Whole-Home Air Purification vs. Portable Air Purifier: Which Is Best?

Maintaining good indoor air quality in your home is important to your family's wellness. Because your HVAC system essentially works like a giant filter, plenty of contaminants can settle inside your air duct system and contribute to indoor air pollution.  

Mold, mildew, microbes, allergens, and even small pests can settle in your ductwork over time, and all that gunk can negatively affect your family's health. That's why many households rely on air purification systems to help keep the air fresh and clean between duct cleanings.

If you're considering implementing an air purification solution in your Twin Cities home, our indoor air quality improvement experts at Dust Doctors would love to help you! 

First, let’s go over some of the differences between portable and whole-house air purification systems to choose the solution that best suits your needs. 

The Important Role of Air Purification in Your Home 

Installing an air purification solution is one of the most important things you can do to improve your indoor air quality. 

Sure, your HVAC system has a filter that you replace regularly. However, while your HVAC filter can trap a lot of particulate matter, plenty of airborne contaminants can pass through it and settle in your home's air vent and duct system. 

Even the cleanest environments can contain microscopic particles you don't realize you are breathing. An air purification system helps eliminate potentially harmful particulates and airborne chemicals from your home's air supply.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air quality is significantly less healthy than outdoor air. 

An air purifier can help fix that by removing several harmful particles from your air, including:

• Pet dander
• Dust
• Odor
• Smoke
• Pollen
• Spores
• Viruses
• Seasonal allergens
• Bacteria
• Dust mites
• Other pollutants

How an Air Purifier Works

While there are many solutions out there, and they all work differently, in general, an air purification system cleans and purifies the air circulating in your home. These devices typically use mechanical filtration and HEPA filters or high-efficiency particulate air filters. 

As we mentioned, there are many types of air purifiers with different purification methods. Check out Air Purification Systems: Which Type Is Best for Your Home? for a breakdown of how several of these systems work.

Portable Air Purifiers

Portable air purifiers are generally small and usually sit on a table or in the corner of a room (if you opt for a taller, larger version). These units are energy-efficient options that provide air purification where you need it most, such as in areas where pets frequently hang out. 

Portable air purifiers can also be an excellent option for households that do a lot of cooking, as some cooking fumes can contaminate indoor air with potentially carcinogenic compounds. 

Portable air purifiers are cost-effective and serve as a permanent and efficient air-cleaning solution. If you have a small home or are trying to minimize your energy footprint, this unit could be a great option with a low environmental impact. 

Portable Air Purifier: Pros & Cons

If you're on the fence about air purification systems, you may want to try out a smaller unit before opting for a whole-home system. 

Like their more involved counterparts, portable air purifiers offer a variety of benefits, including:

• Easy transportation between different areas of the home
• Ability to filter the air in the rooms you use most frequently
• Affordable when compared to whole-home systems
• High-quality HEPA filtration removes particles that are virtually invisible.
• Drawbacks of portable air purifiers include:
• Can only filter limited square footage at once
• Multiple units are required for whole-house filtration
• Potential for ozone emissions
• Cannot absorb odors from within ductwork

Whole-House Air Purification Systems

Whole-home air purifiers offer a built-in air purification solution. These are either filter-based purifiers that work at the intake point of your HVAC system or duct-based purifiers installed directly in the air duct path of your duct system.

Some whole-home air purification systems contain 10 times the filter surface area of a standard HVAC filter, adding an extra layer of protection against particle dispersion throughout your home. Most whole-home systems can also be fitted with ultraviolet technology, which works to kill bacteria, viruses, fungi, dust mites, mold, and mildew on contact. 

Because whole-home systems only work when your HVAC system is running, your system must be running all the time. If you don't use your HVAC system constantly, you won't see the benefits of installing this type of system. 

If your home is large, you use your HVAC system daily, and you regularly have your ducts cleaned, this may be a better option for you.

Whole-House Air Purifier: Pros & Cons

When considering whole-house air purification, it's helpful to know whether this type of system is well-suited to your needs and is compatible with your existing HVAC design. 

Advantages of a whole-house unit include:

• Improved odor elimination from within your ductwork
• Autonomous operation
• High-quality air purification for the entire house
• UV light helps eradicate health-harming bacteria, viruses, mold, and dust mites

Disadvantages of a whole-home air purification system include:

• More involved installation process
• Advanced systems can be pricey.
• Must be compatible with your existing HVAC design
• More consistent filtration near the vent return versus other areas of the home 

So, Which Air Purifier Is Right for Your Home?

If you're interested in trying air purification, you might consider starting with a portable unit to determine if you like having an air purifier in your home. 

Or, you might decide that you and your family would benefit from investing in a more comprehensive and more effective air purification device, like an ionic purification system. 

The best way to find the right option for your needs is to discuss them with your local experts at Dust Doctors!

Ionic Air Purification 

Dust Dustors recommends two products for residential and commercial ionic air purification.

Ionic air purifiers are remarkably quiet devices that work by distributing negative ions into the air. When those ions interact with positively charged airborne particles (like dust, dander, and pollen), they bond to them, making them dense and heavy enough to sink to the floor.

Some models also trap airborne particles to a metal plate in their interior via an electrostatic precipitator. These units are capable of trapping just about anything, including dust, debris, pathogens, and odors.

Who should get this device? Ionic purifiers can be a good choice for anyone who really wants to improve their whole-home indoor air quality – and keep it that way. 

Get a Free Indoor Air Quality Improvement Quote in the Twin Cities

At Dust Doctors in Little Canada, Minnesota, we specialize in helping Twin Cities homeowners improve their indoor air quality. We understand the important role your HVAC system plays in keeping the air inside your home clean and fresh and offer a variety of duct cleaning and air purification services to help your HVAC system do just that. 

To learn more about how we can help you clean up the air inside your home, give us a call at 651-319-9777 or send us a message, and we'll get in touch!