In a nutshell, put your air purifier at the center in your room, don’t block its air circulation, lift it up from the floor when you catch smoke, maintain the sensors and filters regularly, use extra booster fans or multiple purifiers, and leave it ON at lower speeds for 24/7 with doors and windows closed.
Air purifiers are excellent devices to filter indoor air. They have fans and a set of filters to recirculate the air. However, you have to tricky when using an air purifier for effective air filtration.
Here we are to help you! We will give some useful tips and tricks on using an air purifier to get the most out of it.
Let’s go.
Keep windows and doors closed, use an extra fan.
1. Don’t block the air circulation
If this is your first time buying an air purifier, you probably are wondering, which is the best location to place the air purifier? You need to know that the location of your air purifier matters a lot.
Most air purifiers have horizontal air intakes and vertical air outlets. Do not block the air purifiers’ air circulation by any objects. Keep it at least 15 cm from the curtains or walls.
It’s essential to place the purifier on a flat surface such as the floor, nightstand, or table. Whether it has a stand or caster wheels, a flat surface provides stability and ensures better performance.
Use a stool to lift the air purifier up to catch the smoke efficiently. Try to place it at the center of the room. Don’t use HEPA air purifiers in a humid location such as in the bathroom; it will dampen the fibrous media filters.
Avoid placing the air purifier outdoors.
2. Keep the doors and windows closed
Air purifiers work best in an enclosed space. Keep the windows and doors closed when the air purifier is ON. Otherwise, it will take an indefinite time to clean the air in your room.
However, ventilation is necessary for healthy indoor air. Open the windows occasionally to bring the fresh air into the room.
3. Leave the purifier ON 24/7
It is recommended that you run the air purifier 24/7 at lower speeds. Many air purifiers have an auto mode feature. This feature regulates the fan speeds to work efficiently. Some models shutting them down when there is no contamination in the air for a long time.
If your air purifier doesn’t have an auto mode, leave it ON at the lowest fan speeds for 24 hours. As such, it will continuously trap the airborne contaminants without making a lot of noise or going up your energy bills.
You can always get an energy-efficient model for 24/7 operation. Check out our top picks on the best ENERGY STAR certified air purifiers.
4. Maintain the filters regularly
If your air purifier has a washable fabric pre-filter, you can toss it in your laundry machine. For a washable mesh pre-filter, clean it with lukewarm water. You can use some liquid detergents. Dry the pre-filters before re-installing. Do the pre-filter cleaning at least twice a month.
If the pre-filters are not washable, you can vacuum using a soft brush head.
The HEPA or other fibrous filters are only replaceable and not washable. Do not vacuum them if they’re not protected by a net or mesh filter. Replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After replacement, reset the filter status indicator.
Wipe dust and debris from the air intake and outlet grills using a microfiber cloth. Avoid using a wet cloth.
5. Clean the dust sensor lens (if any)
Some air purifiers come with a built-in laser dust sensor. They count the particles in the laser beam using advanced algorithms.
Due to its sensitivity, the lens of the sensor gets covered with dust and debris. To get accurate results from the sensor, clean the glass lens at least once a month.
During the pollinating seasons or wildfire outbreaks, clean the dust sensor twice a month.
6. Use booster fans or multiple air purifiers
Every air purifier has a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) score, and you can find out the ideal room coverage based on your desired air exchange rate. However, in the practical environment, there are some system losses.
No matter how strong the airflow is, it is challenging for an air purifier to catch the pollutants from every corner of the room. This is true around the corners blocked by objects such as flower pots and dressers.
To solve this problem, you can use a fan to circulate the air effectively in the room. Also, you can use two or more air purifiers, especially when your room is big.
Place the fan in the areas where the purifier can not reach.
7. Common practices (Dos/Don’ts)
- Before cleaning the purifier or replacing the filters, always disconnect it from the power outlet.
- Some air purifiers have the child/pet lock feature. While away from your home, make sure to turn on this feature. It helps to ensure that your kids or pets can not tamper with the settings.
- Avoid placing any objects such as books, vases, and others on top of the unit.
- Avoid placing the air purifier in a room where explosive, flammable, or toxic gases and substances are present. These substances can damage the unit or compromise its performance.
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Conclusion
An air purifier helps to remove airborne contaminants from your home or office. If used in the right way, it can keep you and your family safe by effectively eliminating pollutants. Also, they can improve your sleep quality. Overall it will improve your quality of life and productivity.
Remember, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions before operating or maintaining an air purifier.
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