7 Misconceptions About Air Purifiers 

Air purifiers are confusing, we get it. There’s information overload and everything everywhere seems to say something slightly different. 

Oransi has been in the air purifier game since 2009. 2009: the same year Barack Obama was sworn into office the first time, James Cameron’s Avatar was released in theaters, and Kayne West interrupted Taylor Swift at the VMAs.

Do you feel old yet? We do. But, with age comes experience and in our case, a boatload of knowledge about air purifiers. So, let’s clear the air (pun intended) on misconceptions about air purifiers.

Air purifiers aren’t a gimmick, but some are gimmicky. From creative math to bells and whistles like air quality monitors that sure look nice but do little to clean the air, there’s a host of things that are just meant to capture your attention rather than the actual air pollution. 

Some air purifier brands want to boost their numbers for important measurements, but you can always trust the independently sourced Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). CADR measures both air flow and filter efficiency to accurately tell you the square footage a single device is capable of cleaning. 

Air purifiers have one job: to clean the indoor air of pollutants. Air purifiers clean your indoor air with a strong motor and a trusted  high efficiency air filter. Everything an air purifier has beyond a motor and a filter is an add-on that raises the price and isn’t necessarily…necessary.

Because not all air purifiers work the same way. The technology might look comparable, but there’s a big difference in how (or even if) certain technology in air purifiers will clean up your air. We’ll get to the “innovative technology” in the air purifier scene later in this article.

Your HVAC isn’t actually designed to clean the air. This one may seem funny because your HVAC has a filter in it. But this filter is designed to protect the HVAC system from dust buildup, not to effectively protect your lungs from small particles like viruses and bacteria. 

An HVAC system’s main focus is to provide heating and cooling in your home, but an air purifier is what actually cleans your indoor air.

And even if you clean and dust your home regularly, you still need an air purifier. Kudos to you if you stay on top of your household chores.

While this is great for your household hygiene, it’s much harder to clean what’s in the air. Air purifiers catch the dust floating around in your air before it can settle onto surfaces.

Once it lands, you’ll have to clean your surfaces, but air purifiers help to mitigate the amount of dust that settles in the first place. 

Another thing to consider when cleaning frequently is that many household cleaners release VOCs. If you do constantly clean, running your air purifier while cleaning will
filter out all those harmful VOCs. 

Air purifiers with newer technology aren't better. That’s because the basic technology, a powerful motor, and a quality filter, haven’t changed. Similar to the gimmicks we talk about above, there’s a never-ending rotation of products with trademarked technology and new innovations in the industry. But, a strong motor and good quality filter aren’t as slick to advertise. 

Yes, we sound like a broken record already, but air purifiers only require a strong motor and a  high efficiency air filter. 

While it might be enticing to try something new or seemingly cost effective, just because it’s the hot new thing doesn’t mean it works.

And some can even do more damage than good. Ozone ionizers are one of the biggest culprits. These are often used in air purifiers to create a sense of freshness. They are a known health hazard and have no business releasing ozone in anyone’s air, especially where young lungs are; like in schools, classrooms, and nurseries. 

Again, now we sound like a reminiscing parent who always starts sentences with “back in my day,” just trust the basics: a high efficiency air filter and a quality motor.

Of course, air purifiers won’t solve everything. But they will help A LOT. Air purifiers mitigate the symptoms, but they don’t cure the health issue. Running an air purifier will filter out allergens and mitigate symptoms, but if it’s not running then it won’t help and you’ll still have issues. This is why we don’t recommend air purifiers that automatically change their cleaning based on air quality. 

You’ll want the air purifier to clean your indoor air consistently instead of waiting for the air to get bad again and forcing the purifier to work overtime to clean the dirty air. 

Seeing is believing and all of those particles caught in the above pictured filter could have been caught in your lungs instead. Running an air purifier with high efficiency air filter and strong motor throughout the day will catch all of that nasty air garbage before it gets in your lungs. 

Stay savvy out there, folks, and reach out to our US based customer service team anytime if you have questions (or if you’re just curious to see how fast they pick up)!