Many have started to pay more attention to some factors of life, like the purity of the water they drink and the air they breathe. The market has been actively responding to that, with many companies creating new and innovative solutions for those issues! Air purification in particular has been a hot topic in the early 2020s. Companies have been trying to make their products more widely available and have been experimenting with completely new trends.
One of those trends is personal air purifiers. Also known as wearable air purifiers, they are designed to meet the needs of an individual. But how do they work, and are they effective in cleansing the air around them?
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
Not familiar with classic air purifiers? Those devices are designed to keep the air clean by running it through a series of filters for particles and contaminants. Some air purifiers also utilize technology like ionization to further improve their effectiveness and sterilize the air more thoroughly.
Classic air purifiers are designed to be used indoors throughout the day. Some use a timer to work through the day and automatically shut off during the night. This allows users to enjoy clean, fresh air without any additional inconveniences like the constant humming noise of the purifier.
How Do Personal Air Purifiers Work?
Personal air purifiers are an extension of that idea, focusing the effect on a small localized area around the user. They are small, portable purifiers that hang around the user’s neck. They are either on a threadlike pendant or running around the entire neck in some more advanced models.
Internally, a personal air purifier does more or less the same as a regular household unit. It runs the air through various filters to capture particles and eliminate micro-organisms. Different models utilize different purification technologies. Some might use active carbon filters, while others use UV light to target microorganisms more directly. Ionization is also a popular approach, in which ions bind to free-floating particles, increasing their weight and causing them to fall or attach to nearby surfaces.
Some personal air purifiers might also feature a built-in transparent screen to cover the user’s face. Those are typically accompanied by a more advanced filtration system which creates a specific airflow around the head. Such models are usually larger and heavier and might utilize a design that resembles a collar running around the entire neck of the user.
Benefits of Using a Personal Air Purifier
A personal air purifier brings many similar benefits to the table as a regular household one. It allows users to enjoy fresh, clean air without making a huge investment into household purification systems or HVAC installations. At the same time, it also enables users to enjoy its purification benefits on the go. You’re no longer confined to your household and can take your purifier anywhere you want.
This is great for travellers and those who live in cities with particularly bad air quality. This is becoming a significant problem in some parts of the world. Regular air masks can only go that far. They might help a little, but they are far from effective in keeping you safe in a heavily polluted environment.
What about viruses? Unfortunately, even advanced personal air purifiers don’t provide a guarantee for the removal of some viruses like COVID-19. If that’s the primary concern, users should look into additional filtration methods that are specifically designed to deal with viruses.
Do Personal Air Purifiers Remove All Particles and Contaminants?
All air purifiers are rated for a certain percentage of effectiveness. That means that they’re guaranteed to remove that amount of relevant particles and contaminants from the air. However, since the number is never 100%, that always leaves a small number of particles unfiltered.
Many filters are rated at above 95% for their targeted particles. Even if they can’t remove everything harmful from the air, breathing in 95% less dangerous particles is still significantly better than breathing them all in. And with the improvements we’ve seen in filtration technology recently, those ratings will likely continue to climb through the 2020s.
Tips for Buying the Ideal Personal Air Purifier
If you’re looking for the ideal personal air purifier for yourself, there are a few things you should consider.
- Weight. Some models are very light and can be comfortably worn on a string around your neck. Others are heavier and bulkier and might cover your entire neck completely. If you’re not particularly strong or plan to wear your purifier a lot through the day, you should focus on lighter, less obtrusive models.
- Purification. There are many different types of air filters available on the market right now, and they are all good at removing specific types of contaminants and particles from the air. Depending on the problems you’re dealing with, you might want to prioritize certain types of filters over others. Take the time to familiarize yourself with what each filter is good for and look for a model that combines everything you need in one package.
- Filter replacement. Don’t just look at the initial price of the air purifier itself. Look into the cost of filter replacements in the long run. Some models can become quite expensive over time due to this factor. Unfortunately, not many users pay attention to that before committing to a purchase.
Final Thoughts
If any of the above caught your attention, you should definitely check out what the market for personal air purifiers has to offer right now. Even if you’re not convinced that a device like this would benefit you with your specific lifestyle, you might change your mind once you see the huge variety of models and filtration systems available out there. And considering the relatively low cost of these devices, it’s a small investment into an important improvement of your lifestyle. If not here is an air purifier that you might find value for money!