Does Air Purification Actually Work for Improving Indoor Air Quality?

Does anyone in your household suffer from indoor allergy symptoms? Maybe you don’t love the idea of millions of microbes floating around in the air you breathe? Perhaps you’re aware that the air inside your home is more polluted than the air outside it? If you’re concerned about your indoor air quality, chances are you’ve looked into household air purification systems.

Whether you’ve looked at standalone filters or more comprehensive whole-house air filtration, you’ve likely got one burning question: do they actually work? Are they worth the investment?

To help you make the call, the indoor air quality experts at Dust Doctors explain what you need to know about indoor air purifiers below.

What is an Air Purifier?

In-home air purification systems come in two forms: standalone units and central air purification systems. Standalone units can be placed in any room and you can run multiple units at any given time. Central units, on the other hand, integrate with your HVAC system and function to filter and purify all of the air that passes through your ductwork.

How Does Air Purification Work?

Both standalone and central air purifiers work by pulling air through an advanced HEPA filtration system that removes up to 99.9% of particulate matter from the air that passes through. Standalone filters contain a fan that pulls in air while central filters attach to your return-air ductwork and filter the air your HVAC system pulls in.

As contaminated air passes through the filter, pollen, dander, dust, microbes, and other particles get trapped in it. Most advanced filtration systems contain multiple filters to ensure they trap as much particulate matter as possible.

In addition to multiple filters, many air purification systems also feature UV technology that effectively neutralizes living microbes. Ultimately, the air that comes out of an air purifier is supposed to be far cleaner than it was when it entered the unit.

The Burning Question: Does an Air Purification System Actually Improve Indoor Air Quality?

The short answer is yes. Air purification systems do filter out a great deal of the potentially harmful airborne particulate matter inside your house. However, it’s important to acknowledge that many of those tiny particles floating around in your air can settle on surfaces throughout your home. Air purification systems are only designed to filter airborne particles — they cannot eliminate dust, pollen, dander, microbes, and other debris from the surfaces in your home.

It’s also important to note that while standalone systems are effective for cleaning the air within their immediate area, they’re not typically designed to handle large areas. If you opt for the standalone version, you may need to place multiple units in various locations throughout your home, depending on the size of your house.

Since central air purification integrates with your HVAC system, it’s designed to provide comprehensive air filtration and sanitization for your entire home.

If you’re serious about improving your indoor air quality, we highly recommend scheduling routine duct cleaning in addition to installing an air purification system. 

Ready to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality? Contact Dust Doctors

At Dust Doctors, we’re indoor air quality improvement experts. We specialize in air purification systems, duct cleaning, furnace cleaning, and a/c cleaning to help Twin Cities residents make sure they’re breathing the highest quality indoor air possible.

To discuss your options for indoor air quality improvement, give us a call today at 651-319-9777 or contact us online. If you’re ready to get started, go ahead and request a free quote here.