HVAC air filters are not made to last forever. They need to be regularly replaced; everybody knows that. The key question is ‘how often to change air filters in your house?’. As you might imagine, the answer to how often should air filters be changed doesn’t have one size fits all answer. You have to … Read more
A gram of activated carbon can have a surface area in excess of 5,400 sq ft, with 32,000 sq ft being readily achievable. (Wikipedia On Activated Charcoal) Pretty much every air purifier has an activated carbon filter. What does it do and what does “activated” actually mean? We’ll look into what an activated carbon filter … Read more
Here is the basic distinction between HEPA and HEPA filters: HEPA is a standard, developed by DOE. HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air. Filters that meet that standard are referred to as HEPA filters. HEPA filters are nothing more (or less) than filters that meet the HEPA standard, put forward in 1983 by the US … Read more
Mold infestation is one of the more dreaded home problems. Allergies, musty smell, and even structural damage are all consequences of undetected mold infestation. How to do mold inspection and testing? At first, it seems it’s the easiest thing in the world: Mold inspection: Check if there is mold present in your house. Mold testing: … Read more
“When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation.” (EPA on ‘Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners’) We all know the ozone layer. It’s the protecting shield in the Earth’s stratosphere. That’s the good ozone. What is the ‘bad’ … Read more
Here’s the outtake: Air purifiers clean the air, humidifiers make the air wetter when it’s too dry. There is some confusion when it comes to air purifiers vs humidifiers. Some people even wonder if an air purifier is the same thing as a humidifier, ie “Is an air purifier the same as a humidifier?” An … Read more
Where to place an air purifier? In the bedroom, of course. According to the EPA, we spend up to 90% of our time indoors (alongside the 2x to 5x more polluted air than outdoors). At least 8 hours per day is spent in the bedroom (if we’re lucky). That’s why bedroom air purifiers are the … Read more
Large rooms need large room air purifiers. Large rooms can accumulate large amounts of air pollutants. You could put 2 or more small air purifiers in a big room, and remove dust, pollen, smoke, and other air pollutants. Better still, however, is to do the most obvious thing: Get a big air purifier for a … Read more
It’s about the air we breathe. If the promise of an air purifier were true, it would make an air purifier an essential appliance for every home. The reason is simple: We care about the quality of air we breathe. Adults make about 15 breaths every minute. That’s almost 1000 breaths per hour. If we’re … Read more
“I’m looking to buy an air purifier and humidifier. Which ones would you recommend?” This is the typical air purifier and humidifier combo request we get. EPA stated that indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more contaminated than outdoor air. Opening windows during a heating season doesn’t make a lot of sense. On … Read more