About Air Cleaners
Air cleaners are designed to make living spaces more comfortable. They reduce air pollutants that contribute to the poor indoor air quality, and many filter common allergens like dust and pollen - a great benefit for people suffering from asthma or allergies. If you're considering a room air cleaner keep these characteristics in mind:
They're portable. Many room air cleaners can go with you. If your den and your bedroom are similar sizes, you can move yoru air cleaner to the room you're in.
They're efficient. Some room air cleaners provide more filtering power than whole home units.
They're versatile. Different air cleaner manufacturers offer different featers, styles and filtering technologies to meet different consumer needs.
Air cleaner filtering technologies
HEPA filters
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, and like the name says, these filters are designed to remove 99.97% of all airborne pollutants 0.3 microns or larger from the air that passes through the filter (these include tobacco smoke, household dust and pollen).
ULPA filters
These ultra-HEPA filters are designed to trap 99.999% of all air-borne particles 0.3 microns or smaller from the air that passes through the filter (these include tobacco smoke, household dust and pollen).
Electrostatic filters
Electrostatic units filter the air using static electricity have a static charge on the filter to allow airborne particles to "stick" to the filter, just like static-charged clothing sticks together.
Electrostatic precipitators
These air cleaners create opposite charges on the metal plates or wires in a "filter" assembly. They attract the dust, pollen, smoke and other particles to the plate or grid wire that contains an opposite charge. The assembly can be washed of the particles and used again.
Ionization
Ionizers may be combined with other technologies, including different types of filters. Ionization units emit a small charge to the airstream which cause particles to adhere to the filter or other surfaces by a magnetic-like attraction.