What are air purifiers? What are the types of air purifiers? What factors should you consider when buying one?

Let us share with you the information we have gathered from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The American Lung Association (ALA) and other consumer review sites that will provide you a comprehensive report about in home air purifiers and help you to choose the right one.

An air purifier is a machine that works to clean the air you breathe by getting rid of particles and harmful contaminants from the air in your home. Consumer report for in home air purifiers will tell you right off that you should not consider an air purifier as a silver bullet.

The use of air purifiers should be the last resort of the three-pronged approach towards improving the air you breathe inside your home.

The first one suggests to control the source(s) of pollutants or to reduce their emissions.

The second strategy according to the consumer report for in home air purifiers is to use a ventilation: open windows and doors (as the weather permits), turn on local bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans or use mechanical ventilation systems, which will help improve the air condition of your room.

The third one is to consider getting an air purifier that would actually eliminate bacteria, mold, viruses and any kind of odor.

The four general types of air cleaners available on the market are mechanical filters, electronic air cleaners, ion generators and hybrid devices. They can be incorporated into the central heating or ventilation system, tabletop units or larger portable room consoles.

Factors that you need to consider when buying an air purifier are:

Type of filter. Air filter protects the equipment, the furnishings, reduce housekeeping and building maintenance and reduce fire hazards. Lower efficiency filters can do all this. But it is only in portable room air cleaners that you can obtain sufficiently high levels of filtration that will protect your general well-being.

That’s where HEPA (high efficiency high particulate air) or formerly high efficiency particulate arrestors, are important. “True” HEPA allow no more than 3 particles out of 10,000 to penetrate the filtration media.

They are a bit noisy however. But since it can remove particles as small as 0.3 microns in size that are lung-penetrating particles, EPA and ALA and other organizations recommend using a HEPA filter if you want to use a mechanical filter.

Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). This is a standard developed by the independent Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) to measure the removal of dust, smoke and pollen from the air.

It measures the amount of clean air in cubic feet that an air cleaner delivers to a room per minute of a specific material. Note that a CADR of 50 is appropriate for a room of 80 square feet; a CADR of 80 for 120 square feet; a CADR of 100 for 144 square feet and a CADR of 200 for 320 square feet.

Cost. The costs you will incur in buying an air purifier may include the initial purchase of the unit, maintenance costs (cleaning and/or replacement of filters and other parts) and operating costs (cost of electricity).

The most effective units are generally also the most costly. However, you should check the initial cost with the maintenance cost as some air purifiers that are cheaper may turn out more expensive in the long run if you need to change filters often.

Noise. Air cleaners that have a fan can produce equivalent to a small vacuum cleaner when operating at a high speed. Even at low speed, some models still produce an annoying hum or whine.

You should also note that CADR rates are based on high speed. So it’s better if you purify a room an hour before you use it then turn down the speed when you’re there to minimize the noise.

Here we will review the top ten purifiers based on recommendations from Consumer Reports and other websites that perform a comprehensive tests and present them to consumers. So according to our analysis the top ten air purifiers are:

1. IQAir Health Pro. This air purifier which tops our top ten air purifiers list received the highest rating at Air-Purifiers-America.com and in other reviews. It can filter down to 0.1 micron level size particulates and performs very well on high speed but is a bit noisy. IQAir Health Pro uses hyper HEPA technology and can clean up to a 1,000 square foot room. The Hong Kong Hospital Authority used this purifier during the SARS outbreak. A more expensive unit is the IQAir Health Pro Plus which additionally removes odors.

2. Blueair 601. According to the 2007 Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) Directory of Certified Room Air Cleaners, the Blueair 601 is included in our top ten air purifiers has the fourth-highest clean air delivery rate (CADR) among 40 brands for dust, pollen and smoke removal. It can clean up to a 679 square foot room and has a 10-year warranty. It uses a combination of ionization and HEPA-like filters. Some reviews say that in using this combination technology, Blueair captures a higher percentage of allergens without releasing ozone into the air, like other electrostatic models.

3. Alen A375UV. This is considered the most advanced model under the Alen brand with HEPA filtration, 2 UV lamps for bacterial control, permanent titanium dioxide filter for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and activated carbon for light odor removal. It is good for use up to 400 square feet.

4. Alen A350. This item was found to be quieter than IQAir Health and can clean from 400 square feet up to 800 square feet. Alen A350 contains one filter catridge that contains the HEPA filter, carbon filter and pre-filter all in one. So the replacement filter costs are less and it costs half as much as Blueair or AlenA375UV.

5. Eco-Rx Master Series RX400. Most reviewers prefer HEPA air purifiers over UV models but Eco-Rx can be comparable to IQAir Health Pro and Blueair models using a different technology. The sealed chamber of the Eco-Rx ensures that incoming air remains in the unit long enough to be decontaminated. It also has a safety shutoff feature to minimize the risk of accidental UV exposure. It covers up to 500 square feet. Like other UV-only purifiers, this model is effective only against biological contaminants.

6. AllerAir. This brand uses five stages of filtration and includes high grade activated carbon for chemical and gas control. AllerAir uses HEPA technology and can remove allergens, odors and cigarette smoke.

7. Austin Air Healthmate. Removes dust, pollen and odors in large rooms. Its pre-filters are washable and can be vacuumed. It employs true HEPA filter and controls mold spores, pollen, pet dander, light tobacco smoke and dust mites.

8. Whirlpool Whispure AP45030S. This model has a pre-filter for odors, a filter change indicator and push button controls. It can clean up to a 500 square foot area. The filter replacement cost can add up the cost though. Its pre-filter has to be replaced every three months and the HEPA filter should be replaced every year.

9. Honeywell Enviracaire 50250. This is one of the least expensive air purifiers to receive good reviews. Honeywell Enviracaire is a circular air purifier that has a pre-filter for odors and a HEPA filter to trap allergens. It is designed for rooms up to 375 square feet. This is a cheaper item than other purifiers but is also noisier.

10. Hamilton Beach TrueAir 04161. This air purifier has a HEPA filter, a carbon pre-filter and UV germicidal light. It can cover up to 200 square feet. The carbon pre-filter absorbs odor and the UV light kills bacteria. It works together with the HEPA filtration to be more effective and has a filter indicator.

Tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, including 200 known poisons and more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans or animals.

Every time someone smokes, poisons such as benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide are released into the air landing on walls, furniture and other objects inside your room.

The toxins can also stick to carpet, bedding and light bulbs in the room. Once attached the pollutants start to out gas their toxins making it impossible for air cleaner alone (if one is used) to purify the air efficiently. That is why eliminating smoke odor requires several steps and your dedication to improve your health.

On top of the medical issues associated with smoking a lot of people find smoke odor offensive and inappropriate. Don’t get surprised if non-smoking people or even ones who usually smoke outside would try to avoid you invitations and for a very good reason. The bad odors created by tobacco smoke penetrate the fabric of their clothes and body and stay on for a long while.

Smoke odor may cause irritation to people who suffer from chemical sensitivity. The chemicals associated with smoking may cause sore throats, headaches, digestive problems, nervous system problems, respiratory problems, various allergic reactions, and even cancer in some cases.

Eliminating smoke odor and toxins may become a tedious project. Your major steps should be prevention, cleaning and even masking the odor.
If you are ready to take your indoor air quality under control you should stop smoking inside your house.

1. Step outside for smoke or designate a special isolated room where other members of your family won’t be exposed to a secondhand smoke.
2. Your entire house and your car should be scrubbed from top to bottom. Use highly effective cleaning products like ODOBAN
3. If smoke pollution is too strong you may need to replace your carpet, repaint ceiling and walls and even hire professional upholstery cleaner.
4. Get a lot of fresh air by opening doors and windows.

You may consider buying an air purifier, specifically if you relapse at some point and occasionally start smoking indoor again. In this case spend some time on research and get educated on the best available allergy and smoke odor relief air purifiers and that specifically designed for eliminating smoke odor and toxins.

The IQAir GC Multigas, BlueAir air purifiers with SmokeStop filters, and The Austin Air Plus air cleaners, are all designed by the makers to address this problem. You may also consider getting a small air purifier for your car.

Are you lucky enough to have a basement in your house? Perhaps you are and it is useful sometimes isn’t it? You use it for a variety of things no doubt. Maybe your basement is used as sort of extra storage facility.

You put all the extra stuff you haven’t used since Christmas in or you just have a lot of extra things that never get used and you put it in your basement.

Basements sometimes get dirty. Fact. You might not think that you can do anything about it. You might not think that it’s worth the time to purify or clean the air. Consider the health of the family. Do you want a safe environment for your children? As a good parent you will want to do anything and everything to protect your children from allergies and all sort of nasty diseases.

Does your child have asthma? If so then not only is it absolutely necessary to keep your entire house clean but your garage, attic and your basement need to be clean as well. If you child has ever had an asthma attack then you will understand the importance of making sure the environment is clean, clear and safe.

Ever considered purchasing an air cleaner or purifier for your basement? You may be thinking it’s expensive but the prices are not as pricey as you might expect. As with all products you can find good quality at reasonable prices if you shop around. The Internet is a good place to start and you can find some great deals. When looking for an air purifier there are many good brands to consider.

Brands like Austin Air, NQ Clarifier, IQ Air HealthPro and AllerAir 400 are the best products for cleaning and purifying the basement. The Austin Air Allergy Machine Air Purifier is the same product that is used in many hospitals. Hospitals have to be clean to avoid highly contagious germs like MRSA that spread easily in a hospital.

With all the human contact that goes in and out of a hospital they need a product that can be relied upon to clean and purifier to a quality standard. What’s safe in hospitals is safe for the home.

When choosing a product however make sure that you read the specifics because some products are more targeted toward allergies and some to killing germs. Protection from allergies for the whole family is essential and a fact of modern life.

With our ever-faster pace of life you can’t spend your spare time thinking about cleanliness. You need products that do the work for you automatically. An Air Cleaner or Purifier for your basements is a step in that direction. Be safe and be clean.

The concept of unlocked cell phones goes like this. Carriers that operate on the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) such as Cingular Wireless, AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile use a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card. The SIM card is a microchip that stores subscriber data. It is issued by a carrier and provides cell service by activating any phone into which it is inserted.

A locked phone, as we are used to, will only recognize a SIM card from a particular carrier. An unlocked cell phone, on the other hand, will recognize a SIM card from any carrier. If this sounds like a new thing to you, it really isn’t. In fact, in Asia, about 80% of cell phones are sold unlocked. And in Europe, roughly 70% of cell phones are sold independently of a carrier. Only in US from 90% to 95% of cell phones are locked to a mobile service provider.

Why? Because the carriers subsidize the cost of handsets. Operators usually knock off $50 to $80 from the cost of the phone. This has greatly expanded the market by making phones more affordable but it has also given mobile operators complete control on the cell phones they sell or give away for free.

U.S. cellular operators have been slow to pick up some of Nokia Corp’s high-end N-series phones, which offer high-mega pixel camera and a host of other features that are not found on many phones. This led Nokia to open stores in Chicago and New York to sell their unlocked phones. Getting unlocked cell phone gives you a freedom to choose among a variety of cell phones and their features without being locked into a new one or two-year contract.

Buying unlocked cell phones will turn to buying cheap unlocked cell phones if you travel overseas. Then you can buy prepaid SIM cards that are designed to work in the country you are visiting. This is cheaper than making out of the country calls through your cell phone carrier. You might even find the service more reliable.

Choosing to buy unlocked cell phones will give you a choice to switch cell phone providers without losing your phone. After all, if you have a perfectly good phone, why should you buy a new one? You can also give away your phone if you want to upgrade features or sell it and put the money towards your new unlocked cell phone.