Many everyday activities in the home such as dusting, vacuuming, cooking, smoking, cleaning and burning an open fire or woodstove can increase concentrations of airborne particles and chemicals. Because many modern houses are now virtually draft free it means that there is very little circulation of air. The particles and vapours that build up can seriously affect people’s health particularly those who suffer from hay fever, asthma, rhinitis, eczema and multiple chemical sensitivity. The pollution levels found in many modern homes can be several times higher than the pollution level found on a busy road.

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What to consider when choosing a room air purifier?
In order to choose the correct air purifier for your needs certain factors should be considered.

What do you need to remove from the air?
Are you trying to remove a specific allergen, or resolve a particular symptom?
What is the size of the room that you will usually be using the air purifier in?
Do you need to be able to move the air purifier from one room to another?

Types of filters:
Pre-filters
The function of a pre-filter is to remove large particles.

Particle filters
Particle filters are used to remove particles from the air. These include dust, dust mite fragments and debris, pollens, pet dander, smoke particles and mould spores. Particle filters are either HEPA or Electrostatic

1. HEPA filters - (High Efficiency Particulate Air) These filters are usually pleated and are very dense – in fact as the filters are used
they become denser and more effective until they get clogged up and need to be replaced. A true HEPA filter will remove 99.7% of particles down to 0.3 microns. (A micron is 1/25,000 of an inch. 99% of airborne particles measure 1 micron or less.) Depending on the size of the filter, they can last for several years before they need to be replaced. Because they are so dense they filter very fine particles though the through-put of air is less than with the electrostatic filter we offer. The PermatechTM HEPA filter is a permanent filter that is designed to be vacuumed every few months to keep it clean.

2. FiltreteTM Electrostatic filters - The 3M air purifiers use a Filtrete electrostatic filter that acts like a magnet attracting particles of all sizes. This is less dense than a HEPA filter which means that up to 30% more air can pass through it, giving it a higher CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate).

Chemical and odour filters
Chemical and odour filters are used to remove chemical pollutants and odours from the air. These can be useful for anyone suffering from respiratory problems but are particularly necessary for chemically sensitive people or for anyone living where pollution levels are high either from traffic pollution or from chemical sprays used in a rural setting.

1. Carbon filters - Carbon filters are usually used alongside particle filters and many of our HEPA air purifiers also use a carbon filter. The carbon filter helps to filter out odours and nuisance level vapours. The carbon removes chemicals to a certain extent but the removal is selective and carbon will not remove formaldehyde. Carbon filters usually need to be replaced every 6 to 12 months depending on their size and the contamination level.

2. Zeolite filters - Zeolite is sometimes combined with carbon. Zeolite is a clay that
is mined in the USA that is very effective at absorbing chemical pollutants. This will absorb a range of chemicals including formaldehyde and VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

3. Plasma and titanium dioxide - Plasma and Titanium Dioxide work together to remove viruses, bacteria and chemicals. The technology used in these air purifiers is more advanced than that used with the carbon and zeolite though they can all be very effective at removing chemicals from the air.

4. UV lamp - A UV lamp kills microorganisms and is often used to activate the Titanium filter medium.

Ionisers
Positively charged dust particles become suspended in the air. Ionisers put negative ions into the air that cause positively charged particles to drop. Ionisers also refresh the air, balancing the proportion of positive and negative ions. Some ionisers create a tiny amount of ozone, others create no ozone.

Air sterilisers
Air sterilisers work by actually incinerating air- borne pollutants and are particularly effective for mould allergy. An air steriliser works by convection and does not use a fan to move the air through the unit. Consequently the air movement is significantly less.

Ozone
There are also air purifiers on the market that actually use ozone to destroy pollutants. Ground-level ozone is a poisonous air pollutant with harmful effects on the respiratory system. Ozone is a very unstable chemical and we do not offer these due to the levels of ozone created and because many of our customers can be affected by ozone.

Clean air delivery rate (CADR)
Some air purifiers have a CADR number which indicates the volume of filtered air delivered by the air cleaner. Where a unit has not been tested for CADR no figures are given. There are three CADR classifications - pollen, tobacco smoke and dust. The higher the numbers, the faster the unit filters the air and the larger the room size that the air purifier will effectively clean.

Please use our updated Air Purifiers Chart for a quick comparison of the air purifiers we offer.

Please click box for sub category products and information:
Air Purifiers for the Chemically Sensitive	HEPA and Carbon Filter Air Purifiers	3M Purifiers & Airfree Sterilisers	Wearable Air Supply, Ionisers & Car Air Purifiers	Allergy Sprays	Replacement Filters and other air cleaning products

Siesta Flash Streamer

MCS Asthma Hay Fever Allergic Rhinitis

Relieves the symptoms caused by breathing in polluted air
Brilliant ability to decompose formaldehyde as well as 51 other chemicals and toxins
Virtually silent on Automatic - does not disturb sleep
99.6% allergen removal, dust, particles, pollens and mould
95% deodourising power
99.99% antibacterial power
New lower price