Which Air Purifier Works Best in Dorms?
What if you have a child that is leaving for college?
Can they still benefit from air purifiers and enjoy clean, healthy indoor air quality and reduce allergic reactions?
Absolutely! You just need to pick the right air purifier.
Oransi is proud to offer three particular air purifiers that are great for dorm rooms, but first, let’s find out what you should look for in the best air purifier.
What Is an Air Purifier?
Before we dive into which air purifiers are best for dorms, it helps to understand what they are and what they are not, as this will help guide your decision. In the simplest sense, air purifier are machines that pull in air, pass it through a filter, and release clean air into your room. The filters, however, can use many different technologies to achieve the goal of air purification.Cleaning the air is important for many different reasons. Regardless of physical condition, indoor air pollution is a significant problem for people all over the country, and air purifiers can help reduce exposure to pollutants.
HEPA Air Filters
HEPA filters are the most common type of filters used in air purifiers. A HEPA filter is not exactly a specific type, but rather a filter that achieves certain standards, namely 99.97% or better removal of particles down to 0.3 microns in diameter.HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, and they usually consist of a fine pleated material that is able to trap microscopic airborne particles, including pollen, dust, and pet dander. Some brands refer to any pleated filter as a HEPA filter and to ensure you are getting a high-quality air filter you should look at the filter efficiency or MERV rating.
Activated Carbon Filters
Many air purifiers also have activated carbon. Activated carbon is a material that has a high amount of surface space per volume, which means it’s able to trap more chemicals or gases such as odors, tobacco smoke odors or volatile organic compounds, per cubic centimeter than other filtering materials.The key to a good carbon filter is to check that the carbon is of high quality with a coconut shell base and a high surface area to better adsorb gases. Many carbon filters are marketed based on their weight however a higher weight does not mean it will be better at removing odors. The amount of surface area is more important.
UV Light
You will also find air purifiers that use UV-C light, which is an effective method for destroying organic materials such as mold spores. Air purifiers that use this technology usually have a contained section that exposes the filtered air to UV light, effectively killing mold spores so they can’t create more colonies.Air purifiers can use many different technologies, but you should avoid anything that creates ozone. Ozone air cleaners, for example, can give off ozone, which is a dangerous chemical that should be avoided whenever possible.
What Makes an Air Purifier Ideal for Dorms?
Air purifiers come in many shapes and sizes. Some are ideal for large commercial areas, while others are built for small spaces, such as dorms.If you need an air purifier for a dorm, what are the qualities and characteristics you should seek?
Size is probably the most important factor for an air purifier that will be placed in a dorm. You won’t have a lot of space in the typical college dorm, so you need a portable air purifier that can fit in small spaces without crowding the already limited floor space. Preferably it won’t be too wide or too thick, and it should either be able to fit between furniture or be placed against a wall; both options allow you to place the air purifier in your dorm without adding to the clutter.
Noise is also a factor. In dorm rooms, you will be crammed into a smaller area, and you’ll likely have a roommate as well. Having an air purifier with a quiet motor will create better convenience and allow you to use the purifier even when people are studying, reading, or simply watching television.
Best Oransi Air Purifiers for Dorms
The mod jr. HEPA air purifier is one of our best options for providing clean air indoors. This air purifier will give you more than double the cleaning square footage (878 sq ft.) capability than you might need, but it doesn't hurt to have a stronger machine running at a lower speed in a small area.
The mod jr. is still a lightweight purifier at 18 lbs and relatively short at 22 inches tall. This is a very quiet machine (20-56 dBA) especially at its lower settings, which would be perfect for a smaller space.
The mod jr. can remove allergens, VOCs, dust, bacteria, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, and airborne viruses making it a great purifier to clean your indoor air.