The air filter is the core component of an air purifier. The air purifier is able to perform its main function of cleaning the air and removing a significant amount of contaminants through the service provided by an air filter.
The air filter is made up of fibrous materials that permits it to sift clean air and separate the dirt from it. Depending on the material used, it can filter different contaminants from the basic irritants such as dust, pollen, and molds up to the advanced pollutants such as second-hand smoke, airborne viruses, and bacteria. Thus, if you want to filter each type of contaminant, there are specific purifier filters that can do the work.
When buying home air purifiers make sure that you get those with HEPA air filters. This type of filters provides high efficiency in filtering the contaminants found in the surrounding air. Due to this, you will be provided with better health protection with air purifiers with HEPA air filters.
HEPA air filter stands for “High Efficiency Particulate Air” air filter. This type of filter is expected to perform better in filtering contaminants compared with regular air filters. Thus, this type of air filter is more preferred by consumers who give utmost significance regarding the safety and health of the air they breathe.
HEPA air filters are not limited to filtering solid contaminants such as dust, pollens, animal fur, molds, mildew, and other dirt particles. It can also filter disease-causing particles such as common viruses and bacteria. Other air filters are not able to filter disease-causing particles therefore you are not completely protected even if you have a regular air purifier. You can be protected with allergy-inducing particles but you are still susceptible to more powerful health risks.
HEPA filters are able to give complete protect through thorough filtering because of the three mechanisms that it uses. These are interception, impaction, and diffusion.
Interception is the mechanism where the contaminants that is embedded in the air sticks to the fiber of the air filter when they come near it. Impaction occurs when larger contaminants are trapped in the fibers and this mechanism become more effective with thinner fiber distance in the air filter. Diffusion happens when contaminants collide with air particles and thus they are delayed in motion which makes them unable to pass through the filter with the air stream.
Other air purifier filters don’t use these mechanisms which make them less effective than HEPA filters. So, the next time you look for an air purifier, check if its air filter is HEPA-certified.