If you're looking to improve the air quality in your home, you may be considering an air purifier. But should you opt for a portable or whole-house model? Portable air purifiers are great for cleaning the air in a single room, but if you want to improve the air quality throughout your home, a whole-house system is the way to go. Whole-house air cleaners or air purification systems work by cleaning the air as it passes through your home's HVAC system. This will remove air pollutants throughout your home, and can also extend the life of your HVAC system by reducing the amount of dust moving through it.
When choosing a whole-house unit, make sure you understand how it works so that you can be sure of its effectiveness. True HEPA air purifiers are filter-based and can take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years to replace a HEPA air filter. An energy recovery ventilation air purifier or heat recovery ventilation system is placed between the oven and the system vent, which purifies the air before it reaches different rooms in your home. The best whole-house air purifier is one that provides total protection against dust, viruses, allergens, VOCs and all types of air pollutants.
Electrostatic air cleaners use an electrical charge to create negative ions on a set of metal plates that attract and trap air pollutants. These have low running costs since there are no filters to replace. Whole house air purifiers are great for those who don't want random devices in their house, as they're out of sight and don't take up any valuable interior space. They provide clean air throughout the house with a single device, and are very good at removing dust, small insects, insect body parts, pollen and larger particles from indoor air.
If you want whole-home coverage, your best option is a whole-house air purifier - but only if you have a central air conditioning or HVAC system. Consider all the factors before making your decision - but if you want to improve indoor air quality throughout your home, a whole-house system is definitely worth it.
