What Are the Benefits of Having an Air Purifier in my Bedroom? | Sleep Better
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There are countless articles out there that simply review different air purifiers, but few tell you why you need one. This post will inform you why you need an air cleaner in your bedroom, and tell you what the benefits of owning such a unit will mean for you.
Those who are deprived of clean air know the impact of pollution on their lungs, while those who have clean air take their health benefits largely for granted. The greatest benefit of having an air purifier in your bedroom is the fact that you are breathing clean air for several hours at a time.
Clean air is a must for anyone’s health. In a world whose air is becoming more and more polluted, this fact is becoming ever more clear. Today, we hope to address some of the reasons why it can be so beneficial to have an air purifier not only in your home but in your bedroom as well.
As can be expected, an air purifier can make it a lot easier to breathe for everyone, which is the benefit of having clean air. People with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory-related diseases can benefit even more than the rest of the population by having an air purifier in their homes, and especially in their bedrooms.
Now, what is the point in having an air purifier in your bedroom, rather than somewhere else in your home?
Think about how long you spend, say, in your kitchen. Maybe an hour or two a day, your family room is likely at least double that on the weekends. But how long do you spend in your bedroom? That is closer to about eight hours a night, which means you’ll see (or more accurately feel) quite the difference when you wake up.
We all have heard of the benefits of getting plenty of sleep every night, but people seldom focus on the immense weight which the quality of sleep you get. We’ve all slept for several fitful hours and woken up feeling worse off than when we first went to bed. One possible contributor to a poor night’s sleep (especially during the spring and fall), is dirty air. With cleaner air in your bedroom, you will likely get one of the best night’s rest in your life!
Cleaner air equates to easier breathing. Easier breathing equates to a better, more restful, night. In fact, you will likely be able to recuperate for the next day even quicker with an air purifier cleaning the air of your bedroom!
If household odors make it hard for you to fall asleep, then an air purifier can come to your rescue. Many air purifiers come equipped with filters which will remove the odors of cigarette smoke, cooking odors, and many other smells from the air in your bedroom. Some filters are even rated to clean gasses like Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from the air, which has a slew of health benefits, as VOCs are proven to cause diseases later in life.
Visit our article where we share the top seven reasons to have an air purifier in your bedroom to learn more about the importance of clean air while you sleep!
WHY DO I NEED AN AIR PURIFIER?
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a recent report that your home’s air can be up to five times dirtier than the air outside. This unfortunate fact remains true for most of our homes, despite your rigorous cleaning regime. Your home collects pollutants and allergens just like a rug collects dust over time.
An air purifier lends its help to you as it works day and night to rid your home’s air of all of these irritating and potentially harmful particulates which find themselves trapped within the walls of your home with nowhere to go.
Everything from your dog and the scented candle your grandma gave you for Christmas, to your cooking and even your home’s paint release various types of particles and gasses which can be either troublesome or harmful to your health. Rather than throw everything away, and becoming a hermit in the mountains, you can purchase an air purifier that will clean your air right up.
Air purifiers are getting better and better as time goes by, and a lot of units are becoming more and more affordable every day. This essentially results in a scenario that leaves you with no reason to not buy an air purifier. If you are still wondering if you should buy an air purifier, check out our post that examines if air purifiers are worth buying!
WHAT DO AIR PURIFIERS CLEAN OUT OF THE AIR?
Air cleaners clear the air of microscopic particles in the air which you cannot see, but you can nonetheless feel the effects of. These particulates include mold, dander, pollen, dust, VOCs, and a whole lot more. For those with allergies, this can be annoying, while for a few, this can be fatal.
An air purifier removes all of these particles and gasses from the air, depending upon what type of air purifier you purchase. If allergens are your primary concern (and even if they aren’t), then an air purifier with a removable filter is likely your best bet. A HEPA filter, in particular, will provide you with the best possible results in your home’s air.
Air purifiers can also remove harmful bacteria and viruses from the air you and your family are breathing, which can make it a lot safer to breathe your home’s air. Bacteria and viruses like to hitch rides on airborne particles, which you will find yourself breathing in at one point or another if you don’t have an air purifier. This results in everyone in your family quickly falling ill, which, we all know, can be quite miserable.
HEPA filters are great at filtering out bacteria, and they also stop the particles which these pathogens are floating around on. If you are particularly worried about your family members who have compromised immune systems, then check out our article on the subject for seniors and for babies! For those of you interested in killing bacteria and viruses from the air, you will need to invest in an air purifier with a built-in sanitizer, which will kill them as they pass through your air purifier.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TYPES OF SANITIZERS IN AN AIR PURIFIER?
There are quite a few different ways that air purifiers sanitize the air which passes through them, but first, let’s establish why you will actually need an air purifier that can sanitize the air, and how a standard air purifier cannot fit the bill.
Air purifiers which exclusively use filters like a HEPA filter, or a carbon filter, can’t actually kill any viruses or bacteria. They simply capture them and hold them on their surface, which is one of the reasons why you need to replace the filters every so often. A sanitizer will neutralize these pathogens before they get stuck in your filter, which will greatly increase the cleanliness of your home’s air.
This fact is especially true when you are dealing with issues like mold and fungi. In fact, in the case of mold and fungus, your air purifier can actually become your greatest adversary, if you allow a mold colony to take hold of your air purifier. Your air purifier can actually spread the mold spores as it pushes air through its moldy filter into your home’s air! However, this is easily avoidable and is only a problem if you fail to properly maintain your air purifier. Please see our post on combating mold and fungus if this is an issue in your home.
There are several types of sanitizers that are on the market today. They all range in how they clean the air, how well they do it, and how much it will cost you to get the job done. In this article, we will simply gloss over the different types, and how they work without going too deep into detail. Check out our article on the different kinds of air sanitizers for more detail, if you are interested in such a system.
Heat
This is a common type of air sanitation, which kills germs the same way most people sanitize things: it heats them up until nothing can survive. This is sort of like a “brute force” option, which can work very well. These machines generally have a downstream unit that will cool the air off before it reenters your home, sanitized and ready to breathe.
UV Light
A lot of air purifiers come with UV light generators, which is a testament to both how well they work, and to their affordability. They clean the air by exposing all of your home’s germs to harmful UV light, which will kill them. These types are some of the cheapest air sanitizers on the market, and again, they work very well. One of the few drawbacks to this particular design is that sometimes the air your air purifier is cleaning travels through this sanitizer too quick, which limits its effectiveness.
These are the main two types of air sanitizers you will likely find out there, but there are lots of other options on the market besides them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are VOCs?
VOCs also known as Volatile Organic Compounds are chemicals that are released by everyday items such as cleaning solutions, aerosols, and paint. They are known to cause diseases later in life, and they can worsen the effects and severity of Asthma.
What Are Charcoal Filters?
Charcoal filters are one and the same as carbon filters, these phrases are used interchangeably. These filters mainly come in two different types activated and impregnated carbon. Impregnated does everything activated carbon does, but it also targets VOCs, which can be dangerous.
Why Don’t Normal Air Purifiers Capture VOCs?
VOCs are gasses, which means they are a lot smaller than the particles that even a HEPA filter can capture. VOCs have to be captured with impregnated carbon filters, which have special chemicals embedded into their structure so that they can deal specifically with VOCs.
Do Air Purifiers Work?
Yes, and depending on the make and model that you are considering, they work very well! Air purifiers are great for dust control, in addition to combating your seasonal allergies, which you may have thought had no fix. No, air purifiers won’t cure you of allergies, but they will seemingly cure you while you are home, since all of your allergens have been pulled out of the air.
Is it Worth it to Buy an Air Purifier?
It is very much worth it. Depending on the ailments that the air around you causes, an air purifier can actually save you money in the long run. Rather than buying medications to combat the results of breathing poor-quality air, you can clean the air itself! After buying an air purifier, you can literally come home and “take a breath of fresh air” even if you live in New York City!
