Do Air Purifiers Really Work? Seven Common Myths Dispelled

Myth 1. Air purifiers mean that you will not have to ever dust again.

Sorry, but you will still have to get out a Hepa vacuum cleaner and dusting cloth to dust your furniture and floors to be completely free of dust.

Myth 2. If you have allergies, air purifiers can be a silver bullet.

An air purifier is only part of an allergy control program.  When allergens are heavy like pollen, they can fall to the floor before an air cleaner catches them. A Hepa vacuum and steam cleaner are also useful.

Myth 3. If an air purifier has a Hepa filter, it must be effective.

Unfortunately, even if an air purifier has a Hepa filter, other design factors may prevent it from doing a truly effective job so that the unpurified air leaks all around the filter and escapes back into the room.

Myth 4. If you have dust mite allergies, the first thing you need to do is buy an air purifier.

Actually not true. Firstly, you should get dust mite covers for your pillows and mattresses since dust mites tend to congregate in warm moist environments. An air purifier will only capture airborne dust mite fragments.

Myth 5. If you have allergies you should never open your windows and only rely on your air purifier.

Not true; every house needs a certain amount of fresh air exchanges every day. If you do not have an automatic fresh air exchanger, you are best off opening the windows for an hour each day.

Myth 6. Air purifiers with Hepa filters help remove odors.

Hepa filters capture allergens, not odors. That is only achieved through an air purifier that contains several pounds of carbon in a separate filter.

Myth 7.  Running an air purifier at any speed will help air quality.

This is really a big misconception. Consumers often run their air purifier at low speeds to not hear fan noise, but don't realize that they reduce the square footage it will effectively cover. Run the air purifier on high a couple of hours before you go to bed and then turn it on low.