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Let’s Clear the Air: Room Air Purifiers vs. Whole-Home Air Purifiers

3 minute read

For those who are ready to clear the air and take their Indoor Air Quality more seriously, congratulations! Air purifiers (whole-home, room, or both) can go a long way toward increasing respiratory wellness.

Unbeknownst to many, our homes are filled with dust mites, molds, allergies, VOCs, and more. Actively removing these indoor air pollutants can help fend off allergy and asthma triggers.

First off, there are two main things to look for in an air purifier:

  1. High-efficiency air filters allow you to better optimize your Indoor Air Quality. Look for HEPA or highly-rated MERV filters for a greater effect.
  2. Make sure your air purifiers don’t produce ozone. Ozone is a toxic gas that can have a detrimental effect on your respiratory health.

Let’s dive into the benefits of whole-home air purifiers vs. room air purifiers and identify reasons to utilize both.

Whole-Home Air Purifiers

As the name implies, whole-home air purifiers help clear the air in entire homes, rather than just one or two rooms. These systems cast a wider net that can filter out indoor air pollution and help your family avoid respiratory irritants.

Additionally, since they cover more ground, these air purifiers are usually more cost-effective than purchasing multiple room units.

Whole-home air purifiers can also extend the life of your HVAC system by reducing the amount of dust moving through the system. A cleaner HVAC system offers greater long-term efficiency, so be sure to maintain its upkeep throughout the year.

These air purifiers are also, typically, hidden within your HVAC system and make little noise. They can even be programmed through your home’s thermostat, making it nearly a set and forget solution to breathing easy at home.

Room Air Purifiers

Obviously, opposite from whole-home air purifiers, room air purifiers clear the air in one or two rooms, rather than entire homes. Just like whole-home air purifiers though, room air purifiers are typically programmable and can filter out indoor air pollution, helping your family avoid asthma, allergies, and respiratory irritants.

If you live in a small space like a dorm room or an apartment, or if your home simply doesn’t have whole-home air purification, consider a room air purifier to supply supplemental bursts of fresh air throughout your home. When looking for a room air purifier, you’ll still want to look at the square footage offered to maximize your purification efforts.

Room air purifiers are also extremely portable, which is great. This allows you to use them where and when you need them most—say, allergy season—and then stow them away when they’re not needed any longer.

For some homes, you may find that you want to use them year-round in different scenarios…even if you already have a whole-home air purifier.

The Argument for Utilizing Both

For those with whole-home purifiers, you likely think you’re good to go with your current setup and therefore won’t need an air purifier.

That may not be entirely true.

Whether you have a whole-home air purifier installed or not, it’s never a bad idea to have a room purifier on hand to give your home that supplemental burst of fresh air in a variety of situations.

  • Whenever you’re painting or staining in a specific room
  • Rooms that double as high-traffic areas for pets
  • When the fireplace or wood stove is on
  • On days when allergy aggravators are high
  • In damp rooms where mold may be prevalent
  • In wildfire-prone areas

The bottom line is this: being proactive about the air you and your family breathe goes a long way toward providing greater respiratory wellness. Clear the air, pure and simple, by removing indoor air pollutants and breathe easy.

Find a Pro

Establish a Healthy Home with AprilAire Healthy Air Professionals that care. We have over 4,500 pros nationwide who are ready to help you find the best Healthy Air solutions for your home, no matter what your needs may be. Start your journey with AprilAire.

  • Custom Evaluations and Expert Advice
  • Professional Installations and Maintenance
  • Fast and Friendly Local Service

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