softeners that are used as a stabiliser for the fragrances. Phthalates are suspected to damage the liver, kidneys and reproductive organs of humans.
Typically used in:
- Air freshener sprays
- Scented candles
- Anti pet smell products
- Cigarette smoke disolver
Better natural ventilation
The range of substances contained is broad. Some of the fragrances are currently examined by the Scientific Committee on Cosmetology and Non-food, the WHO and other world wide organisations. In relevant literature, symptoms of disease such as headaches, kidney damage, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose are reported. Chlorinated hydrocarbon can cause red blood cells dissolve and cause a shortage of oxygen in the body cells. Even incense sticks, scented candles and scented oils should be viewed critically, according to the Federal Environmental Agency.
Alternative through HEPA air purifier
Effective systems with special filters filter dust, smoke, odour and allergenic fine particles from the room air. In contrast to the air freshener, the bad air is not covered but filtered out of the room air.
Positive side effects can be seen in reduced dusting and healthy breathing air in the living room and at the workplace.
Healthy air to breathe is important for our health and well-being. The optimal composition for our air consists of approx. 20% oxygen and 80% nitrogen. In fact, indoor air is usually highly enriched with dust, bacteria, smoke and bacteria. Scientific studies clearly prove the high pollution in our living and working spaces. Discussions about the increasing pollution of the outside air can be read in press releases every day. Investigations by all leading environmental protection organisations have meanwhile shown that the air in our living and working rooms is up to 100 times more polluted than the outside air.
How does an air purifier work?
Modern air cleaning systems can help by filtering allergenic and polluting particles from indoor rooms as far as possible with reliable function.
Which air filtration technologies are offered on the market?
- Activated carbon filter
- Electrostatic
- Hepa filter
- Photocatalytic table
The activated carbon filter
This filter consists of a mostly black mat, which serves to remove unpleasant odours, gases and smoke particles. The activated carbon filter absorbs molecules of organic origin. When the filter is used, the consistency tends to be softer at first and becomes rougher and harder over time. For effective functioning, the activated carbon filter should always be replaced in good time.
The electrostatic filter
Electrostatic air cleaners consist of a system of several parallel metal plates that are charged with voltage. Inside the air cleaner are wires that carry a voltage and charge the sucked in dirt electrically. This causes the dust and dirt particles to be attracted by the metal plates and held in the filter. The efficiency is about 95% and is permanently guaranteed with regular maintenance. Electrostatic air cleaners are characterized by good filter characteristics without additional purchase costs for replacement filters. The filter plates can be cleaned by regular cleaning with a vacuum cleaner.
The HEPA filter
Air purifiers differ in the filter media and the respective technology. The most common is the Hepa filter.
The special filters were originally developed for medicine, research and space travel. Today the air filters are used wherever clean air is necessary for health and safety. Clean room technology in laboratories was also quickly discovered as an area of application. Today, Hepa filters are also used worldwide when room air polluted by pollutants leads to health problems. The high efficiency of air purifiers with Hepafilter offers purified breathing air in closed rooms at home, in the office, lounges or at work for more health well-being.
The term HEPA stands for “High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter” which means “filter with high efficiency against particles”.
Air filter efficiency
Modern Hepa air purifiers draw off particles as small as 0.3 microns in size through the filters. This corresponds to a total separation rate for fine dust and suspended particles of 99.9%. So from 10.000 particles only 3 remain. Many devices have been certified by various test and TÜV inspections and are suitable for allergy sufferers according to the guidelines for indoor air hygiene.
Structure of the filters
The surface of the filters is similar to paper in appearance, but consists of particularly close-meshed fabrics made of cellulose, synthetic fibres or even glass fibres. In some cases, up to 1000 layers of the filter fabric are laid on top of each other and joined together. The filter efficiency becomes clear, if the filter surface were spread out, it would be up to 4 m². This corresponds, for example, to a carpet size of 2 metres per 2 metres.
The Hepa filter is characterised by its durability and high effectiveness. This filter system guarantees a constant high efficiency during the filter life indicated by the manufacturer. This is about 3 – 4 times higher than with conventional filters. Suspended particles down to a size of 0.1 micron are filtered out of the air. As a comparison: The diameter of a human hair is about 1000 times larger.
This explains the high filter properties and function against dust, smoke and pollen.
Which particles are filtered?
The filter spectrum for particles is broad and extensive. In general, fine dust, suspended particles and very small particles are filtered out very well.
Examples are tobacco smoke, smoke, house dust, pollen, pollen, mite allergens, animal hair, mould, spores and odours.
Hepa filters can thus rid the polluted room air almost 100 percent of dust and allergens.
The photocatalytic filter
With this type of filter, the dust and odour particles are additionally eliminated with a type of catalyst, similar to electrostatic filtration. This eliminates not only odour particles, germs and bacteria but also disease viruses. The efficiency of this filter system is 99.99% for microorganisms. All filter media are durable and have an antibacterial coating. The function of the photocatalytic air filter is highly effective and offers a long filter service life.
Frequently asked questions:
We are collecting the most common questions about air purifiers and air filtrations systems, and answer them to help you decide and look at the most important factors before buying your system.
The short answer is yes. Air purifiers with HEPA quality filtration capture tiny particles the size of (and way smaller than) the virus that causes e.g. SARS COVID-19.
Read more about here
There are reusable/washable filters on the market, but they are way more espensive than just buying a new filter from time to time. By regularly clean the filter, you can make them last longer, but in case of virus you don’t want to do that.
Like a heavy machine the time as long as a filter lasts is defined by hours they are in use. A high quality filter should las you 4 months to a year, if it’s used a lot, and be replaced by a new filter.Washable filters can be used longer, but they aren’t necessary better or cleaner.
Hepa quality filters remove 99.9..% of all bad particles, but you’re never a 100% safe. Don’t completly rely on that filter and forget about all other safety guidlines. If you having trouble with your breathe in a dry room, you want also to bring more wet air to the bedroom, if your filter is runing there.
In the beginning it will take up to 2 hours to clean a full room, after that it will kick on from time to time for max 30 minutes, to continue the filtering of the room. On average the air purifiers will run for about 40 minutes.
Filter cost vary from $75 – $150, depending on the brand of the air purifier. For bigger purifiery filter may cost up to $200 and should be serviced or replaced per year to validate the unit’s warranty.
Depending on the noise level of the filter, you can sleep while most air filtrations takes place. The cheaper the purifier the more noisy it is. There shouldn’t be any health issue sleeping while a air purifier is running.