Fresh Air Genie

Author: Jean-Baptiste

Are Air Purifiers Good For COPD?

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a progressive lung disease whereby your airways are partially blocked and you struggle to breathe can be a lot to deal with. If you suffer from COPD, one thing you will sooner or later realize is the importance of good air quality. In view of this, in this article, I show you whether an air purifier can help you or not.

Before delving into the details, briefly put, are air purifiers good for COPD? The short answer is yes, air purifiers are good for COPD. Air purifiers have proven effective for COPD to the extent that the COPD Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control recommend them as a means of helping treat the condition. However, not all air purifiers are suitable for COPD.

The cleaning byproducts of some air purifiers can prove harmful for COPD sufferers. Besides this, you also have to know how to use your air purifier properly to actually benefit from having one. I explain all these things and more in the rest of this post.

How Bad Air Quality Really Affects COPD

When I started looking into air purifiers and COPD, the one thing I found important to understand is the mechanism of how poor air quality worsens COPD. Only when I understood this did I fully appreciate how good air purifiers are for this condition.

So its all really straight forward. When you have any form of COPD, airborne particles that your respiratory system would otherwise naturally filter out instead get trapped in your airways. The trapped particles, in turn, make it painful and hard for you to breathe.

The particles include pet dander, dust, chemicals, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), exhaust fumes and many others. Your lungs get stressed because the pollutants you inhale reduce their capacity, and cause inflammation and irritation.

Furthermore, inflammation and mucus block your airways or your alveoli get damaged and cannot function properly, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.

In this light, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) constantly warns us of how exposure to pollution particles can worsen COPD and cause COPD hospitalizations and even premature deaths.

You may think you are safe indoors but according to the EPA, the air in your home can actually be up to 5 times more polluted than outdoors. This is further confirmed in a study conducted in 2006, which states that beyond worsening your COPD condition, indoor air pollution can further worsen your overall health.

From all this information you can immediately see that improving your air quality goes a long way in dealing with COPD and this where air purifiers play a significant role if you are COPD sufferer. Air purifiers are made to remove pollutants in your air and can really help you get some relief.

How Do Air Purifiers Help?

The first thing you need to note when it comes to air purifiers and COPD is that COPD is a progressive disease and an irreversible condition. Accordingly air purifiers can in no way substitute your doctor’s medical treatment.

Air purifiers are best placed to reduce the number of indoor pollutant particles that aggravate your COPD. Whether you live with pets, or in an area where you have reoccurring wildfires, good air purifiers can clean the air in your room enough, to a point you will notice the improvement in your breathing.

Many air purifiers will help you get rid of 99.9% of particulates (solid airborne pollutant particles). As mentioned earlier, these include bacteria, viruses, mold and mildew spores, dust and many more COPD triggering pollutants.

Air purifiers can also help by reducing the level of airborne cytokines or cell proteins responsible for triggering inflammations in your sensitive airways. In short, air purifiers help keep your condition under control by getting rid of the airborne gases, vapors, and particulate in your home that can worsen your COPD symptoms.

While air purifiers can help with many respiratory issues including COPD, they will by no means cure COPD. Their role is really only to lessen the symptoms and provide you with some relief.

The best air purifiers will do for you is to slow down the damaging effects of the disease and help make life more bearable. That said they are well worth the benefit they provide.

Which Type Of Air Purifiers Work?

Now that you know how an air purifier can help you with COPD let us look into what kind of air purifier actually works for your condition. There are many types of air purifiers out there and you have to make sure you choose the right kind to successfully get some relief.

With the correct air purifier, you can get rid of a large percentage of the particulates that worsen COPD indoors. However, if you have the wrong type it can be ineffective or, even worse, dangerous.

I won’t discuss all the different types of air purifiers here but will focus on what you should immediately avoid or look for. First and foremost with COPD do not get any type of air purifier that produces ozone or leaves behind any neutralized pollutants in your home.

The main types of air purifiers that do this include Ozone Generators and Ionizers or Ionic air purifiers. Both of these devices produce ozone, however, ionizers produce a fraction of the amount of ozone produced by ozone generators.

The thing with ozone is that it is actually a good cleaning agent and it does an awesome job getting rid of pollutants in your air. However, it has abrasive qualities that cause irritation and damage to even the healthiest of lungs if you inhale enough of it. So you can just imagine how bad it is for a COPD sufferer.

Besides producing ozone ionizers also leave behind thin films of dust around your home which can easily be reintroduced into your air. The film of dust produced as a byproduct by ionizers may not be harmful if you are in good health but with COPD, you do not want to inhale any leftover impurities whether they are neutralized or not.

According to the EPA, the ionized particles that settle on surfaces from ionizers can actually fall into your lungs and get absorbed into your bloodstream. So based on all this info don’t waste your time with ionizers. As for ozone generators, they are as their name describes them. They make ozone and blow it all over your home, so they are best avoided.

The main types of air purifiers you want to go for include activated carbon True HEPA air purifiers or Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) air purifiers and these can either be portable (some even small enough for your desk) or HVAC based air purifiers.

Your choice here will depend largely on your budget once you know the kind of space you want your air purifier to clean and cover. With activated carbon True HEPA air purifiers, you can get rid of particles that are as small as 0.1 microns while a PCO air purifier can get rid of dangerous particulates and gases as small as 0.001 microns.

This means PCO air purifiers will deal with way more types of pollutants and much smaller airborne pollutants than your activated carbon True HEPA air purifier can. I believe the main thing that will determine your decision between the two is the cost.

The few available PCO purifiers are quite pricey compared to the more readily available activated carbon True HEPA purifiers.

I would go with an activated carbon True HEPA air purifier if all I was really concerned about are solid airborne particulates. So these include particulates like smoke, dust, exhaust fumes, pollen, pet dander, some odors, some VOCs and mold spores.

Image Source: https://www.nap.edu/read/11809/chapter/5#48

However, the moment I am concerned about much finer airborne particulates and gases like smog, some viruses, gaseous contaminants and pollutant vapor that’s when I would go for a PCO air purifier. For even more intense protection I would go for a PCO air purifier that also contains an activated carbon filter.

Otherwise, if your air is not so bad (see how you can tell your air quality here), an activated carbon True HEPA air purifier should suffice. Just make sure that if you go the HEPA route you get a purifier with HEPA filters that have a MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) of 11 to 13 or more to get the best level of filtration.

No air purifier will get rid of 100% of all indoor pollutants but for COPD these two types of air purifiers should get rid of most of the unwanted stuff in your air and create a much healthier environment for you. If you want specific examples of these types of air purifiers that do an awesome job I have written a guide on best air purifiers just for you here.

How To Use Air Purifiers Properly For COPD

Once you get your air purifier the next step is to use it the correct way. If you do not use it well your chances of getting good results from it are minimal. The first step in using your air purifier correctly is placing it in the correct rooms.

Ideally, with COPD you should have an air purifier in every single room. This is because portable air purifiers are generally only able to clean the air within the room they are in, especially if you have doors between rooms.

If for whatever reason you can’t have an air purifier in every room then start by installing one in each major room. So that’s your living room and main bedroom where you sleep and your kitchen if you have a standalone kitchen.

At the office, you can even get one that you can place on your desk if you work in a cubicle. Should you only be able to get one air purifier, you can choose to move it around between your bedroom and living room but personally I would place it in the bedroom as first choice as that’s the room where I rest and spend the most time in at home (at least 8 hours).

Once you have gotten an air purifier for each room where you need one, the next step is to position your air purifier properly. The appliance must be placed in an area where it’s free of obstruction, and away from walls to ensure good airflow through its vents and to avoid accidents.

When you have identified your air purifier, also make sure it is able to cover the size of the room you intend to put it in. This means you should measure the room you are in to find its square footage.

Once you know your room’s size, for more efficient air cleaning get an air purifier that covers at least 100 square feet more area than your room’s size. With size matters out of the way, make sure you run your air purifier 24 hours a day, to ensure you have good air quality round the clock.

Don’t worry, this won’t really affect your energy bill too much as most air purifiers are not energy-intensive. Most consume less energy than a refrigerator. If you are concerned about energy consumption though, be sure to get an Energy Star- rated device and one that has smart features to allow you to program your device to turn on and off as you like.

Lastly, you need to maintain your devices regularly as instructed in your manual. This includes keeping the device clean, replacing your filters and parts of your appliance when they get worn out or as per the recommended schedule.

So, this is all there really is when it comes to using your air purifier effectively. There are few other minor caveats, but if you keep to these broad steps, you should get the most out of your air purifier. If you have bought a good air purifier, you should start to breathe with less discomfort as your air gets cleaner by the day.

Other Things You Should Consider While Using An Air Purifier

As I have alluded to throughout this post, air purifiers are not a standalone solution or cure for COPD. They are just a supportive measure and you have to make sure you are firstly following all your doctor’s treatment recommendations before turning to them.

If you are on track with your medical advice then it’s all systems go with an air purifier. It does not hurt to have one before consulting your doctor, but under no circumstance can you rely on an air purifier alone for COPD. So make sure you get yourself medically checked.

As air purifiers do not get rid of every single bad thing in your air you have to implement additional measures when running one to get the best air quality possible. In addition to running an air purifier make sure to clean your house regularly.

Clean using eco-friendly cleaning chemicals that do not contain harsh substances that can trigger your COPD symptoms. You also want to use a HEPA vacuum cleaner to get rid of the dust on surfaces around your home. Personally, with COPD, I would avoid rugs and carpets in my home.

The next thing you can do is get hypoallergenic beddings. You can get bedsheets, mattresses, pillows and all kinds of linen that are hypoallergenic. These reduce the level of dust mite allergens and other allergens in your home known to aggravate COPD.

You also want to avoid harsh scents, from perfumes, deodorants, air fresheners and many other things of that nature. It’s a good idea to also invest in carbon monoxide and radon detectors in your home and also have an air quality monitor running just to know when your air quality is getting worse.

This will allow you to make adjustments quickly and proactively avoid flaring up your condition. Then there are also the obvious things you should do like keeping fit through regular exercise and kicking smokers out of your home, plus quitting smoking yourself if you do smoke.

Lastly, if things get really bad, I think its a good idea to have a respirator on stand by. You can browse through some really great gas masks here that will protect you from the most harmful airborne contaminants.

Besides offering an extra layer of protection, the beauty of gas masks is you can go almost anywhere you like with them without worrying about air quality. If anyone bothers you, just tell them you have COPD and they should understand.

And on this note, I can say that’s pretty much all you need to know about COPD and air purifiers. Let me know if I have missed anything in the comments.

April 18, 2020
5 Powerful Small Air Purifiers For A Bathroom
In my search for a bathroom air purifier, I found many retailers and online stores misunderstand what people are looking for. Most websites I have browsed show me stuff to eliminate bathroom odor. However what I actually want is a device that doesn’t just eliminate odors but also airborne germs, dust and other air pollutants lurking around in my bathroom.

If you have had the same experience as me or if you actually just want an odor eliminator for your bathroom then read on as I think I have got exactly what you are looking for.

I am going to show you some devices worth trying that get rid of both dangerous and annoying air pollutants and odors in your bathroom. In summary, the 5 powerful small air purifiers for a bathroom are as follows,
1. Cogswell Toilet Air Purifier
2. NoMO Air Purifier for Bathroom & Toilet
3. The Odorless
4. Duofresh By Gerberit
5. AeraMax 100 Air Purifier
The 5 devices can be split into 2 groups namely Standalone and Attached devices. All the devices except the AeraMax 100 Air Purifier are attached devices in that they have to be connected to your toilet to work.

These five air purifiers are among the few worth your while for bathrooms. Of the five I personally like the AeraMax 100 Air Purifier which is available at Amazon. Unlike the other options, you can plug the AeraMax pretty much anywhere in your bathroom as long as you have a power socket.

The AeraMax air purifier is a standalone appliance and will improve your air without having to be attached to anything. On top of that, it also deals with both bad odors and air pollutants in your bathroom, unlike the attached purifiers which are mainly focused on eliminating odors.

I talk about all this stuff and the pros and cons of each of the 5 bathroom purifiers more extensively in the rest of this post. I also go over some extra measures you can use together with these devices to ensure your bathroom air quality is always at its best. So read on to learn more about the air purifiers that can best improve the air quality in your bathroom.

1. Cogswell Bathroom And Toilet Odor Eliminator

The first convincing bathroom air purifier I came across in my search for devices that do a sufficient job was the Cogswell Bathroom and Toilet Odor Eliminator. This device works by attaching it to your toilet bowl in a way that allows it to extract unwanted odors coming directly out of your bowl pit.

The manufacturer of the Cogswell Odor Eliminator says it is able to get rid of bad smells in and around your toilet because of the unique Helixion Technology filtration system it uses.

The system neutralizes odors by creating a vortex around your toilet bowl which sucks up and gets rid of odors and releases cleaned fresh air back into your bathroom without using any harmful chemicals or sprays. This device is actually a great option if you have chemical sensitivities.

The substance in its filters that enables it to get rid of bad odors is an enhanced type of activated carbon. Activated carbon is known to absorb odors, vapors, and various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and is wildly used when trying to get rid of odors.

For the Cogswell Bathroom Odor Eliminator, you get your activated carbon in the form of a scented or unscented filter cartridge that can be replaced once it gets saturated. The device is powered by 4 AA batteries and fits easily on the rim of most toilet bowls under your toilet seat.

It has a built-in motion sensor that allows the device to switch on automatically and start cleaning your air before bad odors start to spread and thereby keeping your bathroom smelling fresh at all times. The device features a small led light that comes on to show that it is cleaning your air.

The led light also lights up your toilet bowl allowing you to do your business without turning your bathroom light on when its dark, which is awesome when you don’t want to turn on the lights when you go use the loo in the middle of the night (some of you will know why I think this is so awesome 😊).

Below is a video showing how the Cogswell Bathroom Odor Eliminator works.

A lot of people who have tried the Cogswell Odor Eliminator say it works well but like many appliances, it’s not without problems. The common complaint about this bathroom air purifier is that it munches through batteries.

The reason for this is that the motion sensor is designed in a way that makes the fan and lights work even when it’s unnecessary. To fix this, people have resorted to blocking the sensor with duct tape and removing the duct tape when they want the device to work.

Doing this has seen the batteries last for more reasonable periods of time. However, this kind of improvisation is the last thing you want to do when you spend your hard-earned money on a device designed to work otherwise.

Some people have also complained that the device does not fit well on their toilet but to the credit of the manufacturer they do point out on the product packaging that it won’t fit for everyone’s toilet.

Another thing you have to be prepared for is to replace your filter cartridges every 2-3 months. So in a year, you will need about 5 or 6 filter changes at most.

Despite the quirks of this device, it does get the job done in eliminating odor. If you can deal with the cons, then this device will serve you well. Another thing you should note is that this bathroom air purifier is designed only to eliminate bad odors.

In view of this, go for the Cogswell air purifier if you are only concerned about getting rid of bathroom odors from your toilet bowl. Compared to the other devices I looked at the Cogswell is the most reasonably priced. Check out the Cogswell Bathroom Odor Eliminator here at Amazon.

2. NoMO Air Purifier for Bathroom & Toilet

Next on the list is The NoMO bathroom air purifier. I think the guys who made this air purifier saw the Cogswell air purifier and thought to themselves, “We Can Do Better”. The NoMO air purifier is like the Cogswell on steroids and it accordingly costs twice as much.

It also attaches to your toilet bowl but you are given two attaching options. You can attach it directly to your bowl like the Cogswell, or alternatively, you can attach it to your toilet seat. Once attached the device works by sucking the bad-smelling air out of your bowl pit using its fans and channels it towards its filtration system.

Like the Cogswell, the devices’ filtration system also contains activated carbon which adsorbs the bad smell from your toilet bowl and thereafter releases the cleaned air into your bathroom. It also does this without the use of harmful chemicals.

The video below shows how the NoMO works.

The difference and in my opinion the improvement with the NoMO purifier is that you never ever need to replace your carbon filter. The device is packed with 240 grams of activated carbon which the manufacturer claims will last you a lifetime.

They stand by this claim so much so they will replace your device if your filter fails. Additionally, the NoMO air purifier comes with a motion sensor and a power button so you can turn the device on and off whenever you want.

To get the device working you simply wave your hand at the motion sensor and then it cleans your air for 3 minutes. You also won’t face any battery issues as it has a built-in rechargeable battery just like your phone.

When the battery runs out you can detach the part of the device that contains the battery and plug it into your power supply using its charger to recharge. Alternatively, if you have a power supply near your toilet, then you don’t even need to move the unit and you just plug the charger in and it charges on the spot.

However, you can’t use it while it’s charging. But once it is fully charged, the beauty of it all is your purifier can run for up to 2 months before needing another recharge.

As much as the NoMo purifier is a serious upgrade compared to the Cogswell, it has its flaws. The common issue I have seen with the NoMO bathroom purifier is that it does not fit on all types of toilets.

That said a guide is provided to make sure you know whether or not it will fit for you before you make your purchase. See the picture below for more details.

As much as NoMO claims, the bowl mount will fit anywhere, as I have seen from a number of reviews this has just not been the case. On the size issue, some people have also found that the device is quite large in itself.

Some people’s toilet bowls are quite low and when they install the device it ends up touching the floor and accordingly fitting poorly. But don’t be dismayed if you bought the device and you find yourself battling with sizing. You can always return the device for a full refund within 30 days of getting it.

Another common complaint about the NoMo is the noise it makes when it’s cleaning your air. It sounds like a mini hoover or hairdryer and you can hear it from outside your bathroom. So if you don’t want another distracting noise in your bathroom then you best avoid it.

For some people, the NoMO works but not fast enough but I think this issue comes down to personal preference and you would have to judge for yourself.

It’s another great device to go for if all you are concerned about is odors and no other air pollutants in your bathroom. For a more intense bathroom air purifier than the Cogswell, you can find the NoMO Air Purifier at Amazon.

3. The Odorless

The Odorless air purifier is another bathroom air purifier focused mainly on getting rid of bad odor from your toilet bowl. Though it also uses activated carbon to get rid of odor, it works differently from the Cogswell and NoMo air purifiers.

The device comes in two parts. A fan unit and battery and sensor unit. Instead of being placed directly on your bowl pit you actually place the fan part of the device in your toilet tank while the battery and sensor unit sits outside.

Inside your toilet tank, the fan unit is placed on the overflow-vent pipe of your toilet tank and connected to the battery and sensor unit which is strategically positioned to detect when someone is using the bathroom.

When the sensor detects someone using the loo it turns on the fan in the tank automatically. Then through the overflow-vent pipe and holes in the rim of your toilet, the fan unit sucks the polluted air in your bowl pit.

The fan unit then releases the sucked air into the activated carbon filter core contained within it. Thereafter all the bad odors from your bowl pit get stuck on the carbon and the freshened air is released back into your bathroom.

The video below shows how it works in more detail.

I have heard a lot of good things about the odorless and seen numerous comments that say this unit makes it seem as if no one even used your bathroom after someone has just used it. The odorless also purifies your air without the use of any harmful chemicals.

The manufacturer also claims beyond getting rid of odors, The Odorless also deals with some airborne bacteria that are otherwise released into your bathroom air from your toilet bowl.

The bummer though when running this unit is that you will eventually have to replace your carbon filters and they last for about 120 hours of continuous usage. The Odorless comes with a rechargeable battery and will need to be recharged about every 2 to 3 weeks depending on how often you use your bathroom.

What’s also pretty cool about The Odorless is that it has sensors that warn you when your battery is low or when your filter is almost worn out. This allows you to plan ahead and maintain your device without any surprises.

The main challenge I have seen people face with the odorless purifier is installing it. It apparently should take only 10 minutes to install. However, the installation process requires you to be a bit of a handyman and not everyone is wired that way and I think that’s where the trouble lies.

People complain about not being able to properly align the sensor and so the unit does not detect their presence well when they are using the bathroom and fails to switch on the fan as it’s supposed to. The best solution here is to have someone who is handyman inclined to set the unit up for you.

Some people also complain the unit is not aesthetically pleasing but this is subjective. A less common problem is how the battery behaves. Sometimes the battery has to be recharged for 2 cycles when it is completely drained which is rather unusual but fortunately, this problem happens only with a few faulty units.

The other thing you have to note before you get The Odorless air purifier is that it is not designed for all types of toilets. Though a version for a tank-less toilet is being developed as I write this post, the device is currently only available for toilets with a tank.

Even for toilets with tanks, the air purifier will not work if you have the older float bulb fill valve. This means you have to make sure you have the right type of fill valve in your tank before you this device,

If you have placed your order and it turns out it does not fit in your toilet tank, you can always return the device for a full refund within 30 days of ordering it.

Besides all the complaints, there is barely any complaint about the ability of The Odorless to eliminate bad odors in your bathroom from your toilet bowl. That’s because it does an awesome job. It works well, so much so that the manufacturer guarantees it will eliminate your bathroom odor.

All in all, I would go for The Odorless if I have the correct fill valve and I don’t mind having a device glued on and hanging on my bathroom wall.

It’s also a good device if you want a device that will get rid of some bowl pit airborne germs in addition to eliminating the odor. You can find out more about The Odorless on its website here.

4. The Duofresh By Gerberit

The last of the worthwhile attached bathroom air purifiers is the Duofresh. I have not seen any consumer reviews on this device but its largely marketed to big corporate firms, industry and in luxury home magazines.

The Duofresh only works for tank-less toilets and it really takes things to the next level when it comes to eliminating bathroom odors from your toilet bowl. It’s the kind of device you install when you are revamping your bathroom as it works best with its own uniquely designed ceramic toilet bowl.

It also uses an activated carbon filter but this is built into the flushing system of your toilet. Like The Odorless air purifier, the Duofresh captures bad odors through existing holes in your toilet bowl using an extraction fan.

However the air is instead routed through a replaceable activated carbon filter hidden behind your wall within the flushing unit of your tank-less toilet. Once the air goes through the filters it is unnoticeably released back into your bathroom as clean ozone fresh air.

The device is a work of class and really for you if you are looking for elegance. I am convinced it works just by its intense installation process. It’s built to work. You can definitely not self install this unless you are a proper handyman.

It’s something you would ideally go for when you are initially installing your toilet. Otherwise, you have to do some renovation work and this entails digging into your wall as the electric cable and air extraction pipes for your device run through your wall.

Have a look at the video below to better understand its workings.

This is a powerful device but it’s not for you if you are looking for a plug and play solution.

That said if you get the complete system, you are guaranteed your bathroom air will always be clean, refreshing and free of bowl pit germs and odors. You can learn more about the Duofresh here on Gerberit’s website.

5. AeraMax 100 Air Purifier

There are many stand-alone air purifiers out there to choose from and it was a difficult choice but one such air purifier I found works well in a bathroom setting is the AeraMax 100. It is not exactly on the small side of life, but it’s the smallest standalone unit I managed to find that has proven to be most effective for improving air quality in a bathroom.

This air purifier has both a HEPA and activated carbon filter. Additionally, the air purifier also has an ionizer which you can turn on or off as you choose. Personally I would keep the ionizer off because it releases ozone into your indoor air which can prove harmful if inhaled by pets or children or anyone with respiratory issues.

Using just its HEPA and Carbon filters, the AeraMax 100 can get rid of 99% of particulate pollutants and reduce odors in your bathroom respectively. It can clean the air in your bathroom under an hour if your bathroom is smaller than 200 square feet.

The purifier contains a fan and filtration system in its core and when operating, it cleans your air by its fan firstly drawing polluted air out of your bathroom and passing it through the filtration system and thereafter releasing purified air back into your bathroom.

The process is continuous and the purifier mantains good air quality in your bathroom by moving both clean and foul air through its filters over and over. The device will show you when your filters need changing and it can also sense how bad your air is and accordingly adjust its cleaning speed automatically.

The main shortcomings with the AeraMax I have picked up from countless reviews is that it can be quite loud especially when operating on its highest speed setting. If you get this purifier, you will have to replace its HEPA filter every 12 months and its carbon filters every 3 months.

It’s a slim device that you can squeeze into a corner even in a small bathroom but it would have been better if it was smaller. There are smaller air purifiers out there but it is really hard to find one that will give you great performance in your bathroom over the long term.

In view of this, I would stick to the AeraMax or any standalone purifier of comparable capacity. Additionally, if you find a smaller device that can give you the same performance as the AeraMax don’t hesitate to go for the smaller device. If the AeraMax 100 sounds like it’s up your alley, you can take a peek at it here on Amazon.

Additional Steps You Can Take For Fresh Air In Your Bathroom

Now you have seen all the small air purifiers that will pack a punch in your bathroom’s air quality. However, the journey in improving your bathroom air quality does not end with air purifiers. Below are other measures you can try together with or besides using air purifiers to keep the air in your bathroom germ-free and smelling fresh.

Install A Bathroom Exhaust Fan

If you do not already have a ventilator in your bathroom, installing one can go a long way in freshening up your bathroom’s air. They really help ease the humidity in your bathroom and dissipate bad odors faster.

Keep Your Bathroom And Toilet Brush Clean

Do not expect any device or intervention to improve the air quality and get rid of odors in your bathroom if you do not clean your bathroom, toilet bowl and toilet brush regularly.

Keep Your Towels Clean And Dry

One trick I learned to keep my towel dry is to wipe myself dry using my face towel before I use my bath towel. This way my bath towel does really get wet and stays dry enough to avoid that dirty damp smell. Meanwhile, my small face towel always dries up quickly and rarely smells damp.

That said, you should wash your towels at least once a week to keep them clean. To keep your towels clean and dry and odor-free, you can also look into getting a bucket towel warmer like the Zadro Ultra Large Luxury Bucket-Style Towel Warmer (click to see at Amazon) or install a towel warmer rack like the Warmly Yours Riviera Towel Warmer (click to see at Amazon).

Use Air Sanitizer Spray

To quickly freshen up the air in your bathroom, like when you have announced guests or if you just want your bathroom air extra clean you can spray an air sanitizer spray like Ozium in your bathroom periodically. Ozium will kill bacteria in your air and eliminate your bathroom odors for some time until the odors are produced again from their source.

Use A Dehumidifier

Lastly, if you have high humidity and mustiness in your bathroom, a very effective combination that can deal with this is an air purifier and dehumidifier. The dehumidifier will dry up the moisture and reduce the bad odor in your bathroom.

On the other hand, the air purifier will deal with airborne mold spores and other air pollutants and odorous particles your dehumidifier would otherwise fail to eliminate.

Together the two will help you achieve much fresher air faster in your bathroom. An awesome dehumidifier I have been eyeing for some time that will work very well in many bathrooms is the Eva Dry Wireless Mini Dehumidifier (click to see at Amazon).

There are many other measures you can put in place for improved air quality in your bathroom but it will be a never-ending story if I was to exhaust them all here and so I rest my case here. If I missed anything important or if you have any questions or suggestions, do comment below.
April 18, 2020
Can Air Purifiers Get Rid of Asbestos?
A solution you are bound to come across when you find out the air in your building or home is contaminated with asbestos is an air purifier. However, after digging around for one, you might find yourself wondering if they can actually get rid of asbestos.

In short, can air purifiers get rid of asbestos? Yes, air purifiers can get rid of asbestos. The most effective type of air purifier for asbestos removal is a HEPA air purifier. Though air purifiers can be used by anyone to get rid of asbestos, for safety reasons it is recommended an asbestos abatement professional conducts the process.

Whether you are hiring someone to remove asbestos from your air or doing it yourself, there are a lot of things you have to consider. For instance, in some cases, asbestos is not dangerous so it might be a waste of time getting an air purifier.

In other cases even if a professional comes in and fixes the problem you might still need to get an air purifier depending on how the problem was fixed.

Even during the abatement process, you really have to know how to operate your air purifier for you to actually get rid of asbestos. I discuss all this and much more in the rest of this post and by the end of the post you should be sure about whether an air purifier will help you deal with asbestos pollution in your situation or not.

Is Asbestos Really Dangerous?

Before we explore how air purifiers can help you with asbestos I believe it is very important to firstly know the properties of asbestos and how it is dangerous. Once I understood how asbestos is dangerous, I got a deeper understanding of how purifiers can protect me from it.

If you are reading this post, you likely already know that asbestos has been ranked among the most hazardous airborne contaminants in the world. It was once used widely to build homes and in various industries but once its danger was discovered it has since been outlawed.

So why is asbestos so dangerous?? Asbestos is dangerous because it is inert and when tampered with it produces sharp-edged, fine and lightweight inert fibers that can stay in the air for up to 72 hours before settling.

Because it’s inert, it cannot be naturally degraded or destroyed by any chemicals, sunlight or even high-temperature heat. Accordingly, when you breathe it in, no enzymes in your body can decompose it and the fibers end up collecting in your lungs because they are so tiny.

Eventually, because your body cannot get rid of it, the fibers physically damage areas of your lungs and cause scarring. Chronic exposure to the substance then eventually leads to either asbestosis or a cancer called mesothelioma. This is why asbestos is so dangerous.

Now, though asbestos was banned ages ago, you might find yourself in a situation whereby you still have it in your home or building in one form or another.

Whatever your case, if the substance has not been tampered with yet then rest assured you are still safe as none of it is airborne in your environment.

For instance, I recently discovered that the roof of my childhood home was made of asbestos. After some research, I discovered that the roof tiles were stabilized with cement and other materials and you would really have to damage several of them really badly before you are guaranteed to inhale any asbestos fibers from the debris.

To date, I can say our roof has gone undisturbed and free from any major damage, and I can confidently thank God that no one in my family has had any form of asbestos-related disease. The roof remains largely left alone and there are no troubles there. My family lives safely with an asbestos roof.

Now I know we won’t all have stabilized asbestos and you may find you have a type that crumbles easily. If that’s your case you have to carefully determine if your asbestos is in a place where it will never be tampered with or not.

If it’s in a place where it can easily be tampered with, then this is a situation where asbestos really starts to become a hazard. In this case, you can start thinking about using air purifiers but normally in such a situation you have two main options. You can either have your asbestos encapsulated or entirely removed.

These options will largely depend on the structure of your home or building and how difficult it is to safely remove the material without serious consequences to your building or human health.

On the other hand, if your asbestos has already been tampered with then this is where it is really dangerous. You will be wise to evacuate and seal the rooms where you think the airborne fibers may have contaminated. Make sure to seal the rooms from outside if you have no protective gas mask.

At the same time, you also want to get professionals in asap to assess how bad the level of contamination is and the way forward.

So in summary, in a home or general building setting, asbestos is not always dangerous. Asbestos becomes dangerous when it is in a form and position whereby it can easily be tampered with and this where air purifiers come in to help and you can start looking for one.

How Do You Know If You Have Asbestos Pollution?

What makes asbestos pollution even more dangerous is that it’s invisible. Unless present in considerably large concentrations, it is very hard to tell if you have asbestos pollution as the fibers that get into your air cannot be seen by the naked eye.

In view of this, there are a couple of ways you can tell if you have asbestos in your air. I briefly mentioned earlier about calling in a professional. For anywhere between $200 – $500 you can get someone to come to your home and test for airborne asbestos.

The professionals use a test using an OSHA inspection approach and this is among the best tests you can do. Alternatively, you can do the test yourself for anywhere upwards of US$30. You simply order a home test kit like the Nirtue Labs home test kit from Amazon and follow the instructions.

The test kit comes with tools that allow you to easily draw an air sample from the polluted area of your home. If you suspect your air is contaminated in more than one area of your home or building, then you will need as many test kits.

Once you have drawn your air samples as instructed on your test kit manual, you then mail the air sample container back to the lab for testing in a box and within a couple of days, you will receive your test results by email.

Now if you test yourself and discover you have asbestos contamination in your air, you will still have to call some professionals to come in and assess how bad the situation is and how to go about the problem.

Should I Get An Air Purifier To Remove Asbestos?

Once you have assessed whether you have asbestos contamination and the extent of your problem, you can now decide on whether an air purifier will help you resolve your problem. Here is how I recommend you should go about this decision.

In the case whereby you call professionals to your home and they decide to resolve the problem, they almost always will use an air purifier themselves. Besides other removal equipment, they will come to your home with heavy-duty air purifiers that suck the asbestos fibers out of the air.

Now if you have professionals come in and eliminate the source of your asbestos pollution completely, in this case, you will not need an air purifier at all as all the asbestos is all gone.

However, if your asbestos removal guy had no other option but to encapsulate your asbestos, I think it’s wise to have an air purifier running 24 hours a day in your home just to ensure you are safe.

An air purifier also comes in handy while you are waiting for someone to come in and fix your contamination problem. It can considerably limit the spread of airborne asbestos across your home. That said, until you have dealt with the source of the contamination, your air purifier will be playing a losing game.

In some cases, you can easily get rid of the source of your asbestos pollution yourself. This is where air purifiers will give you the most benefit. In such a situation, you will need an air purifier to clear the air while you get rid of the source and to clear the air after you have gotten rid of the source.

So these are all the situations where you should get an air purifier to deal with asbestos. After assessing your case, should you conclude you need an air purifier, then the best type you can get to get rid of airborne asbestos is a TRUE HEPA air purifier.

HEPA air purifiers are the industry standard when it comes to airborne asbestos removal. When it comes to HEPA air purifiers, to clean your air effectively you want to go with one that can exchange the air in your given room at least 15 times per hour.

If your room is too big for a single air purifier to achieve this, then you can look into getting multiple air purifiers. The higher your air purifier’s air exchange rate the faster it can get rid of the dangerous asbestos fibers in your air. This is, of course, assuming your purifier has great filters.

You will find various purifiers out there that can do the job. For a situation whereby your contamination is contained in one room and you can easily deal with the source yourself a normal household HEPA air purifier like the ones I have listed here should suffice.

However, if you have a more serious case you want to tackle on your own, you will need an industrial-grade air purifier. This is what asbestos abatement pros use. The industrial air purifiers can move much more air (up to 2000 cubic feet) per minute and they also have a much larger filtering surface area.

To add on they are also sealed much better to ensure no leakages or any pollutants seeping through around their edges. A good example of this type of air purifier is the B-Air BA-RA-650-GN air purifier.

This purifier is as good as HEPA air purifiers get when it comes to professional asbestos abatement. So whether you are doing the abatement yourself or you hired someone to do it, if you see an ordinary household air purifier is used, for your safety, your alarm bells should go off on whether the abatement process is being done well or not.

In conclusion, when making the decision on whether you need an air purifier or not,
- You can get one if you hire someone and they encapsulate your asbestos or if you are getting rid of the asbestos on your own.
- However, if your abatement guy got rid of all the asbestos and cleared the air in your home or building with his own air purifier then you do not need to get your own air purifier just to deal with the asbestos.
To be extra safe, make sure to test your air immediately after you complete your air cleaning process and about 3 months later. If your asbestos levels are still high then that means your abatement process was not done well or perhaps your air purifier is not working or of sufficient capacity. If that’s the case you will need more aggressive abatement measures.

How Best To Get Rid Of Asbestos With Air Purifiers?

With the knowledge that a HEPA air purifier is the only type of air purifier that you really need to deal with airborne asbestos, let’s look at how air purifiers actually get rid of asbestos and accordingly how to most effectively use them to deal with asbestos.

The reason HEPA air purifiers are all you need to get rid of airborne asbestos fibers is that HEPA air purifiers are designed to get rid of 99% of airborne particulates that are above the size of 0.1 microns while asbestos fibers range above 0.7 microns in size.

Asbestos particulates are much bigger than the smallest particulate that a HEPA filter can capture making HEPA air purifiers the perfect type of air purifier for keeping them out of the air as they can easily capture asbestos particulates. The way your air purifier achieves this is by sucking air into its core where the HEPA filter is located.

Your air purifier sucks contaminated air in your room into its core. Thereafter the HEPA filter traps and absorbs the contaminant asbestos particles contained in this air. Thereafter once the air passes through the filter it comes out of the purifier all cleaned and free of asbestos into your room.

This process happens several times before your air is completely clean, hence I pointed out earlier the need to have an air purifier that can do over 15 air exchanges per hour or more.

Applying the same principle, the longer you leave the purifier working the cleaner your air gets. In my opinion, if your purifier permits and you can, you should run your air purifier 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Beyond having a high air exchange rate, to get the most out of your air purifier when dealing with asbestos, you also need to note that HEPA air purifiers can only clean a single room at a time.

This means you cannot get rid of asbestos in adjacent rooms just by keeping your doors open. To clean multiple rooms at the same time you need an air purifier for each room. Besides that, for asbestos pollution, you have to get an air purifier that has at least twice the capacity in square feet than the size of your room.

So if your room is 500 square feet, you need an air purifier that can do at least 6 to 8 air exchanges in a room size of 1000 square feet. This allows you to do over 12 air exchanges in your room of 500 square feet.

For your air purifier to work well, you also need to make sure you isolate and minimize airflow in and out of the room. You can do this by simply closing all the windows and doors in the affected room.

This helps ensure your air purifier is not working beyond its capacity and that it mainly targets the pollutants in the affected room and consequently improves the time and performance of your air purifier in removing airborne asbestos in your room.

Next, as I pointed out earlier you have to eliminate your source of asbestos. HEPA air purifiers are designed to be the most effective only in the absence of the source of the pollutant. Accordingly, it is impossible to completely get rid of the asbestos with an air purifier if you have not eliminated the source of pollution.

If you don’t get rid of the source, the best your air purifier will do is reach some form of equilibrium. This is a point below which the level of asbestos in the room cannot be brought down further by your air purifier because more asbestos continues to be released into your air from an ever-present source.

Then beyond this, your air purifier will eventually lose the war because its filters eventually wear out and if that happens you are back to square one. So I can’t stress this enough, start by eliminating the source of asbestos in your home or building if you want to get any joy from your air purifier.

Among the various sources of asbestos pollution the most common include, a deteriorating drywall joint compound, wall insulation or piping insulation. Again I repeat, if you have a major source, you want to get people who do this for a living to come in and clear it out or cover it for you.

If the source is eliminated, and you have got the sizing and positioning of your air purifier right, to state the obvious you need to ensure you follow your air purifiers operating manual as best as you can.

Air purifiers are finicky appliances. You miss a step or bend the rules a little and you get funny smells coming out of your purifier or it will simply stop working or something. So do everything from setting it up, turning it on and changing your filters as instructed in your appliance’s manual.

A thing you should be careful about though that may not be mentioned in your manual in connection with asbestos is to take extra care when you are replacing your HEPA filter. If you tamper with a saturated filter or accidentally bump it, “POOF”, you could reintroduce the trapped asbestos fibers back into your air.

So make sure to firstly carry out any filter changes for your air purifier outdoors, away from any building and secondly you wear a protective mask while you replace your purifier filter. An N99 mask should do the trick.

Lastly, after you have been careful to follow all the steps I have highlighted here, you will be shocked to know that when you finally get your air purifier going, it may take you another 6 to 8 hours before it completely clears your air of asbestos.

So, all in all, you have to exercise a lot of patience and diligence when it comes to using an air purifier for asbestos. If you have played your cards right and got all your ducks in a row your air purifier will work its magic and eventually eliminate any asbestos present in your indoor air.
April 18, 2020
Can Mobile Phone Radiation Damage Your Brain?

With mobile phone usage on the uptick and the introduction of faster mobile network technologies like 5G, fears about how the radiation that mobile phones emit could be affecting our general health and damaging our brains continue to rise.

Many adverse effects of cellphones such as addiction and insomnia are now proven but how about cellphone radiation? Is this something you should really be worried about?

More specifically, can mobile phone radiation damage your brain? In short, yes, it has been accepted scientifically that mobile phone radiation can damage your brain by subtly reducing your ability to remember. However, to date, any other form of detrimental mobile phone radiation effects on the human brain have not been officially accepted.

Whether mobile phone radiation damages your brain remains a highly contentious issue. In view of this, because I am personally freaked out by how mobile radiation could be affecting us and because I love my brain, I decided to dig deep into the research to know for sure and if I need to protect myself.

In my deep dive, besides the accepted finding that cell phone radiation causes memory loss, I also found studies indicating that mobile phone radiation could also potentially cause brain cancer and damage of your brain to blood barrier.

Starting with memory loss, in the rest of this post, I expand more on each of these potential ways your brain could be getting damaged by cell phone radiation. Based on the evidence, I also give you my take on whether you should be worried about your brain because of radiation and what you can do if you are.

Mobile Phone Radiation And Memory Loss?

The only way mobile phone radiation has been found to convincingly damage your brain is by reducing your ability to remember things. This was revealed in a study by Swiss researchers on 700 young adults aged between 12 and 17.

The study was conducted over a 1 year period and entailed participants answering a questionnaire that asked them about their physical and psychological health and their mobile phone habits. Participants were also asked to complete a number of computerized cognitive tests.

Furthermore, for more reliable results, the researchers also used each participant’s phone usage data. They tracked each phone call the participants made, what network the calls were on and how long each participant was on a phone call over the study period.

The study was limited in that all the participants were Swiss-based and it’s not certain if the results would change with geography. Nonetheless, the results showed that mobile phone radiation has a potentially adverse effect on the cognitive function of human beings.

The results also showed the worst affected parts of the brain are the ones most exposed to radiation while you use your phone. This study’s findings are widely accepted because of the rigorous methodology the researchers used and based on its findings, the conclusion is that mobile phone radiation damages your brain by decreasing the performance of your memory.

Mobile Phone Radiation And Brain Cancer

The link between cancer and mobile phone radiation is at the heart of the debate on whether mobile phone radiation damages your brain. I found that there is a lot of vested interest in this issue.

When you look at the research trend on this topic, it seems the telecommunication industry is working against claims linking cellphone radiation to any form of cancer including brain cancer in a similar way as the tobacco industry worked against claims that tobacco causes lung cancer.

I think what keeps the whole cancer-mobile phone radiation link a highly debated topic is that research findings to date are still ambiguous.

Some researchers also claim, if you simply look at the increase in cell phone usage and compare it to the cancer rate it’s hard to conclude that cellphone radiation is causing any form of cancer as the boom in mobile phone usage over the past 20 years barely correlates with the rate at which any form of cancer incidence increased over the same period.

Accordingly, the official statement on whether mobile phone radiation causes brain cancer is that it does not. This official stance is further supported by an already proven scientific fact that unlike X-Ray waves which cause cancer, mobile phone radiation is non-ionizing and non-radioactive and accordingly cannot cause cancer.

The current scientific body of knowledge has led organizations such as the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and The European Commission Scientific Community to advise the public not to worry about getting cancer from mobile phone radiation exposure.

However, what makes me still worry about the cancer link to cellphones is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) stance. They say that since studies on this topic are inconclusive there needs to be more research done to know for sure mobile phones do not cause any form of cancer.

Due to the uncertainty on this topic, the WHO even classified cellphone radiation as a possible carcinogen. So the possibility remains that radiation from your mobile phone could damage your brain by giving you brain cancer or tumors.

With the fear that this matter is unsettled, studies continue to be commissioned by international organizations on the topic of which the largest to date is called the COSMOSExit Disclaimer. This study entails following 290,000 cell phone users over the age of 18 for a period of 20 to 30 years.

Keeping the WHO’s stance and continued studies in mind, I am of the opinion that we all remain at risk of some form of brain cancer from mobile phone radiation until science conclusively proves otherwise.

What’s All This About Cell Phone Radiation Damaging Your Blood-Brain Barrier?

The last alleged way I found in which mobile phone radiation could potentially damage your brain is by destroying your blood-brain barrier (BBB). “What the hell is this?”, you might be wondering.

The scientific definitions state, “the BBB is a part of your body formed by your brain endothelial cells which are lining your cerebral microvasculature. It plays an important part in protecting your brain from fluctuations in your plasma composition, and from circulating agents such as neurotransmitters and xenobiotics capable of disturbing your neural function.”

Simply put the BBB is a barrier between your body and brain that prevents blood that belongs in your body from seeping into your brain. If the BBB is breached, your brain stops to function properly and early studies on the impact of mobile phone radiation on your brain show that their radiation could breach your BBB.

All the studies I found on the potential impact on your BBB were carried out on rats.

In one recent study rats were exposed to radiation for 28 days and it was found that their spatial memory was significantly impaired and that their BBB’s permeability was damaged.

In a 1975 study, a fluorescent dye was injected into the circulatory system of white lab rats and in a matter of minutes of sweeping microwave frequencies across their bodies the dye leaked into regions of the rats’ brains, showing that the radiation-damaged their BBB.

Now you might be wondering why this is not widely spoken about when it comes to mobile phone radiation damaging your brain. I found that studies on the impact on our BBB have been historically suppressed with no clear explanation. Have a look at this study that explains the suppression and I will leave you to draw conclusions as to why.

But conspiracy aside, the BBB damage issue has really been off the radar officially and with no official statement, we can only count on findings from existing independent research and at the moment independent research pretty much says beware of the impact of mobile phones on your brain.

Should You Be Worried For Your Brain?

One common thing all studies agree on is that mobile phone radiation activates your brain cells. However, disagreement sets in when it comes to whether this brain activity is detrimental or not to our brains.

Despite the disagreements, based on the evidence I have gone through in this post, and also other evidence I have not touched on here, my take is you should be worried about your brain when it comes to cellphone radiation. Be concerned most especially for your memory performance.

I think the memory performance issue is also somehow linked to your BBB being breached. The point on which I am however unsure of when it comes to whether you should be bothered or not is the cancer story.

As I have mentioned in this post and as you will find in various studies, as we speak safety standards still do not take into account any non-thermal radiation effects of cellphones. What’s also scary is that safe levels of exposure to cell phone radiation are also not known.

Moreover, you are most likely going to see the negative effects on your brain over the long term as all studies on humans point out. In view of everything I have found and in view of whether you should be concerned, I have chosen to look at things in the following way:

If the WHO is neutral about this subject, and basically maintains the stance of guilty until proven innocent, then until the final verdict is reached I am not taking chances. All in all, I think it is a good idea to lean on the side of caution and moderation with exposure to mobile phone radiation when it comes to your brain and health in general.

How To Protect Your Brain From Mobile Phone Radiation Damage If You Are Worried?

If you have chosen the better safe than sorry route, the first thing to know is that unfortunately, you cannot completely protect yourself from mobile phone radiation.

Also, remember or take note that you get similar damaging radiation from not just cellphones but also other sources around you including, routers, Bluetooth and pretty much all devices that can connect to the internet.

Accordingly, protecting yourself and your brain is really about minimizing your exposure. With 80% of your brain’s radiation absorption coming from holding your phone to your head, the first step to minimizing your exposure is keeping your cellphone away from your head.

For your memory’s sake, you should particularly keep your phone away from the right-hand side of your head as that’s where the memory-related part of your brain sits and is most vulnerable to mobile phone radiation. As keeping your device at a distance really helps, try to use your phone on loudspeaker as much as possible when making phone calls.

If you prefer not to take calls on loudspeaker, you can look into getting a pair of Airtube headset which I talk more about here. Unlike normal wire headsets or Bluetooth headsets, Airtube headsets are EMF free and really give you that extra mile in minimizing your radiation exposure.

You also want to avoid taking phone calls where you have poor network connectivity as in such instances your mobile phone emits higher levels of radiation to keep your call connected. Lastly, if you have a landline, use it instead of your cellphone for phone calls.

Those are the main immediate changes you can make when it comes to minimizing your radiation exposure from your cellphone. As for protecting your brain from radiation from various other sources, there are so many things you can do. To see my complete list of mobile phone radiation and EMF shielding approaches, click here.

April 18, 2020
How To Protect An Unborn Baby From Cell Phone Radiation

In recent years, there has been a lot of concern about how cellphone and electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation could be bad for our health. Even more worrying is their negative impact on fetuses and infants as research continually finds they are the most vulnerable to EMF radiation.

Accordingly, if you are an expecting parent who has been informed of all the dangers, your number one question is likely, “how do I protect my unborn child from all this?”

In summary, how do you protect your unborn child from cellphone radiation? An unborn child can be protected from cellphone radiation by wearing EMF protective clothing, using EMF radiation shields, keeping cellphones and EMF emitting devices at a distance and keeping your electronic devices in EMF protective cases.

Based on the above list of ways to protect your unborn child from cellphone radiation, there is a broad variety of solutions that can help you whether you are at home or on the move.

However keep in mind that, no matter how much anyone makes the claim that their solution can give you full protection, there is nothing you can do to get 100% protection from EMF and cellphone radiation for you or your child.

Every solution you try is really about minimizing your exposure and if anyone claims you can completely protect yourself then as the FTC advises you are likely being scammed.

I explain all this in more detail towards the end of this post after showing you the complete list of various solutions you can implement to protect your unborn child.

The Complete List of Solutions to Protect Your Unborn Child From Cellphone Radiation

Like I have said, there are many measures you can put in place to protect your unborn child from the harmful effects of cellphone radiation. The challenge though is that in your search for solutions and how to implement them, its difficult to find detailed information in one place.

In most cases, when reading articles online, you will find a lot of information on the dangers of cellphone radiation but when it comes to actually protecting your child you will only find a couple of bullet points on what you can do. Besides the lack of details on solutions, you also have to dig around for a while to find all the protective measures you can try.

Accordingly, below is a list of all the solutions I found online that you can possibly try. This list is quite extensive as I spent hours researching to make sure I covered everything you could possibly find recommended online that will be worth your time.

Looking at the entire list, I found that you can categorize the different protective approaches into habits you can adopt and actual protective gear and tools you can use. The list is in no particular order. Have a look and let me know your thoughts or questions if you have any.

1. Turn Off Your Phone And Other EMF Emitting Electronic Gadgets When Not In Use

So let me start with the most obvious but probably the best thing you can do,

“Turn Your Phone Off”.

Though this is not always practical because this is how we stay connected with everyone, turning off our cellphones, laptops, tablets, WiFi and other devices that give off EMF radiation is like literally switching the radiation from your device completely off.

Keep in mind, when you turn your device off you should also make sure that it is not actively plugged into an electrical outlet.Either turn off your sockets switch or just unplug the device entirely. The reason behind this is that live electric cables and charging, device circuit boards and charging devices also emit EMF radiation.

I know, many of us would probably lose our heads by just keeping our gadgets off for an hour or so but think of this solution as a way of reducing the length of time your child is exposed.

Yes, we are always expecting a message or a phone call at any minute but when you are pregnant and concerned about cellphone radiation, for the sake of your child, it’s time to create periods during your day whereby you are not available online or on your cellphone.

Turning your device off is much easier to do successfully when you have your own closed office at work or when you work from home but it’s much harder to pull off if you are a mum who works in close proximity with other people. Like, how do you get everyone else to turn off their devices in a cubicle office space or if you work at the till in a store?

In view of everyone’s unique situation, I found the best way to approach going off the radar is to identify the times in your routine when you are not around people and when you are least active and don’t need your devices and then take advantage of those time slots in your day to turn off everything.

Bedtime is definitely a given as you don’t make phone calls or browse the internet in your sleep. Then during the day, you can switch off, when you are doing chores, relaxing, reading a book or when you are not doing any work that needs you to be online or on your phone.

If you need to use your phone, for music or anything that does not need you to be online, you can also simply put it on airplane mode. Otherwise, then you just turn it off.

Remember, every time you switch off your devices, the less time your developing baby is exposed to radiation and the lower the amount of radiation your child absorbs, reducing the chances of radiation negatively affecting it during its fragile growth stages in your womb.

That said, in places where you are among people and away from home or your private space, you might as well keep your phone on. There is really no point turning your phone off in such cases, but make sure to keep your phone at a distance. I explain this in detail next.

2. Keep Your Phone And Electronic Gadgets At A Distance

When it comes to times when you have to use your phone or any electronic device, keeping these devices as far as you can when you are using them is key. Avoid placing your tablet, cellphone or laptop on your body, especially directly on your belly.

Research shows that if you keep your cellphone at least one foot away from your body, you reduce the strength of radiation exposure to you and your unborn child by up to 80%. Accordingly, at any time you need to be on your phone, either put the phone on loudspeaker or for private conversations, use a pair of airtube headsets.

Unlike normal wired and Bluetooth headsets, airtube headsets do not emit EMF radiation (you can read more about airtube headsets here). In addition to headsets and loudspeaker calls, also keep your conversations as short as possible and opt to chat face to face at home or wherever there is minimal EMF radiation exposure whenever it’s logically possible.

Lastly, a good way to keep devices such as laptops and tablets at a safe distance, to limit your child’s EMF exposure while you are pregnant is to use a lap table.Lap tables help by allowing you to use your device over your belly at a safe distance while you are comfortably seated in bed or on your couch. I talk about lap tables in more detail here.

3. Use A Radiation Safe Pair Of Headsets

I have touched on this already, but this solution is worth repeating on its own. There will be times you may want to listen to something from your phone or on another device through a pair of headphones. You could be at home, at the office, or taking a walk.

I know I am repeating myself, but if you find yourself in any situation where you need a headset rather stay away from wired and Bluetooth headsets while you are pregnant. Stick to a good pair of airtube headsets.

They not only help minimize your baby’s exposure to EMF radiation but also your brain’s exposure. A good way to use airtube headsets to minimize your child’s radiation exposure is to put your cellphone on airplane mode. This obviously means no streaming and that you have downloaded whatever media you need so you can listen offline.

4. Do Not Use Your Cellphone When Your Network Signal Is Weak

Whenever you make a call on your cellphone, the level of energy it emits depends on how strong the signal you are receiving from your network tower is. As your signal strength improves, your cellphone uses less and less energy when it connects to your network and accordingly emits less radiation.

All this means is that you should avoid using your phone when your signal is low. By doing this you will reduce the level of radiation you and your child are exposed to. Some common places where your signal is likely to be low is in elevators, while you are driving or in your basement. So avoid using your phone or connected gadgets in these areas.

5. Switch To A Phone And Devices With Lower Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) Value

One thing I discovered when exploring the harmful effects of EMF radiation is that based on industry regulations every single cellphone gets a rating for the level of radiation it emits.

The rating is called the specific absorption rate (SAR) value and it tells you the highest level of radiation you or your baby’s body can absorb from your cellphone when you are using it.

The approach here is to switch to a cellphone with the lowest SAR during your pregnancy. According to the FTC, this approach is supposed to ensure your child absorbs as little radiation as possible while you use your phone. However, there is a lot of debate on whether SAR values are reliable.

EMF Academy explains the reliability of SAR values well and provides a table with SAR Values for common cellphones here. You can also search for your specific devices SAR value on the FCC’s website here.

6. Use Alternative Safer Modes Of Communication

There are a couple of alternative means of communication that emit less EMF radiation and you can use to lower your unborn child’s exposure to cellphone radiation. During your pregnancy opt to send text messages rather than make phone calls wherever possible.

This is becoming less common but if you can, switch to a landline and make sure you use a corded phone. WiFi calling is also much better than a normal voice call but landlines are by far the best option for phone calls when it comes to protecting your unborn child.

In addition to switching to a landline, you can actually get rid of your WiFi during your pregnancy by installing Ethernet cables in your home that run from your router to your laptop and a variety of devices that need the internet to work. This method takes care of EMF emissions through WiFi from your router and laptop.

7. Keep Your Phone Or EMF Emitting Electronic Gadget In A Radiation Shielding Case

EMF protective covers, casing, and sleeves are now very common for most electronic gadgets. You should definitely get one for your cellphone so you can easily place it in your pocket without any worry. Besides your cellphone, get one for your laptop and tablet too.

EMF protective casings work by containing radiation emitted by your gadget within the casing and thereby preventing you and your child from getting exposed to radiation. The casings block EMF radiation without affecting your device’s signal quality.

Beyond using a casing, it is also smart to get an EMF protective bag to put your devices in. The bag will not only prevent you from carrying your gadgets in your pocket or too close to your belly and body when you are on the move but it will block any EMF radiation being emitted by any gadget placed in your bag. For more on casings and bags you can go here.

8. Wear Anti-Radiation Clothing

With people increasingly conscious of cellphone and EMF radiation, companies are now starting to manufacture more EMF protective clothing. Your selection of clothing will obviously be limited but a lot of the clothing is well suited for pregnant women.

You can now get tee shirts, camisoles or belly bands that will keep out radiation coming towards your belly bump from all angles. The clothing is able to keep out EMF radiation because it is lined with silver fibers that neutralize approaching electromagnetic waves.

EMF protective clothing are a tried and tested concept. Before they started being made for consumers, they were already an industry standard for workers working under conditions whereby they are at risk of EMF exposure.

The trouble with EMF protective clothing though is that they can make you feel extremely and uncomfortably hot and stuffy under hot weather conditions. Otherwise, they are a great way to minimize your baby’s pre-birth exposure to cellphone radiation, especially when you are out and about and in public spaces.

Besides wearable clothing, you also have a variety of EMF protective blankets you can put over your belly to keep the radiation at bay (learn more about EMF clothing here).

9. Sleep In An EMF Shielding Bed Canopy

The best way and time to avoid EMF and cellphone radiation is during nap time. In addition to turning your devices off, and snuggling up with a comfortable EMF shielding blanket, you can use an EMF shielding canopy.

An EMF shielding bed canopy is literally a mosquito net made out of silver fiber material. Like EMF clothing the net keeps out EMF radiation not just from your gadgets but also from harder to avoid sources like cellphone towers, and dirty electricity from your home among others.

If you are familiar with Faraday cages, EMF bed canopies use exactly the same principal. They come in all shapes and sizes but if you cannot find one tailored for your needs, you can also buy the canopy material and have it tailor-made.

With an EMF Bed Canopy, you not only protect your child from direct EMF radiation exposure but you also improve your sleep which is great for your baby’s development.

Your sleep improves because as you block out all forms of EMF radiation, the radiation stops messing with your natural ability to produce melatonin.

Melatonin regulates your sleeping pattern ensuring you get enough sleep and that your body properly repairs itself as you sleep. So by limiting your radiation exposure, you optimize your body’s supply of melatonin and your nap time.

10. Use EMF Shielding Paint

EMF shielding paint is a conductive paint that prevents EMF radiation from entering your home through walls. Normally this paint is black and you paint your wall with it just like you do with regular paint.

Some experts advise that you use two coats of shielding paint for more effective protection but one coat of paint will work just fine. However, be sure to have your wall properly grounded when applying the paint so that you can more effectively neutralize radiation as it comes in contact with your wall.

Also take note that, once you apply the EMF paint and it has dried, you can further paint on top of it with any color regular paint. So don’t worry if you don’t like the color of the shielding paint. You can always apply whatever color paint you want over it.

11. Eat Healthy

When protecting your unborn child from cellphone radiation, like for other health conditions, what you eat will go a long way. Studies show that you are more vulnerable to radiation if your body does not have enough, potassium, calcium, and certain other nutrients.

Like you do to prevent many other health issues, you have to eat natural, fresh, organic and unprocessed foods as much as possible while avoiding processed foods. You can get more details about what to eat to protect yourself and your child from radiation from the following article.

12. Use An EMF Meter

Measuring the level of cellphone and EMF radiation around your home and workplace is probably the first step you need to take before implementing any other solutions to protect your unborn child.

By using an EMF meter, you can see how bad the level of radiation is around your day to day environment. This will better inform you on what degree of EMF protection you need. If you live close to a cellphone tower, for example, you might need more drastic measures than if you don’t but the best way to be absolutely sure of things is to use an EMF meter.

With an EMF meter, you will see how bad things really are and get the best idea of what kind of intervention you will need. Then once you have set up your measures to protect your child, you can again use your EMF meter to see how effective these measures are.

For instance, you can take your EMF reading before and after applying EMF Shielding Paint to your walls and compare the results, or you could take readings before and after your devices are turned off or inside and outside your EMF bed canopy.

Is There Any Point In Protecting Your Unborn Child From EMF And Cellphone Radiation?

Now that you have read through all the measures you can put in place to protect your unborn baby from cellphone radiation, the next thing you might be asking is, are all the measures even worth it?

In short, EMF radiation protective measures are worth it. Protective measures may not completely shield you but help to minimize you and your unborn child’s exposure to EMF radiation from all sources including cellphone radiation.

From my research I have found strong views informed by ongoing studies both for and against investing in EMF and cellphone radiation protection. Some people state that based on the current body of knowledge EMF protection is an absolute waste of time, while others say you absolutely need to protect your unborn child.

Of those who do not see the point of EMF radiation, some people argue that most cellphone radiation is non-ionizing, low-frequency and harmless, and so it’s pointless protecting yourself and yourself and your loved ones from it.

There seems to be a consensus among some medical doctors, traditional health organisations and device manufacturers that since most research done so far on the impact of EMF radiation has been limited to animal testing and there is no absolute certainty that mobile phone usage during pregnancy is unsafe, its a futile exercise trying to protect an unborn baby from EMF radiation.

On the other hand, numerous documentaries like the one in the video below, showing anecdotal evidence of people potentially suffering from EMF radiation continue to surface and there is an increasing number of organizations convinced about the harmful effects of EMF and dedicated to helping people protect themselves.

At some point when reading about whether anyone should worry about EMF radiation, I came close to agreeing with the studies that say there is really no point in investing in EMF protection. Then later I stumbled on a paper by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that made me think twice.

In summary, WHO’s paper says that they need to invest more in studying the impact of EMF radiation on human health as no one currently knows how EMF radiation really affects us and whether it is harmful or not.

If you think as I do, this statement is pretty much saying “we can’t guarantee you are safe when using EMF emitting devices, so don’t blame us if we later find out you are not”.

Seeing all the research that is being conducted, and just hearing WHO’s neutral stance about the safety of EMF radiation, as a better safe than sorry type of person, my mind has since shifted more towards investing in EMF radiation protection. That said, as I mentioned earlier, you cannot completely protect your child from cellphone radiation.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where most things are out of our control, and there are people using EMF emitting gadgets as they please all around us. So it’s obviously inevitable your unborn child will get exposed to some radiation.

Nonetheless, your focus should be to minimize your child’s exposure as far as possible and with the extensive list of measures I have listed above, I trust I have armed you with pretty much all the information you need to optimally protect your unborn child.

I hope you found this post helpful. In case you want more info on which protective products you can try, I also have a detailed list of all the EMF protection gear I mentioned in this post and much more to protect your unborn child and yourself over here.

January 24, 2020
How To Keep The Air In Your Home Clean? 32 Ideas You Can Try Today

Are you tired of living in a house with poor air quality? Well, you don’t have to live under such conditions any longer as I am about to share with you 32 awesome ideas you can put into action today for cleaner air in your home.

Maybe you suffer from asthma or sinuses or you have multiple chemical sensitivities. In this post, you will discover how best to keep your indoor air clean and eliminate all the air pollutants in your home that trigger your allergies and ailments.

All the air contaminants you can find in your home can be classified into two main categories namely, gases and particulate matter. Accordingly, the tips I share with you will show you cleaning methods you can use to get rid of both contaminant gases and particulate matter in your indoor air.

Lets Get Started

1. Ventilate Your Home

The first thing you need to do to improve the air quality in your home and keep your air clean is to ensure ventilation. Open curtains, doors, and windows around your home to let the fresh air in. If you cannot open up your home for fresh air to flow through for any reason, the next step is to consider investing in a Heat or Energy Recovery Ventilator (HRV).

An HRV will ventilate the air in your home without you having to open up all your windows and doors. The HRV system brings in clean purified air from outside into your home and takes stale dirty air out of your home without losing any heat or energy in the process.

2. Light Some Beeswax Candles

When you light a beeswax candle, unlike other candles it produces and releases negative ions into the air. The negative ions are then attracted to positively charged pollutant particles floating around in the air. Then once the negative ions attach to the contaminants around the air in your home, the contaminants become too heavy to float in your air and fall to the ground.

This does eventually create a mess that you have to sweep and wipe off surfaces around your home, but the upside is that your air becomes much cleaner. So, by lighting a beeswax candle you eliminate some germs and allergens from the air in your home.

3. Try A Himalayan Salt Lamp

Himalayan salt lamps also work by releasing negative ions into the air to get rid of air pollutants in your home. They do this by attracting moisture from the air on their surface, on which water rapidly evaporates as their surface is warm.

Then through evaporation, they produce negative ions which neutralize positively charged airborne pollutants like dust and allergens making them too heavy to float and accordingly fall to the ground and on surfaces around your home.

Manufacturers of Himalayan Salt Lamps claim that by producing negative ions Himalayan salt helps to improve your breathing. I am yet to come across independent scientific evidence supporting these claims but there is no harm in having a Himalayan Salt Lamp shining somewhere around your home for whatever little improvement it makes in your indoor air quality.

4. Place Activated Charcoal Around Your House

Activated carbon or charcoal is known for absorbing bad smells in the air. However, they can do more than this. They are also capable of absorbing a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which include paint fumes, and dangerous fossil fuels emissions and chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde.

You can get them in the form of bamboo charcoal air purifier bags widely available at Amazon like the Moso Air Purifier Bag. Place these in closets, cupboards, under sinks and sofas and anywhere in your home where you suspect odors may be coming from and your home should smell better.

A word of caution though, bamboo charcoal bags will not work for serious odors which have an active source. So if you have fresh pet poo in the corner somewhere with bamboo charcoal next to it, you will still smell the poop. Get rid of the poo and the bamboo charcoal will help with the lingering odor.

5. Get Some House Plants

Houseplants can be very helpful in reducing gas pollution levels in your home. They do very well in absorbing VOCs including benzene, chlorotrifluoroethylene, xylene, toluene, and formaldehyde. This was all discovered in a 1985 study by NASA.

Some popular houseplants that help clean your indoor air include Areca Palm, Lady Palm, Bamboo palm, Rubber Plant, Dracaena “Janet Craig” and Philodendron. To effectively purify your air, NASA suggests you place one of these plants for every 100 square feet of your home. There are so many more plants that can help with your indoor air quality. To find out more check out all the house plants that can purify your air in more detail here.

6. Remove Some House Plants

I have shown you plants that improve the air quality in your house but you also need to be careful with plants as some can actually worsen your air quality. Some plants will release pollen in your home and if you have pollen allergies these kind of plants will not help you.

Furthermore, you will find some plants attract bugs and dust mite. When dust mite and some of these plants defecate, their feces become airborne and contain allergens which can trigger asthma attacks and trigger allergic reactions in some people.

So be careful when choosing plants and make sure you know if a plant produces any unwanted pollutants over its lifetime before you bring it into your home.

7. Use Essential Oils

Essential oils are used for aromatherapy. Some essential oils have antibacterial properties and when you release them into your indoor air, they release an arguably nice aroma that kills germs floating around. By cleaning bacteria in the air, essential oils also have beneficial health effects on you.

Essential oils can open up your blocked nose and make your breathing easier. The best way to use them is to place them in a diffuser which will diffuse them into your room’s air as vapor that you can inhale. Some great essential oils, to purify your air includes, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, red mandarin, cinnamon, and Lemon oil.

8. Don’t Smoke Indoors

If you have a choice, and you are serious about cleaning the air in your home, then make it a rule not to smoke inside your home. If you or anyone in your house smokes indoors the decision to stop smoking alone can significantly improve your air quality.

9. Declutter

Sometimes your air quality is only bad because there is clutter in your home. Dust, insects, dirt and other contaminants that cause airborne pollutants in your house love clutter and breed and grow more quickly in it if the clutter is there for a while. Therefore if you have clutter in your home, over time your air quality will likely become unbearable.

You create a home for pollutants if your home has clutter everywhere as its so hard to clean your home properly. So if you have clutter in your home, the first thing you need to do to improve your indoor air quality is get rid of the clutter.

Throw away things you don’t need, pack things away neatly in storage containers and fold your clothes away. If decluttering is not your strength and you need fresh air in your home, you could try out a guide like Good Bye Clutter if you are willing to put in the effort yourself to keep your home clutter free.

Alternatively, the more expensive option is to hire someone or a cleaning service to help you. It’s so difficult to have a home with clean air if you have clutter anywhere around your house so be sure to start by getting rid of clutter if you want to improve your indoor air quality.

10. Spring Clean With Eco-friendly Cleaning Chemicals

Once your home is decluttered, it’s easy to move things around in an orderly manner and clean every corner of your home. However, when you are spring cleaning, use Eco-friendly non-toxic detergents. If you use the usual detergents, they contain many dangerous chemicals and VOCs and you will literally be spreading toxic fumes around your home.

11. No Shoes In The House

After walking around outside your home you don’t know what you’ve picked up in public toilets, dirty streets, and wherever you managed to step with your shoes today. So it only makes sense to take off your shoes before you enter your home so that you do not to bring all those pollutants into your home.

Yet some people still walk around indoors in shoes they have been wearing outside all day, and some even jump on their beds with them.

If you want to wear shoes indoors, at least have house shoes that you never leave the house with and you only wear in the house. House shoes or simply keeping shoes off in the house will minimize the amount of pollutants that become airborne in your home.

12. Store Off-Gassing Household Goods In Airtight Containers

There are so many things releasing VOCs in our homes. This process is called off-gassing. Some common off-gassing items in your home include carpets, furniture, toys, paint on the wall, and electronic appliances. To reduce the effects of off-gassing, place items you can store like toys in airtight containers.

Additional measure you can take is to buy second-hand furniture and goods as these would have already off-gassed. Be picky with what you buy. For instance, go for solid hardwood things rather than plywood. Avoid toxic glues and try to buy stuff that is glued together with water-based glues.

Also, try using a dehumidifier to keep humidity levels around 45% in your home as chemicals off-gas more when it’s humid and humidity levels are above 50%. If you have an option between scented and unscented products choose unscented and finally air out new products when they are fresh out of the box.

13. Use A Damp Cloth For Dust

Once dust becomes airborne, it takes some time before it settles and you continue to inhale it as you wait for it to settle. Every time you try to dust surfaces in your home with a dry feather duster you are just making your air dirty. To avoid this, use a damp cloth to wipe dust rather than dusting it back into your air with a feather duster. The other thing you could do is use a vacuum cleaner to suck it all up.

14. Use a HEPA filter Vacuum Cleaner

HEPA filters are very good at trapping particulate matter. They can trap particulates that are as small as 0.1 microns. They prevent particulate matter that have settled on surfaces from going back into your air.

So if your vacuum cleaner has a HEPA filter, rest assured no particulates are escaping through your vacuum cleaner as you vacuum away. A HEPA based vacuum cleaner is the best way to vacuum if you have allergy sufferers and people with respiratory conditions in your home.

15. Wash Your Bedding Often & Use Hypoallergenic Bedding

To keep your air fresh, wash your bedding at least every two weeks. This will keep bed bugs and air polluting dust mites at bay by killing off their new colonies every time you wash your bedding’s. To make sure they die, soak your bedding in extremely hot water and use hot water to wash them.

In addition to washing your bedding, get hypoallergenic bedding’s. This type of bedding has smooth surfaces with minimal pores and space for bugs as small as dust mite to fit in and hide and so prevents bed bugs colonies as a whole from inhabiting and reproducing in your bedding’s and releasing pollutants in your home’s air.

16. Fix Water Leaks

If you have any leaking pipes around your home, this is a potential source of humidity and dampness in your walls. The leaking areas create a conducive environment for mold and mildew to thrive.

If not fixed on time, and your walls get damp and you might just see mold starting to grow on your walls. Once you have mold growing on walls, even before you spot them you will begin to smell a musty, damp, earthy kind of smell around your home. It becomes challenging to breathe in your home and unpleasant. So make sure you fix leaks around your home as soon as you spot them.

If the damp on your walls is coming from outside and has nothing to do with leaks, the next step you can take is to get your home waterproofed. Sometimes you crawl spaces can get wet and you can get mold smell from under your under your home. In this case, you could consider getting your crawl space waterproofed to ensure the air you are breathing in your home remains clean and safe.

17. Don’t Burn Wood Indoors

Burning wood indoors releases carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide and can leave your house smelling like smoke if you don’t use the right kind of wood. Rather opt for electric or gas heating in your home for cleaner air. Though burning gas leaves some unhealthy byproducts as well it not as bad as burning wood. Your best bet is electric heating but obviously this will spike your electricity bill.

18. Control Pests

If you have rats, roaches, and other pets flying and racing around your house, eventually their feces and urine will begin to pollute your home’s air. Pests not only release allergens in your indoor air through their fecal matter but can also cause your home to smell bad.

To keep pests at bay, don’t leave dirty dishes out at night and leave food outside that will attract them. Also, keep your home as clean as possible and clutter-free so that you don’t give pests hiding places and make them feel comfortable in your home.

Lastly, set up anti-pest measures like mouse traps, and ultrasonic sound repellents to keep pests out. Worst case scenario, call an exterminator to intervene and have them set up preventive measures so that pests do not return and pollute your home’s air all over again once they are gone.

19. Use Mesh Screens on Your Doors To Keep Bugs Outs

Another important measure against pests, mainly flying insects is to use mesh screens on all your doors leading outside your home. Mesh screens basically filter out bugs and prevent them from flying into your home while your doors are open. A good example of a mesh screen is Magic Mesh (see it at Amazon). They keep the air in your home clean and clear of insects that would otherwise fly around all over the place and irritate you.

20. Keeps Pets Clean and Zone Off Pets

If you have pets, it can be tricky to keep your indoor air clean. For cats, you need to make sure you use cat litter media that produces the least dust and that you change your cat litter often. With dogs, don’t miss their washing and grooming cycle.

For caged animals, you need to change and clean their cages up often. If you sleep on the job, your air gets polluted with smells, fluff and pet dander. It’s as simple as that. When you signed up for a pet, in addition to the joy they bring you, you also signed up for cleaning up pee, and poop .

21. Detect and Clean Invisible Pet and Pest Urine

There are times where you will clean and perhaps spring clean your home, but the stench just does not want to go away and you cannot find its sources. This is when a blacklight flash light like the Escolite (click to see it at Amazon) comes in handy.

This torch will help you find the invisible source of your odor like magic. It works using UV light which when you chine on surfaces reveals stains you would have never otherwise known are there. You have to see it to believe it., check out the video below.

22. Use Air Contaminant Absorbing Paint

You can now find indoor air contaminant absorbing paint on the market. The one I have seen commonly talked about is the Ecos Air Purifying paint. This paint absorbs the odors in your home and does not release it back into the air even when you peel the paint off the wall. To add on the manufacturer of this paint also claims it releases fewer paint fumes and VOCs than other paints and does not smell as bad. I am not saying you should smoke indoors but if you did this paint sucks up all the odor.

23. Keep Indoor Humidity Levels Between 30%-50%

I have already mentioned the importance of a dehumidifier in preventing off-gassing. Beyond off-gassing dehumidifiers can also help to keep your air clean by preventing mold causing moisture and damp on walls. Dehumidifiers also help by preventing general musty odors due to high humidity levels.

So if you have issues with humidity get a smart dehumidifier or humidifier with automated functions and one that can tell you your rooms humidity level and adjusts its performance to maintain a constant humidity level.

A dehumidifier is especially useful if you have a basement. It goes a long way in keeping the air in your basement dry and preventing mold and stenches from developing there. It’s also useful when trying to dry a basement after flood damage. Check out my recommended dehumidifiers here.

24. Install Exhaust Fans in Your Bathroom and Toilet

Exhaust fans in your shower can prove very useful in removing excess humidity. In both bathrooms and loos, they come in handy in keeping these rooms smelling fresh over time. So for cleaner and better-smelling air in your home, install an exhaust fan in all your loos and bathrooms.

25. Use a Kitchen Stove Extractor Hood

Another important place to put an exhaust fan of some sort is above your cooker. These are actually called extractor fans or cooker hoods. Preferably go for one that comes with an activated carbon filter to absorb all the odor and steam from your cooking. An extractor hood over your cooker will help reduce the spread of food smells across your house.

26. Clean Your Air Ducts

If you have a central air system or an HVAC system and do not clean your air ducts for a while eventually these systems will start blowing dust and dirty air around your home. I do not advise anyone to try and clean their own air duct. Your air ducts can get full of sand, rat poo, and dangerous debris and you don’t want to mess around and break something in there. It will work out better for you if you have someone professional come in and clean it up for you. Watch the video below of how air ducts are cleaned.

Besides the health benefits, and getting the air in your home clean, cleaning your air ducts also prolongs the life of your HVAC or central air system. Click here to see my list of highly convenient websites for finding HVAC professionals at fair rates near you.

27. Maintain Your Air Conditioner

Maintaining your air con will prevent it from blowing dirty air into your home when warming or cooling your home. To maintain your air con, you need to clean the filters, clean your condenser coil and get rid of the dirt around your condenser.

You also need to check that your unit’s condensate drainage system is not clogged. If its clogged it can prevent your ac from reducing humidity. There are so many other things that go into routine maintenance of your air con and I would honestly rather call a professional to do it to ensure your indoor air quality is at its best. However, if you are keen on doing it yourself, check out this handy man guide.

28. Replace Your HVAC Filters

For HVAC and central air system owners another major thing you need to do to keep the air in your home clean is to change your furnace and air handler filters. If you have an air purifier on your HVAC system, you will also need to replace its filter.

Saturated filters will clog up your HVAC and prevent it from circulating, heating and cool your air properly and eventually cause it to malfunction if not changed on time. So replace all your air filters routinely to get the best air quality in your home and keep your air clean.

29. Install An Air Curtain Or Door On Entrances Into Your Home

An air curtain is an extremely powerful fan that hangs face down on doors, usually the entrance of a store or large home, to separate and prevent outdoor air from coming indoors and vice versa. Air curtains can also prevent flying insects from going into your home. They also prevent odors from getting in and out of your home.

In fact, if you have a door leading to your kitchen you can put one over there to prevent food smells from spreading from your kitchen through the rest of your house. An air curtain will keep the air in your house clean by preventing air pollutants from getting in through your entrances and by preventing pollutants from traveling between rooms within your home as you choose.

30. Use Odor Adsorbents

Odor adsorbents are materials that can absorb odor-causing gases and VOCs from your indoor air and neutralize them. I have already mentioned activated carbon earlier but it’s not the only adsorbent. You also get baking soda, volcano minerals, certain gels, and even coffee granules.

Adsorbents usually come in a bag, canister or jar. You just place as many as you like near the source of your odor or suspected VOCs, and over time they start to absorb the odor molecules and VOCs until eventually, the odor disappears.

However, as I mentioned earlier for bamboo air purifier bags, if the source of your odor continues to actively release odor-causing gases then the effectiveness of your adsorbent will be limited. So make sure you address the source of your odor first before expecting an adsorbent to help you get rid of an odor and ultimately clean your air.

31. Use an Air Sanitizer Spray

A quick solution to clean your air in emergency situations like when you have unannounced guests, you can use an air sanitizer spray like Ozium. Air sanitizers work by chemically reacting with airborne and surface germs and gaseous pollutants such as odors and killing and neutralizing them respectively.

There are various sanitizers out there like Lysol and Febreze but My favorite is Ozium. Ozium is very strong and does have a public bathroom chemical smell. The stuff is toxic but it does work. It will take cigarette, farts, and feet smell any day.

One lady’s review I was reading the other day said that her daughter’s feet smelt so bad she would put her gym shoes in a plastic bag and spray Ozium in there and leave it outside for an hour and by the time she takes the shoes out of the bag they smell fresh again.

Ozium contains powerful anti-bacterial and sanitizing chemicals. My suggestion is that as much as it works, use Ozium in moderation, and only when you need to get rid of an odor fast. For example, you can carry it around to eliminate public toilet odors and airborne germs before you use one.

32. Use Air Purifiers

After you have tried everything else on the list, to maintain the ultimate air quality in your home, next, you need to run air purifiers 24 hours a day and every single day around your home.

Now, there are many different types of air purifiers out there and they will all remove different things but generally put, air purifiers will get rid of and minimize harmful gases, odors and particulate matter in your home’s air.

I have posted a lot on air purifiers but I think a good place for you to start is with my post on different types of air purifiers. You have to decide what kind of air purifier you need based on the type and size of home you are in and what airborne pollutants you would like to eliminate from your home’s air.

If your aim is to eliminate everything, my suggestion is you check out a Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) air purifier. It is the only type of air purifier that I have seen that can eliminate both gases and particulate matter, over a coverage area of up to 3000 sq ft and in a portable home friendly size.

To conclude, I have now given you all the 32 tips I think are important to help you keep the air in your house clean. I have covered a lot to help you maintain good indoor air quality and with some caveats you can apply these tips even for your office space. So, you now have no excuse for your home to have poor indoor air quality.

Oh and I almost forgot, you can check out my resource pages if you want more product information on safe cleaning supplies you can use to keep your indoor air fresh and also other gear that will help you keep your air clean and exactly where to get them. Do share your thoughts in the comments below if you have any.

January 27, 2019
Do Air Purifiers Get Rid Of Odors?

When I think about odors at home, among the worst odors I will never forget is the sink smell in an apartment I once stayed in. It was so horrible.

Another traumatizing experience for me was when I lived next to a chain smoker whose cigarette smoke smell exited through the vent into my room every time he smoked.

These experiences prompted me to urgently find a solution to eliminate my indoor odor problems, then one day I came across air purifiers and my immediate thought was could this be the solution to my indoor smell nightmares?

Before going into the detail, in summary, do air purifiers get rid of smells? Air purifiers do get rid of odors but not all air purifiers are designed to do so. For an air purifier to get rid of odors it needs to be able to either trap or destroy gas molecules. The main types of air purifiers that eliminate odors are Activated Carbon and Photocatalytic Oxidation air purifiers.

Activated carbon air purifiers eliminate odors by adsorbing odor-causing gases while Photocatalytic oxidation air purifiers outright destroy them. Of the two types of air purifiers activated carbon HEPA air purifiers are the most common air purifiers, you will find being marketed to eliminate odors.

If you want to get into the details of how the different types of air purifiers remove odors and what odors they remove, keep reading, I explain all this in the rest of this post. I also give you extra tips on what you can do to eliminate odors in addition to running an air purifier.

My hope is that once you get through this post, beyond knowing exactly how air purifiers can help you eliminate odors, you are also able to make the best decision on what air purifier to get for your unique situation. So lets start with the types of air purifiers that eliminate odors.

Types of Air Purifiers That Eliminate Smells

Adsorbent Air Purifiers

As you might have guessed activated carbon air purifiers are adsorbent air purifiers. Adsorbing is different from absorbing but the words are used interchangeably in the context of air purifiers. In absorption, a fluid spreads through a solid material while in adsorption a gas or a liquid adheres to or gets sucked in by a surface.

Particularly for activated carbon, humidity, and odor-causing gases are adsorbed into tiny pores within and on surfaces of the carbon substance. Activated carbon is also not the only adsorbent. You also have among others materials like baking soda, volcanic minerals, and even coffee granules can adsorb.

All these materials can be used to make your own homemade air purifiers. In fact, you will find adsorbents being marketed on shelves as air purifiers in the form of air purifier bags or canister air purifiers.

For example, if you have seen bamboo charcoal air purifier bags, these are just activated carbon granules placed in a bag. A good example of a canister type air purifier is the Bad Air Sponge (click to see it at Amazon).

You can also get adsorbent filters for your HVAC system or furnace to minimize lingering odors across your entire home. These come as baking soda or activated carbon filters and one of the best places to get them is at Nordic Pure.

Now in actual electrical appliance air purifiers that circulate air around your home, you only get activated carbon being used as an adsorbent. The activated carbon is placed at the core of the device where air passes in the form of an activated carbon block or its contained within a filter.

As your air purifier sucks and expels air your activated carbon adsorbs more and more odor-causing gases until your air smells fresh again. The process can take anywhere upwards of 30 minutes to eliminate odor in your room, depending on the size of your room and your devices air change rate per hour (ACR).

Over time your activated carbon filter or block will get saturated and you have to replace it. In a good air purifier, your activated carbon media should last you anywhere between 3 months to a year before you need to replace it.

Activated carbon air purifiers normally come combined with other types of filters as they fail to get rid of other types of air pollutants on their own (see the combo air purifiers section). Besides adsorbents, no other types of filter-based air purifiers can trap odors. Your next best bet is a photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) air purifier.

PCO Air Purifiers

Unlike activated carbon which filter out odors from your air, PCO air purifiers eliminate odor by actually destroying odor-causing gas molecules and turning them into water vapor and carbon dioxide. They also suck and a expel air into a core but rather than filters their core contains a reaction chamber where all contaminants including odor molecules are literally incinerated through an oxidation process.

The process is as follows, firstly air enters the reaction chamber and then odor-causing molecules contained in the air are absorbed by a thin film of metal which acts as an oxidation catalyst. A wide spectrum of UV light ray then shines on the metal which activates a rapid oxidation process that burns the odor molecules.

Once the reaction happens fresh air is released back into your home. Just as we saw for activated carbon-based air purifiers your air gets cleaner and the smell in your room improves as the air passes through the reaction chamber over and over.

The beauty of PCO air purifiers is that you do not need to maintain them often. It can take you up to three years before you need to replace your reaction chamber for a typical PCO air purifier. PCO air purifiers are very effective, especially for large estate type homes. Besides PCO air purifiers, the next type of air purifier that can help you eliminate indoor odors is an ozone generator.

Ozone Generators

Ozone generators eliminate odors by releasing ozone molecules into the air which chemically react with odor-causing gases on surfaces and in the air and oxidize them, also turning them into water vapor and carbon dioxide but unlike PCO air purifiers ozone generators produce other by-products.

Even though the reaction process of ozone generators freshens up your air and gets rid of the odor in your home, the other by-products their reactions produce can be harmful. Also, ozone itself is harmful to your health and causes eye and respiratory irritations. So you do not want to mess around with this kind of air purifier.

Accordingly, I avoid ozone generators altogether. The best time to use ozone generators is when you have odors deeply entrenched in fabrics or on surfaces around your home. Ozone works well because it’s a powerful cleaning agent.

If you have to use an ozone generator, don’t use it when people are at home and turn it off at least an hour or more before anyone gets back home. The best way to go about eliminating odors with ozone generators, be it in your car or home, is to hire a professional cleaning service that does ozone cleaning.

Combo Air Purifiers

Combo air purifiers are just purifiers that have two or more different technologies contained in their core cleaning the air. As I alluded to earlier, activated carbon air purifiers are usually combined with another type of air purifier, and the most common activated carbon combo you will find is an activated carbon filter with a true HEPA air filter.

Individually activated carbon filters or blocks cannot get rid of particulate matter like dust and allergens while HEPA air filters cannot trap gasses but do extremely well with particulate matter. So to get the best of both worlds, manufacturers combine the two in one device.

You will find activated carbon combined with other purification technologies like fiberglass or pleated filters in air purifiers but the best combination I have seen is an activated carbon true HEPA air purifier because of the wide range of contaminants these types of devices can remove from your indoor air in addition to odors.

Another powerful combination is a PCO reaction chamber with an activated carbon filter. I personally believe from my extensive research that this is as good as it gets with air purifiers when it comes to eliminating odors. One side you have odors getting destroyed and on the other, they are getting adsorbed.

Beyond this, you will find air purifiers with up to five different technologies within their core. I would rather stay away from such devices because they become cumbersome to maintain as you end up having to deal with the process of maintaining and replacing 5 different parts of the device every year. With so many parts to replace your running costs can really add up compared to devices with about only two purification technologies.

So these are all the types of air purifiers that will help you get rid of odors. If you go for an activated carbon air purifier, go for one that comes with at least one other filter for particulate matter. I strongly vouch for the activated carbon and true HEPA air purifier combo (click here to see what exact devices to go for).

Between PCO and activated carbon purifiers, PCO air purifiers are on the expensive end, usually upwards of $500 while good HEPA activated carbon purifiers cost upwards of $100. I would go with a PCO air purifier for bigger rooms and homes and for smaller spaces of less than 1000 sq ft, use an activated carbon air purifier.

If money is not the big deal but you are rather after the best odor-free air quality, then a PCO and activated carbon air purifier combo is really your ultimate choice here. As for ozone generators, only use them when worst comes to worst with odors and rather hire a pro to help you.

This is all there is to the different types of air purifiers that will help you get rid of smells in your house. Now let’s look at the different types of air purifiers that are suitable for different type of odor .

Types Of Odors & What Air Purifier To Use For Each

1. Toilet Odors

Toilet odors are among the worst in a home. They can be quite embarrassing when you have guests over. You can use an air freshener but this just masks the smell and some fresheners actually contain harmful chemicals.

This is where air purifiers come in handy. They give you an odorless and chemical free way to eliminate toilet smells coming straight out of your ball pit.

For your toilet odors, you have several options when it comes to air purifiers. Because bathrooms are small rooms, an activated carbon air purifier will do the trick for you. You can get a small portable air purifier that you can just keep running in your bathroom 24/7 but even better there are air purifiers specifically designed for toilets.

Three great options of toilet specific air purifiers available at Amazon include nomo, The Odorless and the Cogswell toilet air purifier. They are all activated-carbon based and come with sensors which activate them as soon as you enter the toilet and turn them off at least 30 minutes after the deed is done.

2. Pet Odors

Pet odors come from, your pet’s body odor, feces, and urine. A common complaint I see with pet owners is from cat lovers who have to deal with cat litter box smells. You can also get horrible smells out of bird and rodent cages too. What you feed your pets also affects the kind of odor their fur or feathers produce and normally smells from fur stick to furniture and linger in the area of your home where pets spend the most time.

For pet odors, I would recommend using an activated carbon true HEPA air purifier and this will also help you with particulate matter pets live behind such as dander and hair. A lot of activated carbon air purifiers are also made with pets in mind. PCO air purifiers are also very handy for pet odors and other air pollutants pets leave in your home, especially if you have large rooms in your home. If you need multiple air purifiers, PCO air purifiers can also reduce the number of air purifiers you need.

3. Cooking Odors

Sometimes cooking odors can smell fantastic but the last thing you want is a nice curry smell eventually lingering in your home. For cooking odors, you want an air purifier as close to the source as possible. Your first line of defense is your cooker’s extractor hood. Make sure to get one that comes with activated carbon air filters.

An activated carbon hood should get rid of most of the odorous gases from cooking before they spread then your air purifier will come in thereafter and deal with anything your hood missed out. An activated carbon HEPA air purifier placed near your cooking area should suffice here but be careful not to place it too close.

4. Fragrances

Fragrances such as perfume and cologne smells can be especially disrupting and harmful for people with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). They cause you to have nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches among other ailments. Both PCO and Activated carbon air purifiers are really good at dealing with fragrances in the home or office environment but again, go for PCO air purifiers for larger spaces over 1000 sq ft.

5. Sink Smell

Sink smells come about for various reasons. You might be staying in an apartment as I did with poor drainage or your piping is just designed poorly or your drain is just clogged. Sometimes the area under your sink might just not be getting well ventilated. Whatever the reason, the more suitable option for you when it comes to sink smells is an activated carbon air purifier.

Activated carbon is great when you have under sink humidity as it will absorb some of that humidity together with the smell. You can also get a small portable, battery-powered activated carbon air purifier to place under your sink and run it 24/7.

That said, air purifiers are only a temporary solution here and you need to get into your drainage or improve ventilation to address the sink smell completely. Another solution to consider for sink smell is a dehumidifier to get rid of any excess moisture that may be contributing to the smell.

As I mentioned earlier I had the worst experience with sink smells and the good news is I found a solution and got to the bottom of my problem. Check out my recommended tools section to see what I used to completely get rid of my sink smell by addressing the route cause of the problem.

6. Fart Odor

Ever woken up and all your room smells like in the morning is fart? Or do you have a dog in your home with serious smelly farts? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could use an air purifier. Both PCO and activated carbon-based air purifiers will work well for fart smells across your home. I have an extensive post on getting rid of fart smells here.

7. Bedroom Odor

Besides fart smells, bedrooms can smell terrible because of body odor, stagnant air, food spills, sleeping with pets, dust, growing mold or dirty laundry. In addition to cleaning your room, and getting some ventilation in there, both activated carbon and PCO air purifiers will help you freshen up the smell in a bedroom.

9. Carpet Odor

The first thing you have to do with carpet odor is getting your carpet cleaned. However, if you are dealing with a new carpet smell, an activated carbon or PCO air purifier can help you significantly with this smell.

10. Basement Odor

The odor in your basement usually comes about because of mold or mildew growth and it ends up smelling musty and moldy. You might have also stored off-gassing items like old paint cans or building materials in your basement and these end up creating a distinct smell in your basement.

To deal with basement smells, either an activated carbon HEPA air purifier or PCO air purifier will help. These air purifiers will not only get rid of the odor-causing gases but also get rid of dust and mold which contribute towards your basement’s stench.

Moreover, the smell in your basement might be coming from damp or some dead animal and you will have to take extra measures beyond air purifiers to deal with the resulting smell.

11. Mold Odor

Mold leaves behind a pungent, and unpleasant stale earth-like smell in your house. It’s common in humid areas and smells the worst in basements, crawl-spaces, and attics. To prevent and eliminate mold smells you can use, PCO or HEPA activated-carbon air purifiers.

This is one of the few places where ozone generators can be useful to help deal with mold on surfaces. However be careful and use ozone generators with care especially if you have babies and old folks or pets and people with preexisting respiratory problems in your home.

12. Wildfire Odors

Wild fire smells are something people living in a wildfire-stricken area have to live with during and for some time after wildfires hit your area. The smells stick to everything around your home but with an air purifier, you can greatly limit their penetration in your home. Use a PCO or true HEPA activated carbon air purifier to provide your home with fresh air.

13. Cannabis, Cigar or Cigarette Odor

Weed and tobacco smells can come from your neighbor or from within your home. Whichever way both activated carbon and PCO air purifiers will help you get rid of the smell. However, if you can, take the smoking outside your home.

Air purifiers should be last resort if you or someone in your home is the smoker. Rather opt to smoke away from the house to completely get rid of the tobacco smoke smell. If the smell is coming from your neighbor’s place then an air purifiers will be worth the investment.

14. Vaping Odor

Vaping odor becomes a problem when you have a vape room in your home. Eventually, the vapor from vaping sticks to walls and can give off a sweet scent coming from the flavored e-juice. To eliminate vaping smell before it becomes a problem it’s a good idea to use an air purifier.

PCO air purifiers and activated carbon will work best for vaping smells. However activated carbon air purifiers with HEPA air filters won’t do well as the vapor gets them wet and makes them useless. The best alternative here are air purifiers specifically made for vaping like the Cloud Crusher by Get The Smoke Out or the Smoke Master C12 Electronic Smoke Eater.

15. Sofa and Fabric Upholstery Odor

The smells on your upholstery come from pets and humans leaving their body odor on them. Upholstery can also smell due to tobacco smoke or dust collection and mold build up. Air purifiers will only go as far as dealing with airborne odor molecules being emitted by your dirty upholstery.

That means once you turn off your air purifier, then it’s back to square one. You still have the smell lingering in your air. Like I mentioned for carpets, to completely eliminate smells on upholstery they need a deep cleanse.

The easiest and fastest option is to get a professional cleaning service to clean your upholstery for you. If you opt to do the cleaning yourself here are some cleaning tools I highly recommend for getting rid of odors and improving your home’s air quality.

16. Fridge Odors

For fridge odors, your typical air purification appliance won’t work. What you will need is either an air purifier bag or canister like the Bad Air Sponge. Make sure to clean your fridge though before you put in any adsorbent bag or canister solution.

17. Car Odors

Lastly, you get odors in your car. Odors in your car will range from food, to puke to the wet damp smell after your car seats and floor get accidentally soaked. Whatever the smell in your car, the quickest and once off way to get rid of it is by using an ozone generator together with some deep cleaning. To maintain a fresh odor in your car thereafter, you can use a portable activated carbon air purifier. You can also place bamboo charcoal air purifier bags under your car seats to absorb smells.

Other Steps You Can Take To Get Rid Of Odors

As you have seen, for some odors, air purifiers alone are not a complete solution but extra measures a necessary. Here are some quick tips on things you can do in addition to air purifiers to eliminate foul odors in your home.

Clean With Odor Removing Chemicals

There are many cleaning chemicals out there to help you eliminate odor but many of these contain toxic chemicals that leave behind their on strong chemical odor which can flare up allergic reactions especially if you have MCS.

So look for Eco-friendly odor eliminating cleaning chemicals. You can use these to get rid of headache-causing smells on new carpets or furniture. They can also get rid of smells left behind by pets, and be used to clean smelly fridges among other uses. A good example of a safe odor-eliminating cleaning chemical is the EnvironKlenz Odor Eliminator.

Use A Blacklight Torch to Trace Pet & Pest Odor Causing Pee and Excrement

One of the coolest tricks I saw once on TV was a blacklight torch. Sometimes you clean your whole house and there is still a stench. This can happen because you missed a spot that was invisible to the naked eye. This is where the blacklight torch comes in.

Turn on the torch and shine the UV light across all the corners of your home and you will see unbelievable things. It will show exactly where your pet or pest pee stains are and even bed bug fecal matter on your bedding’s and mattress. See my favorite blacklight flashlights here.

Steam Clean

Steam cleaning is a great way of getting rid of odors in some areas around your home. Use a steam cleaner to get rid of odors on non-fabric surfaces like tiles, granite, metal, and ceramic.

The reason for this is if you use steam on odors on your mattress, floors, upholstery, and other fabric you could permanently bond protein containing odor-causing particles into the fibers of these items because of the high temperatures in steam and cause the smell to get stuck in your upholstery for a very long time.

Take The Trash Out

Taking the trash out is one of the most obvious things you can do to minimize bad smells in your house but you will be shocked how many people stay with trash in their house for 2 weeks before taking it out.

A system that works for me is to put food and decomposable waste in a separate plastic bag that I take out and put in my outdoor trash can every morning.

My rule is to empty out decomposable waste from my house every morning and it works. Some people also resort to putting baking soda in their trash can. This works to some extent but if you have an option, just take your perishable trash outside every day.

Hire A Professional Odor Removal Service

I have touched on this already but I will repeat it in more detail. You can hire a professional cleaning service to come in and do general cleaning which entails removing upholstery and other odors at their source around your home.

However, for more intense jobs like drainage odors, or mold on your walls, hire a mold or odor removal service. They will get into your drainage, find any source dampness and even waterproof your house to eliminate odors and their causes thereof at the source.

Let The Sunshine In

A very simple but effective way to get rid of some odors is to let the sunshine into your home. UV light from the sun can kill bacteria and mold and also dry up your room reducing humidity and dampness and opportunities for odor-causing microorganisms to grow and reproduce in your home.

Clean Your Walls

One thing a lot of people ignore when cleaning for odors, especially tobacco and fart smells is their walls. Smells can adhere to walls. Use an odor eliminating chemical like the Environklenz odor eliminator to clean and get rid of odors on walls.

Use Drain Cleaners

If you can’t afford to have an odor cleaning service or plumber come in to check out your drainage causing smells under your sink you could use a chemical readily available at Amazon like the Green Gobbler to dissolve and wash out the odor-causing gunk in your drain.

Use a Dehumidifier

If part of your problem is high humidity levels, you can get a dehumidifier to reduce your humidity level around your house or in the problem rooms. Keep humidity levels between 30% – 50% to minimize dampness and mold growth, and any resulting odors. A good humidity level will prevent musty odors to a great extent.

Use An Air Sanitizer Spray

A quick way to get rid of random odors, especially if you just cooked and some guests are coming over, is to use a sanitizer spray you can pick up at Amazon like Ozium. Unlike air fresheners, sanitizer sprays actually react chemically with bad odor molecules and neutralize them. They are quite effective and many weed smokers swear by them for a reason. That said this is a short term emergency situation solution.

Ventilate Your Home

Lastly, you need to ventilate your home as much as possible. Even if the bad odor is coming from outside your home, you can use a heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system. This system will take dirty air out of your house and bring back clean filtered and purified air from outside into your home without any energy losses in the process.

For information on other things air purifiers can get rid of from your indoor air check out this guide.

January 27, 2019
What Can Air Purifiers Get Rid Of? 33 Key Things Air Purifiers Remove
There are many things air purifiers can get rid of that its difficult to keep track especially when you start out trying to improve the air quality in your home. To this day I surprisingly can’t find one place that has a complete list of things air purifiers can get rid of. Accordingly, I decided to write this post as a one-stop resource for anyone trying to find out exactly what air purifiers can get rid.

So briefly put, what can air purifiers get rid of? Air purifiers can get rid of three major categories of pollutants. These include airborne pollutants in the form of particulate matter (e.g. dust and pollen), gaseous and vapor airborne pollutants (e.g. odors and volatile organic compounds) and finally, surface pollutants (e.g. mold and dust mite).

To list them, the 5 main groups of pollutants air purifiers can get rid of include,
1. Particulate matter
2. Odors
3. Germs and Microorganisms
4. Gases and
5. Insects
Most of the things most air purifiers can remove are obviously airborne. However, there are some air purifiers that can even indirectly and directly help to get rid of pollutants or unwanted contaminants that you find on surfaces.

I detail all of the things air purifiers can remove in this post starting with the different types of air purifiers and what major category of pollutants they each remove and then in the rest of the post I give you a complete list of things air purifiers can get rid of. For each pollutant on my list, I also tell you what type of air purifier you will need to eliminate it.

Beyond listing the different pollutants that can be eliminated, its my hope to point you in the right direction when it comes to what air purifier you should choose for the type of pollutant you are trying to get rid of.

Different Types of Air Purifiers & What Major Pollutants They Can Remove

HEPA Air Purifiers

HEPA air purifiers are mechanical and filter based air purifiers that use a HEPA filter. They remove pollutants from the air by drawing air into their core and trapping pollutants in the air through a sieving mechanism enabled by the HEPA filter. The HEPA filter has tiny holes which allow particles of a certain size to go through and larger pollutant particles not to go through and remain trapped on the filters.

Once polluted air passes through the core of a HEPA air purifier it comes out cleaner than it was. The air gets cleaner and cleaner the more times it passes through the purifier’s filter core.

HEPA filters can unfortunately only trap air pollutants that are as small as 0.1 microns. This means they can only work for particulate matter and not gaseous pollutants (e.g. odors and VOCs) which are all much smaller than 0.1 microns.

HEPA air purifiers will also not work for pollutants that are not airborne. As their fans only have enough power to draw air and feather-light floating particle into their core, HEPA air purifiers cannot move particles that have already settled or are growing on surfaces. So stick to HEPA air purifiers if you only want to get rid of airborne particulate pollutants.

Electrostatic & Ionic Air Purifiers

Electrostatic and ionic air purifiers work by using electricity to attract and neutralize pollutants. The difference between the two is that ionic air purifiers release negatively charged air particles into the air which attach to pollutants and neutralize them in the air while electrostatic air purifiers create a negative charge on a set of metal plates within the core of their unit which draws and attracts oppositely charged pollutants out of the air.

Simply put ionic purifiers chase particles in the air with negatively charged ions while electrostatic air purifiers attract and collect particles out of the air using negatively charged metal plates. Once ionic air purifiers neutralize pollutants, the neutralized particles are not collected as they are by electrostatic air purifiers in a collection compartment but rather fall to the ground and settle on surfaces around your home and you have to clean up the mess afterwards.

Despite the mess with ionic air purifiers, at least your air gets cleaned at the end of the day. As for what these purifiers remove from your air, they will only get rid of airborne particulate matter that’s greater than 0.3 microns. This means besides gases and surface pollutants they even fail to clean a lot of ultra-fine particulate matter. That said they perform well for germs, viruses, and bacteria hence their popularity in hospitals.

Ozone Generators

Ozone generators work by releasing ozone into the air which in turn reacts in a chemical reaction with pollutants and turns them into carbon dioxide and water molecules. Depending on what pollutants are in the air, ozone can adversely react chemically with pollutants turning them into toxic molecules.

Moreover, ozone is known for speeding up off-gassing from household goods, causing them to release volatile organics compounds (VOCs) and some dangerous gases much faster which is not good for your indoor air. That said ozone is able to get rid of mold effectively and is commonly used to clean out odors during intense spring cleaning by professional cleaning services.

Of all the air purifiers I have seen, ozone generators are the only type of air purifier that can clean or deal with pollutants on surfaces. Ozone can kill mold and mildew on walls and dust mites on your bed and curtains. It’s such a powerful cleaning agent, and can even kill tiny creators like insects and roaches.

Its so strong that it is harmful to humans and animals causing respiratory and eye irritations and if you are not careful can also kill small pets, like birds, and lizards. Hence, I always recommend hiring a professional cleaning services firm for once off quarterly spring cleans with ozone generators rather than using an ozone generator yourself.

All in all ozone generators can remove all three major pollutants with the limitation that it can react with some air pollutants to leave behind toxic by-products. So to get the most out of ozone air purifiers, my suggestion is to have a second air purifier that can get rid of toxic airborne substances left behind after running an ozone generator.

UV Air Purifiers

There are two types of UV air purifiers you can get. The pure Ultra Violet (UV) purifier and UV Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) air purifiers. Both work the same way but UVGI just has a higher intensity UV light. Just as the UV in natural sunlight, UV purifiers work by incinerating germs, bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms floating in the air.

They also draw air using fans into their core where the UV bulbs are based and shine concentrated UV light on air pollutants passing through. In addition to airflow they also use convection currents to draw pollutants into their core.

Unfortunately, UV air purifiers can only deal with airborne microorganisms and are useless for other particulate matter, gasses, and more especially pollutants on surfaces. For better use of UV purifiers, you would rather get one that comes combined with another type of air purifiers like a true-HEPA or electrostatic air purifier.

PCO Air Purifiers

Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) air purifiers work by drawing pollutants using fans into a reaction chamber where they are incinerated and turned into carbon dioxide and water vapor. The reaction contains a bulb which shines an enhanced spectrum of UV light onto a thin film of metal that absorbs pollutants and acts as a catalyst for a rapid oxidation process in which the pollutants it absorbs are literally destroyed by being burnt.

With a PCO air purifier, you can get rid of air particles as 0.0001 microns. This means they can get rid of nearly any gas and airborne particulate matter and they don’t just trap particles but literally destroy them. The problem with PCO air purifiers is that the best devices for your home are on the expensive side.

Unless you have the budget for one, resort to PCOs when your main concern is gaseous pollution and odors. If particulate matter is your main indoor pollution concern then a HEPA air purifier will do just fine.

TSS Air Purifiers

Thermodynamic sterilization air purifiers destroy air pollutants by heat sterilization using a ceramic core with micro-capillaries which heats up to 200 °C (392 °F). This type of air purifier relies on air convection for air to pass through its core and once it cleans this air it is immediately cooled using heat transfer plates and released back into your home.

TSS air purifiers are known for getting rid of microorganisms. They can also get rid of odors and some gases and other particulate matter. There is only one brand (Airfree) of TSS air purifiers I have seen so far on the market and these guys don’t make any claims that their device can remove all types of air pollutants. Stick to TSS purifiers if you want to specifically get rid of certain but not all gaseous and particulate pollutants.

Air Revitalizers

Air revitalizers are water-based air filtration systems. Their core has water as an air filter. They extract air from your room using a fan, pass it through water and release it back into your room as water vapor or mist. They work like humidifiers in a way with the exception of actually cleansing your air.

You don’t want this kind of air purifier if your humidity levels are already high but they can serve you well in dry weather conditions. Air revitalizers can filter out certain gaseous air pollutants and odors and some insoluble particulate matter. Like TSS air purifiers they won’t get rid of every type of airborne gas and particulate.

Adsorbent Air Purifiers

Adsorbents are materials that absorb gases and odors. Some common adsorbents include activated carbon, baking soda, coffee, and volcanic minerals. Adsorbent air purifiers can literally be a porous bag containing one of these substances. However, you also find your typical convection and fan-based air purifier which contain a filter core made out of an adsorbent.

The most common I have seen is an activated carbon air filter. Like UV light air purifiers such air purifiers are better placed when they are combined in one unit with other purification technologies such as HEPA, Ionic or PCO air purifiers.

The best combination from a cost and pollutant filtration capacity perspective is a HEPA and activated carbon combo. Besides the actual machine type air purifiers, as I briefly touched on earlier, you can also get adsorbents on their own either in a can or air purifier bag. Cans and bags are usually used for odors but they can absorb other dangerous gases.

You just place these as close to your source of pollution as possible and they naturally absorb the odors. The adsorbent can only remove certain gas pollutant from your air and are useless for particulate matter. Combine adsorbents with other types of purifiers to remove both airborne particulate matter and gases.

Combo Air Purifiers

So I have talked about combining air purifiers under some of the types of air purifiers. You can get air purifiers with up to 5 different purification technologies contained in their core. The challenge with this type of device is that it becomes difficult to maintain when you have to replace its different parts as they wear out.

Rather go for combo air purifiers with 2-3 technologies and the technologies should give you the best of both worlds from one device and remove both gases and particulates from the air. I swear by the PCO and activated carbon and the HEPA and Activated Carbon combo. Additionally, on the HEPA and activated carbon combo, you can get one with a UV light air purifier.

If you want more detail on the different types of air purifiers, you can check out my more comprehensive guide here. Now lets delve into the different pollutants that can pollute your indoor air and which types of air purifiers will work best for each of them.

List of Pollutants That Air Purifiers Can Remove

1. Mold & Mildew

What Is It: Mold and mildew are particulate matter. They are fungi that grow on walls and various surfaces and become airborne.

Source: Mold and mildew are naturally present in the air but they can infest your home if your home is not well cleaned and has damp or high humidity levels. Basement, bathroom, and kitchens are the usual breeding grounds for mold. Once mold and mildew start growing on walls, it means your indoor air is badly polluted with mold. You can test your house before the mold is visible to see if you have dangerous levels of mold present in your air.

Dangers: Mold and mildew flare up allergies and can make you really sick. You can get sick building syndrome, fungal infections, and allergic reactions like rashes, asthma attacks, watery eyes, and runny noses. They even affect your mood with some researchers saying they contribute to depression.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Use HEPA, PCO, TSS to get rid of mold and mildew. In addition, use a dehumidifier to deal with moisture, and ensure proper drainage and plumbing to prevent damp on your walls and floors.

2. Aspergillus Fungus

What Is It: This is just a type of mold.

Source: Warm damp weather and indoor conditions.

Dangers: Aspergillus spores can be 2-3 micrometer in diameter which enables them to penetrate deep into our lungs, even as far as individual alveoli. They result in sinusitis, runny noses, and other allergic reactions.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Use PCO, HEPA, and TSS to remove them.

3. Germs, Viruses & Bacteria

What Is It: Germs including bacteria and viruses are particulate matter ranging from 0.004 to 10 microns in size.

Source: Airborne germs come from many places. Some of the common places include people coughing and sneezing, pets, and even bacteria colonies built up in your air con if it’s not maintained.

Dangers: Airborne germs in your home can cause you to catch different types of flu, eczema, and other communicable infections. Meningitis, TB, chicken pox and many other diseases can be caught through indoor air and air purifiers can help minimize the chances of this happening in your home.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Use, PCO, TSS, HEPA, Ionic or UV air purifiers to get rid of airborne germs around your home.

4. Dust Mite

What Is It: Dust mite are particulate matter and they are microscopic insect-like pests. They actually look like spiders when you look at them on a microscope.

Source: Dust mite are naturally everywhere but they thrive in homes where there is a lot of dust, warmth, and humidity. Their colonies grow rapidly in homes where there is a lot of dead skin flakes from pets and humans for them to feed on. If such conditions are sustained long enough, they start to reproduce on beds, blankets, curtains and other fabrics around your home.

Dangers: Dust mite themselves are not dangerous but what’s dangerous about them is their fecal matter and body parts once they die. These become airborne and when inhaled can cause asthma flare-ups, skin irritations, and other allergies.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: You can use ozone generators to kill dust mite on surfaces like curtains, furniture, and bedding’s but take the necessary precautions to protect yourself against ozone. As for airborne dust mite pollutants, PCO and HEPA air purifiers will serve you well.

5. Cockroach Pollutants

What Is It: I think we all know what roaches are. They cause particulate pollution in your home.

Source: They are part of our living world and they normally infest places and homes where rubbish and food is left out in the open for too long.

Dangers: Like dust mite cockroach feces and body parts also trigger various allergies and other irritations in some people.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Ozone generators are not as effective for cockroaches but HEPA and PCO air purifiers perform well against airborne feces and body parts they may leave behind.

6. Pet Hair

What Is It: Pet hair is particulate matter. It consists of tiny microscopic flecks of skin from cats, dogs, birds, and other feathered and furred pets.

Source: Pet hair comes from pets shedding their skin naturally or from rubbing on surfaces, scratching or being stroked by their owners among other things.

Dangers: If you pets, over time these tiny specs of hair become airborne and if inhaled or triggers allergic reactions in some people.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Many types of air purifiers are designed specifically with pet owners in mind and they include HEPA, PCO, and ionic air purifiers. These will all help remove pet hair in your indoor air.

7. Pet Dander

What Is It: Dander is related to pet hair. It is microscopic skin particles which are naturally shed periodically by pets.

Source: Dander comes from mammals to reptile pets which all shed skin periodically as part of their natural skin replacement process.

Dangers: Dander can collect on your bedding’s, furniture and various surfaces around your home in addition to being airborne. It triggers rhinitis and various other allergies in humans.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: You can also get rid of pet dander using HEPA, PCO and ionic/electrostatic air purifiers. Take note that if I mention ionic air purifiers this also means electrostatic purifiers can help.

8. Skin Flakes

What Is It: Skin flakes are pretty much like pet dander and in addition to animal skin flakes you also get human dead skin.

Source: Skin flakes spread around your home as you scratch your skin, especially when it’s dry, and naturally as your body replaces dead cells.

Dangers: Skin cells from humans are not dangerous. However, both human and animal skin cells are the main part of what microorganism like dust mite and bed bugs in your home feed on.

If your house is full of skin flakes in the air which eventually end up on surfaces then you create an environment where these microorganisms can thrive. The microorganism, in turn, causes a variety of problems for humans and pets but mainly allergies.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Get rid of skin cells in your air before they collect on surfaces using PCO and HEPA air purifiers.

9. Pollen

What Is It: Pollen is particulate matter and a coarse powdery substance containing pollen grain which is a male plants version of sperm.

Source: Pollen comes from plants and usually plants release pollen in large quantities of spring and summer as part of their reproductive process. Pollen is then spread from male to female plants through the air and through insects.

Dangers: Pollen spread through the air enters and becomes airborne in homes. It can trigger asthma attacks but more commonly pollen causes hay fever.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: If you have any reactions to pollen you can use PCO and HEPA air purifiers to significantly reduce the amount airborne pollen in your dwelling.

10. Insects

What Is It: Insects are among the largest group of invertebrates and they cause particulate pollution in your home.

Source: They are naturally everywhere outdoors. The main culprits are airborne insects that fly into your home after shelter, food, and light.

Dangers: Some insects bite and can spread viruses by biting or stinging you, while others release fecal matter into your air which causes you all sorts of allergies and others have allergy causing body parts which become airborne in your home once they die and you are prone to inhaling their remains.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: The first line of defense against insects when it comes to air purifiers is mesh screens for doors leading outside your home. A good example of this is Magic Mesh. Next PCO, Ionic, and HEPA air purifiers can help to greatly reduce pollutant byproducts of insects and some air purifiers even clean out tiny airborne insects like mosquitoes and gnats.

11. Dust

What Is It: Dust is simply fine particles of solid matter that settles on surfaces.

Source: It generally is in the atmosphere and comes from soil, and day to day human activity like driving and construction and is blown into the air by the wind. You also get dust forming from a collection of dead human and animal skin in your home.

Dangers: The main concern with dust is that it causes allergies. Besides this, it can cause various lung diseases. People with sinusitis are no stranger to how dust can really cause you discomfort. Besides health problems dust can make your house dirty and stuffy and unpleasant to live in. There is so much more to be said about dust but we can all generally agree that we want minimal dust in our indoor air.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: HEPA air purifiers are your best bet with dust but you can also use PCO, TSS, Revitalizers and PCO air purifiers to deal with it. Stick to true-HEPA air purifiers for the finest of dust particles.

12. Lead

What Is It: Lead is a heavy metal and particulate pollutant in the air in the form of dust.

Source: In the home, it comes from lead-based paints and materials and from traffic pollution.

Dangers: Lead cause a variety of problems including slow growth, brain damage, irritability, abdominal pain, fatigue, headaches and a host of other problems.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Get rid of airborne lead indoors using HEPA and PCO air purifiers.

13. Asbestos

What Is It: Asbestos is a collection of long tiny fibrous crystals that can be found in your air as particulate pollutants.

Source: Asbestos is used in a lot of products because of its favorable properties. It’s mostly used in building materials and that’s how it mostly gets into your home’s indoor air.

Dangers: Asbestos is a known carcinogen. When inhaled its fibers cause abrasion and aggravate lung tissues causing them to scar. You will get eventually get shortness of breath, and a dry crackling sound in your lungs when inhaling if you exposed to asbestos in dangerous quantities.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Get HEPA and PCO air purifiers to remove asbestos from your indoor air.

14. Traffic Pollution

What Is It: Traffic pollution consists of VOCs and particulate matter including, dust, benzene, lead, carbon monoxide, and many other pollutants.

Source: It comes from cars commuting on roads

Dangers: It can cause lung damage, breathing and neurological problems, and also your home to become covered with soot and dirt.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Get rid of traffic pollution with an activated carbon HEPA air purifier or PCO air purifier also combined with activated carbon.

15. Second-Hand Smoke

What Is It: Second-hand smoke is tobacco or marijuana smoke inhaled involuntarily by others who are not doing the smoking. It consists of both particulate (tar) and gaseous (odor) pollutants.

Source: This all comes from humans smoking inside or near your home.

Dangers: Tobacco cause numerous health problems including sudden infant death syndrome, asthma attacks, ear infections, and respiratory problems. Long term exposure leads to cancer. Things are not as bad with weed smoke but you can get mentally impaired with long term exposure. Besides all this stuff smells bad if you are not a smoker and you do not want your baby or child breathing secondhand smoke.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: You will need an activated carbon HEPA or PCO air purifiers to deal with second-hand smoke.

16. Wildfire Smoke

What Is It: This is smoke resulting from uncontrolled bush and forest fires. It contains both particulate and gaseous air pollutants.

Source: Wildfire smoke is as a result of wildfires caused by extremely hot weather conditions that burn large proportion of forest, grass, and bushes.

Dangers: If you stay in the vicinity of wildfires, even after the fires stop burning the smoke can last for months afterward. Long term exposure to this smoke can cause respiratory problems, headaches and your home and air just smell like smoke which can be rather uncomfortable.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: To avoid the dangers of wildfire smoke and the discomfort it causes, activated carbon PCO and HEPA air purifiers can rescue your indoor air problem.

17. Smog

What Is It: Smog is a mixture of fog and smoke and largely consists of smoke and sulfur dioxide but also contains other VOCs.

Source: It comes from massive industrial coal burning from electricity power stations and general heavy industrial processes. Smog is produced when sunlight reacts with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides and at least one volatile organic compound (VOC) in the atmosphere created by industrial emissions.

Dangers: Smog aggravates, heart problems, bronchitis, asthma and can causes host of lung problems.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Get rid of smog in your indoor air with HEPA and PCO air purifiers.

18. Volcanic Smog & Pollution

What Is It: Volcanic pollution also called VOG consists of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen pollution and various other harmful gases. It also contains solid microscopic particulates and fine ash and glass-like particles which form when lava rapidly creates steam after coming in contact with cold water.

Source: The source here is obviously volcanic eruptions

Dangers: Volcanic smoke can cause, eye, skin and lung irritations. Your asthma and bronchitis can get aggravated by pollutants in your home and you can contract other respiratory problems.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: To get rid of volcanic pollution you will need adsorbents like activated carbon. So go for HEPA and PCO air purifiers that contain activated carbon filters.

19. Cigarette Smoke

What Is It: As mentioned for second-hand smoke, tobacco/cigarette smoke pollute your air with particulates and gases.

Source: This pollution is man made by you or anyone in your home smoking.

Dangers: The dangers of cigarette smoke are well known and I don’t need to repeat them here.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: The best air purifiers for cigarette smoke are activated carbon HEPA and PCO air purifiers but the best thing you can do when it comes to cigarette smoke is smoke outside. Air purifiers can only minimize the dangers and smell rather than completely get rid of it.

20. Vaping Smoke/Vapor

What Is It: Vaping smoke is largely small water droplets and odor-causing gases.

Source: It comes from you or anyone in your home smoking an e-cigarette.

Dangers: The dangers of vaping are yet to be discovered but it can leave a strong odor or scent in your house and stains on your windows and walls. Vaping can also cause damage to electrical equipment if you smoke near them.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: HEPA air purifiers can’t handle vaping smoke because they contain too much water, which soaks their paper-based filters and renders them useless. What you need with vaping smoke are special types of electrostatic air purifiers called smoke eaters. Also, check out the Cloud Crusher air purifier by getting the smoke out which has a filter that’s very effective at absorbing vaping smoke.

21. Odors

What Is It: Odors are smells of all sorts. They can be bad or good smelling. Smells are gaseous in nature.

Source: Smells come from a variety of-of sources. They are usually volatile organic compounds as they often come off solids like wood or liquids like juice or cleaning detergents.common sources of odors in your home include cooking, sink smells, your bin, pets, body odor, and your toilet.

Dangers: Odors get irritating more than anything and that’s why we try to get rid of them. However, they can be dangerous and cause nausea, reduce your productivity, cause headaches, dizziness and many other health problems. Some people also react to normal cologne and perfume odors as they have fragrance sensitivities (MCS).

Which Air Purifiers Can Remove It: To get rid of odors in your home you will need a HEPA or PCO air purifier with an activated carbon filter.

22. Weed Smells

What Is It: Weed smell is gas like any other odor. Its odor is specifically known as butylthiol which also make up part of skunk smell.

Source: Weed smell can come from weed plantations but you will smell it most often when someone is smoking weed.

Dangers: There are no widely recognized findings showing any serious dangers with weed smell. The main concern though is that weed smell is disruptive and annoying especially if you are a nonsmoker. The worst is when you live near a cannabis cultivation plant. The smell can travel and gets really bad especially during harvesting.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Some cannabis growers now use activated carbon cans and air purifiers to control weed odor in their weed plantations and stop it from spreading. In the same way, you can eliminate weed smell in your home with activated carbon PCO or HEPA air purifiers.

23. Tobacco/Cigarette Smells

What Is It: Cigarettes contain so many VOCs and some of these gases are the main elements that make up cigarette smoke.

Source: The only source of cigarette smell is from people smoking.

Dangers: I think the dangers of cigarette smells and smoke are well documented and we all generally know them. So no need to get into the detail here.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: You can rid your indoor air of cigarette, cigar or tobacco smells in general with either PCO or HEPA activated carbon air purifier.

24. Vaping Smells

What Is It: Vaping smells are gas molecules that off-gas from the vapor blown out when some are smoking.

Source: You can get odorless vape juice but if you try flavored e-juice that’s when vaping starts to smell. However vaping smell dissipates quickly. If you smoke enough though, the vaping smell can start to linger in your smoking area especially if flavored vapor starts to drip and stick on your walls and windows.

Dangers: There are no known dangers of vaping smoke but some people just don’t like the sweet smell vaping leaves behind. It can be nauseating for some people.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: To get rid of vaping smell and ensure it does not linger, try a specialized vaping air purifier with activated carbon or an activated carbon PCO air purifier. HEPA air purifiers are just not designed to handle the kind of vapor that comes from vaping.

25. Musty Smells

What Is It: Musty smells are a stale unpleasant odor in your home.

Source: They usually happen if an area in your home has had no air and has been damp for while. The smell is worsened by mold growth. The smell can also come from materials like paper in books getting old and dusty. Musty smells also commonly develop in humid basements where there is no sunshine. Musty smells catch on to your clothes and stick to furniture and leave your cupboards and closets smelling funny.

Dangers: If mold is the main cause of musty odor in your home you can end up getting frequent headaches, fatigue, and dizzy spells. On the other hand, the smell just makes you feel uncomfortable and makes breathing difficult.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: You will need an activated carbon HEPA or PCO air purifier for musty smells. In addition, Ozone generators can come in handy especially with killing mildew and mold on surfaces. Lastly, you have to reduce your humidity levels if your home is humid, especially your basement.

26. Pet Odors

What Is It: These consist of various chemicals including uric acid, ammonia, isovaleric acid, heptanal and more. Combined they produce your pet’s body odor.

Source: Pet odor comes from your pets sweating and fecal matter. Their diets also have a strong influence on how their bodies and hair or feathers smell.

Your pets odors stick mostly on fabrics they often come in contact with and sometimes if they urine somewhere in your home and you don’t see it. Some of the worst pet odors come from caged animals and cat litter boxes.

Dangers: Pet odors can get toxic and harmful not just to you but also your pets. Usually, where there are pet odors germs also thrive and the odor can become a source of allergy triggers like dust mite in your home. Pet odors make your home an unpleasant environment for guests and also yourself.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: In addition to air purifiers, You have to clean up and keep tidy, with vacuuming and steam cleaning ever so often to deal with pet odor. The best air purifiers for pet odors are activated carbon PCO and HEPA air purifiers.

27. Volatile Organic Compounds

What Is It: I have mentioned VOCs a lot throughout this post. VOCs are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at normal or room temperature. Common VOCs include Benzene, Formaldehyde, and Perchloroethylene.

Source: They are found in various places including paint fumes, new furniture, especially carpets, fossil fuels, pesticides and hobby supplies like glue and acrylic colors, detergents and dry cleaned clothes. The list is endless and a lot of things off-gas VOCs in your home.

Dangers: VOCs cause a lot of sicknesses. They can cause you to feel dizzy and fatigued, give you headaches, nose and throat discomforts and some even cause cancer. The list of of dangers of VOCs is a long list and I cannot cover everything here. However let me mention that additionally, some VOCs also give off good and bad odors that can flare up fragrance sensitivities and cause you discomfort if you inhale the odors they produce long enough.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: HEPA air purifiers alone will not help you with VOCs. You will need an air purifier with activated carbon. PCO air purifiers can destroy VOCs but even they will give you better performance against VOCs if combined with activated carbon.

28. Radon

What Is It: Radon is a radioactive gas which has no color or taste.

Source: Radon naturally occurs in soil and enters buildings and your home through the soil and become generally present around your home.

Dangers: Radon is one of the leading causes of lung cancer after cigarettes. It causes 21000 deaths every year due to lung cancer.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: To get rid of radon you will need a HEPA or PCO air purifier with activated carbon. You also have to take some additional measure as recommended by the EPA to reduce radon in your home. I strongly suggest using a Certified Radon Mitigation Contractor.

29. Carbon Monoxide

What Is It: Carbon monoxide is another tasteless and odorless gas.

Source: At home, carbon monoxide can come from using fuel base appliances indoors, or living your car running in a garage that leads directly into your home.

Dangers: When you breathe in carbon monoxide it displaces the oxygen you need to stay alive. If you inhale enough carbon monoxide you can get; lethargic, with symptoms such as nausea shortness of breath, headaches, and dizziness and you can suddenly die eventually. Long-term exposure to lower concentrations (such as through smoking) could harm unborn babies or cause neurological damage.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Use any type of air purifiers with activated carbon to minimize carbon monoxide pollution in your home. Additionally, try to get an air purifier with a carbon monoxide detector or just install standalone carbon monoxide detectors across your household. However, If you think your home is polluted with carbon monoxide, evacuate everyone in the house including your pets and get professionals to come run some tests and clean your indoor air.

30. Ozone

What Is It: Ozone is a gaseous molecule with a strong surgical chlorine-like smell.

Source: Ozone pollution happens when the sun chemically reacts with pollutants emitted by industrial processes, and cars. This pollution then spreads with the wind and ends up in your home.

Dangers: Ozone serves us well when it’s up in the sky by protecting us from dangerous sun rays. However, at ground level, Ozone is harmful to humans and animals. It is a powerful cleaning agent. So powerful it can even kill tiny creatures and pets. In humans, it causes lung, eye, and skin irritations as its so corrosive and it can cause you to develop respiratory problems. Its especially dangerous for people with preexisting conditions like asthma and bronchitis and children, the elderly and the immunocompromised people.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Having an air purifier is a very effective way of dealing with ozone, and the best type of air purifiers for this pollutant are PCO air purifiers or activated carbon HEPA air purifiers.

31. Nitrogen Dioxide

What Is It: This is a red gas with a pungent smell.

Source: It comes from burning of biomass and fossil fuels and also naturally occurs from wildfires and in the soil from microbial processes. It is a powerful oxidizing agent used in chemical processes and also rocket fuels.

Dangers: Nitrogen dioxide mainly causes asthma attacks but it’s also linked to bronchitis in children.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: Use activated carbon HEPA and PCO air purifiers to get rid of nitrogen dioxide.

32. Sulfur Dioxide

What Is It: This a colorless gas with a very strong choking smell.

Source: It occurs naturally but it’s also man-made. Naturally, you will get sulfur dioxide from volcanoes and wildfires. Man-made sources include car emissions, and pollution from coal power stations, industrial processes, and oil refineries. Eventually, this pollution ends up in your home as it gets carried through the air.

Dangers: This pollutant can irritate your eyes and cause or worsen respiratory and lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: You want to use an activated carbon PCO or HEPA air purifier to effectively eliminate sulfur dioxide in your home.

33. Ammonia

What Is It: Ammonia can either be in liquid or gas form. It is normally in gas form and as a gas, it is colorless and pungent.

Source: Ammonia occurs naturally. It’s used to make pharmaceuticals, bleaching and cleaning chemicals, fertilizers and various other products. It’s also found in animal and human urine and feces. It can off-gas from all these products and worsen your indoor air quality.

Dangers: Ammonia is highly corrosive and serious concentrations in your indoor air can cause eye, nose and throat irritations.

Which Air Purifier Can Remove It: To get rid of airborne ammonia gas in your home, a PCO and HEPA air purifier with activated carbon filters will do the trick.

Ammonia marks the end of my list of 33 major pollutants air purifiers can remove. Looking at all the air purifiers that remove the various air pollutants, you can clearly see that PCO and HEPA air purifiers dominate the list. So you generally want to stick to these 2 types of air purifiers. If you would like to see my recommended brand for all the different types of air purifiers I have mentioned throughout this post and that are worth buying, check out my post on best room air purifiers here and best personal air purifiers here.
January 27, 2019
What Are The Different Types Of Air Purifiers? A Complete List
When you finally decide to get an air purifier, you might find yourself faced with the daunting task of deciding which type you should get. Over my experience with air purifiers, I have come across quite a number of air purifier technologies and each of these technologies comes in different varieties. I have seen a lot of air purifiers and I am tempted to say I have seen them all and so in this post, I will show you every single type there probably is out here.

In short, what are the different types of air purifiers? There are about 17 distinct types of air purifiers on the market today. The five most common of these, include HEPA, Ionic, Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO), Adsorbent and Revitalizer or Water Air Purifiers. Each of the 17 varieties can be designed as either portable mobile air purifiers or fixed room air purifiers.

Its important to define what an air purifier is to better understand the different types that are out there. An air purifier is a device or product that is specifically designed to improve air quality by getting rid of pollutants in the air.

When I examine all the different types of air purifiers I have come across, I find some release particles into the air to react with and neutralize or destroy air contaminant, while some suck or draw air within themselves and either trap, adsorb or destroy contaminants contained in the air they draw in.

These different ways each air purifier deals with air contaminants can be classified into two categories of air purifiers namely active and passive air purifiers.

The active air purifiers are active in the sense that they release particles to chase after and neutralize floating particles. On the other hand, passive air purifiers are classified as passive because they wait for the air to be exposed to their cleaning unit or media before they can get rid of contaminants in this air thereof.

The different types of air purifiers can be further classified into filter and filterless air purifiers. Of the 17 types of Air Purifiers that exist as at the time of writing this post (Jan 2019) the active air purifiers include,
1. Ionic air purifiers
2. Spray air purifiers and
3. Ozone air purifiers
The passive air purifiers include,
1. HEPA
2. UV light
3. PCO
4. PECO
5. Electrostatic
6. Adsorbents
7. Revitalizers
8. Air scrubbers
9. Charged Media
10. Bio-Reactor
11. Other types of filter
12. Air-to-Air Exchangers
13. Air Curtains and
14. Thermodynamic Sterilization
For each of these, I give you a full description of how they work and what they are able to remove from the air. Thereafter I talk about whole house air purifiers and personal air purifiers which are the two main secondary forms that some of these air purifiers take besides the standard room air purifiers.

Lastly, I talk about plants which in my opinion really do not qualify as a type of air purifier but I have seen some people mention plants when listing the different types of air purifiers so I thought I might as well clarify how they purify the air though they are not essentially a type of air purifier.

To kick start the list, let us take a look at HEPA air purifiers. Below is a navigation table for you to get around quickly as this post is quite long due to the level of detail I provide.

1. HEPA Air Purifiers

I believe HEPA air purifiers are by far the most popular and common type of air purifier out there. HEPA stands for High Efficient Particulate Air filter and air purifiers that contain this kind of air filter are called HEPA air purifiers.

HEPA air purifier filters are fiber-like material with very tiny holes placed strategically within a device to act as a sieve and hold back air pollutants that are bigger than these holes.

When in action HEPA air purifiers work by sucking air within themselves and through their filter and then blowing the sucked air out the device thereafter. As the air passes through the filter pollutant particles are trapped through a mechanism of interception and impaction and the air comes out of the purifier fresher than it was when it entered.

The more air passes through the purifier the cleaner it gets. HEPA filters are designed to trap pollutant air particulates that are as small as 0.1 microns. These are particles that are too small for the human eye to see. They include stuff like ultra-fine dust and dust mite allergens.

To keep a HEPA air purifier performing at its best performance you have to change filters often or as instructed by your devices user manual. HEPA filters can last anywhere from a month to 4 years depending on their design and usage.

HEPA air purifiers are very effective with mold, mildew, dust and other ultra-fine to large particles but unfortunately, they can’t get rid of gas and odor molecules as these fall under 0.1 microns and are too small. To get the best of HEPA air purifiers always go for true HEPA devices rather than other types of HEPA.

You will often find devices labeled HEPA-type and these are just not as effective as true HEPA for particulates. I would stick to a HEPA air purifier if I am not trying to get rid of bad smells toxic gas or Volatile Organic Compounds and my main concern was airborne particulate matter like dust, pollen or soot from traffic pollution.

2. Other Types of Filter Air Purifiers

Besides purifiers with HEPA air filters, you also get air purifiers made of polyester pleated filters, washable filters, and fiberglass filters. These filters act as air purifiers either by making up part of a device that sucks air out of a room through its cleaning core or simply by acting as a barrier preventing airborne pollutants from outdoors from entering into your home or between rooms in your home.

These other filter media may not be as effective as HEPA filters contained within the core of an air purifier device that sucks air but they actually work out to be more cost effective depending on what you are trying to filter out of your air. For instance, HEPA air purifiers don’t do well with moist air. So if you are using one when vaping you will find your filter wears out faster and you have to replace it often due to moisture.

This is one instance where other types of filter air purifiers besides HEPA purifiers come in and play an important role. Besides being used on their own they can also be added to other types of air purifiers including HEPA purifiers to serve as prefilters and shield other purification technologies contained in a device from moisture.

The other types of filters are also used on many purifiers as prefilters for bigger air particles and allow the main filters or air cleaning unit to last longer and only deal with much finer particles. To add on, you also get bigger filters for bigger air pollutants like flying insects (yes insects are pollutants). A good example of insect filters you can put on doors and windows is the Magic Mesh (see at Amazon) filter which will let air into your home while keeping bugs out.

Due to various limitations of HEPA filters, the other types of air filters are mostly used as standalone filters on air vents, in air ducts, and under windows as window air filters. Some of these filters come combined with baking powder or activated carbon to filter odors and gases out from your home as such molecules are too small for them on their own.

3. UV Light Air Purifiers

The next type of air purifiers are Ultraviolet light air purifiers. These use ultraviolet light radiation to destroy air contaminants. They draw air in within a compartment of devices that contains the UV light and air contaminants get destroyed as they are exposed to the light.

The problem with UV light air purifiers, however, is that they only work for microorganisms. They do well with viruses, bacteria and germs but are useless for particulates. Almost always it is better to get a UV air purifier that comes as part of a HEPA air purifier or some other kind of filter air purifier depending on what you are trying to clear out from your air.

If you get a UV air purifier, be sure to check on the lamps or bulbs often and replace them as instructed in your devices user manual. Also be careful with UV because it can emit small quantities of ozone which can be harmful to people in your home who have respiratory conditions if inhaled.

4. Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) Air Purifiers

Like UV purifiers PCO purifiers are filterless. They however use broad-spectrum UV light in a reaction chamber to cause a reaction with water moisture and a thin sheet of a metal catalyst such as titanium dioxide that creates super-oxides and hydroxyl radicals that burn air contaminants. In this reaction, PCO air purifiers destroy air pollutants that get exposed and absorbed on the surface of the thin metal catalyst film of the air purifiers reaction chamber.

All this happens as the air purifier circulates air in and out through its reaction chamber core using an internal fan. PCO air purifiers will incinerate every air contaminant, from gases to particulates, VOCs and microorganisms as small as 0.001 microns. 100 times smaller than what HEPA air purifiers can get rid of.

It used to be that PCO air purifiers produce ozone but you can now find some that do not and only produce water and carbon dioxide as by-products. PCO air purifiers are also low maintenance and you only need to replace your reaction chamber about every 2-3 years and wipe the device as you would other appliances in your home to keep it clean.

For those of us from the 80s and 90s replacing the reaction chamber is as easy as placing a cassette in a radio or VCR (if you remember how to do that). For PCO air purifiers I swear by the Airocide air purifier (click to see at Amazon).

5. Photo Electrochemical Oxidation (PECO) Air Purifiers

PECO air purifiers work just like PCO air purifiers and are just an advanced version of PCO. Instead of a thin film of titanium, PECO air purifiers have a filter membrane coated with some nanoparticles that cause a more powerful and faster oxidation reaction than PCO air purifiers when exposed to broad-spectrum UV light.

Tests show that PECO air purifiers are able to destroy every single kind of air contaminant just like PCO purifiers and they destroy contaminants more than 50% faster than any PCO air purifier over any given time period. The challenge with PECO purifiers though is that you have to replace their filters every year and this could happen more often in a year depending on how polluted your indoor air is.

If you don’t mind frequent filter replacements and all you care about is the best air quality then perhaps the PECO air purifiers could just be for you. That said the only PECO air purifier I am aware of at the moment is the Molekule air purifier.

It’s damn expensive and all the real user reviews I have seen about it are not encouraging so I don’t have any ambitions of trying it. I also don’t recommend it and I would avoid it until a better device is available, and peoples general experience with this device improve as the technology becomes more widespread.

6. Adsorbent Air Purifiers

Adsorbents are materials that naturally absorbs gaseous pollutants and moisture in the air. Some good examples that are used for air purification include volcanic rock minerals, activated carbon, soda or baking powder.

The most common I have seen used in an electricity-powered air purifier that has a filter that contains activated carbon. Like all adsorbents activated carbon does a great job at absorbing gases and odors which other air filters and some air purifiers simply can’t do.

Activated carbon is thereby commonly combined with HEPA or electrostatic air purifiers to give them the added benefit of absorbing and removing gases and odor from the air.

Other adsorbents air purifiers are either just containers or bags containing the adsorbent and are used purely for getting rid of odors, gases, and moisture. Some great examples of this you can check out at Amazon are the Bad Air Sponge or bamboo charcoal bags like the MOSO air purifier bag.

7. Spray Air Purifiers

A very cost effective alternative air purifier to mechanical air purifiers, especially if it’s for short term use is to an air-purifying spray or air sanitizer like this one at Amazon called Ozium. Ozium contains some cleaning agents like trimethylene and propylene glycol that attack microorganisms and neutralize gases and odors in the air.

For a good reason, Ozium has a reputation as a secret weapon for a lot of weed smokers. You should keep Ozium for emergency situations where you need to get rid of smells quickly in your home like when visitors are coming and someone dropped a stink bomb just before they arrived.

You can also use it as a substitute for air freshener in a smelly loo as is does more than just mask smells and actually destroys odor molecules.

8. Revitalizer/Water Air Purifiers

Water air purifiers do not work like your typical mechanical air purifier. They use water as a filtration system and literally wash air pollutants out of the air. What happens is that they suck air into their cleaning compartment using a fan like all other air purifiers do and then they pass this air through water that’s being bubbled around and stirred up by some kind of vibrating rod.

The water in the device then absorbs some pollutants and thereafter releases the air back into your home in the form of water vapor or mist just like a humidifier. In fact part of the revitalizer uses the exact same technology humidifiers use to create the mist they release into the air.

What’s more, you can add some scents and cleaning agents to your water which make your home’s air smell better by reacting with gases and eliminating odors.

Water air purifiers can remove, particulate contaminants like dust and pollen and also odors, from the air and using an antibacterial solution can also get rid of bacteria in the air. They are also cost-effective in terms of maintenance as you only need water for them to get rid of contaminants and purify your air.

However, they do increase humidity in your home and can create a conducive environment for mold and dust mite if you are not careful. Their ability to filter out gases and VOCs is also questionable.

9. Air Scrubbers

Air scrubbers are heavy duty air purifiers which are usually used for industrial and commercial purposes. They come in two forms, wet scrubbers, and dry scrubbers. Wet scrubbers clean the air in a similar way as air revitalizers do but more intensively.

Air is drawn into the air purifier and exposed to a scrubbing liquid in a water tank section of the purifier. This liquid then washes corrosive air pollutants, heavy particulates, and smelly gases and the rest of the air is moved through another filter and an activated carbon bed to get rid of VOCs and any remaining contaminants that the cleaning liquid failed to get rid of.

The dry scrubber does not contain any liquid or compartment to wash air. It works just like an ordinary activated carbon HEPA air purifier but cleans air more intensively using faster fans and air recirculation rates and much bigger filters. Air scrubbers are normally used by construction workers to improve air quality in a building once a job is complete or prevent air pollution between rooms during renovations.

They are also used in factories to prevent pollution from various manufacturing processes. You can get smaller industrial versions for use in your home but it better to hire one or to hire a professional cleaning service if you ever need to use one. Air scrubbers can come in handy if you need to get rid mold or you want to improve the air quality in your basement or crawl space, especially after flood damage.

10. Ionic Air Purifiers

Ionic air purifiers are also known as negative ion generators or ionizers. They work to remove air contaminants by using an electrical charge to produce negative ions which are then released in the air. These ions then react with positively charged pollutants in the air and neutralize them causing them to fall to the ground as they become too heavy to stay suspended in the air once neutralized.

The negative ions balance the electrical charge in your home resulting in clean air. Ionizers are great at dealing with germs, bacteria, and viruses and also do well with pollen, dust and other particulates in the air. They are however limited when it comes to dealing with gases and odors. Ionic air purifiers can only remove particles of 10 microns and more.

Compared to other types of air purifiers ionizers usually take much longer to improve air quality. Furthermore, when the metal rods in the air purifier that produce negative ions become dirty by attracting positively charged contaminants to themselves ionizers quickly become ineffective in producing ions.

Moreover, over time, they result in a build-up of thin films of neutralized particles on surfaces and walls around your house. With time you will see your ceilings and walls also starting to lose color if you use your ionizer long enough.

Lastly, most ionizers produce ozone which is a harmful irritant for humans and animals. Though the quantities they produce are small, if you have anyone with a weak immune system or respiratory problems in your household, even small amounts of ozone can make them sick.

11. Electrostatic Precipitator Air Purifiers

Like ionic air purifiers, electrostatic air purifiers also use an electrical charge to get rid of air pollutants. They, however, use an electric charge to create negatively charged metal plates within their purification unit which attract positively charged air contaminants out of the air.

The contaminants collect in the air purifier and you have to clean it often because as the metal plates become saturated they become ineffective in attracting particulates.

Like ionic air purifiers electrostatic precipitators also produce ozone but at least they do not create a mess for you to clean up on surfaces around your home. You also don’t need to worry about discoloration of walls and furniture as the device does not emit the negative ions that cause this in the air around your home.

12. Ozone Generators

Despite its harmful effects on humans, ozone is a strong oxidizer and cleaning agent and does quite a good job at cleaning the air. It’s also the only type of air purifier that can clean air pollutants when they are not airborne and they are settled on surfaces.

Ozone generators clean the air by releasing ozone into the air in your room. As the ozone spreads in and around the air in your room, because it’s such an unstable substance it chemically reacts with air pollutants around your room turning them into water molecules, and carbon dioxide but sometimes also other toxic substances.

Ozone has its advantages especially when it comes to dealing with pollutants like dust mite, strong permanent odors, and mold on walls but you have to know how to use it. If you mess around, this stuff can easily kill small pets, like cats, birds, rodents, and reptiles. In small quantities, ozone can cause you chest pains, and make breathing difficult. In large quantities, it causes eye and throat irritations and finally lung damage.

If you really have to use an ozone generator, I strongly suggest calling a professional air cleaning service. If they are good, they will advise you to make sure you, your family and your pets are not at home when they are doing the cleaning with ozone, until at least an hour after they are done.

Professional cleaning services can also do a deep clean of your car with ozone to make it smell brand new again. I can’t stress enough on dangers ozone so stay safe and play by the rules here.

13. Charged Media Air Purifier

This type of air purifier works by using both the mechanisms of filtration and electrostatic air charge to clean your air. A charged media air purifiers consist of an electrically charged thin wire grid operating in conjunction with a filter pad or mat. Most charged media air purifiers come with a fiberglass or cellulose filter pad or similar material through which air is blown.

When your air purifier is on, electricity flows through the wire grid, and an intense electrostatic field is created. Next, air pollutants are drawn into the device by a fan and through this field are polarized and caught by the filter pads just as tiny metal particles catch on to magnets.

Once your filter pad is filled with pollutants, you have to remove it and replace it with a clean one. Through this process, charged media air purifiers can remove particulates sizes of as small as 0.01 microns. Accordingly, just like HEPA air purifiers, they do well with particulates but under perform in filtering odor-causing gases. To filter our odors, you can get a charged media air purifier that comes with an activated carbon filter.

14. BioTech Air Purifiers

Biotechnology air purifiers are probably the newest kid on the block when it comes to air purifiers. They clean the air by using three factors, namely, convection, molecular charge attraction, and natural oxidation. In biotech air purifiers, convection and fans are used to draw large particulate matter of over 0.5 microns like dust and dander into the air purifiers cleaning section, which is called a bioreactor.

Next smaller ultra-fine air pollutants like Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and VOCs are drawn into the cleaning unit of the air purifier by a process of molecular attraction. Molecular attraction happens when the air around the air purifiers’ bioreactor which is electrically charged and rendered neutral by “grounding”, is used to attract 90% of the particulate contaminants in the air that do not respond to ventilation.

Once the various types of air contaminants are drawn into the bioreactor, activated by a mix of water, oxygen, enzymes, and contaminants an accelerated process of natural oxidation takes place and this digests and the air contaminants breaking them down into water, carbon dioxide and base elements and resulting in clean air being released from the air purifier.

The only biotech based air purifiers I have seen on the market so far are the U-Earth Aircel air purifiers.

15. Air-to-Air Exchangers And Energy Recovery Ventilation

If you have ever asked yourself how to remove the moisture and pollutants in the air while retaining the heated or cooled air in your home? Than an air-to-air heat exchanger is for you. This is quite a complex air purifier and a large device that ensure good air quality and temperatures in your home with minimal waste of energy.

Air exchangers transfer the thermal energy of your indoor air to incoming fresh air, allowing moisture and pollutants to be vented out of your home while retaining the heat. An air-to-air heat exchanger can remove excess humidity and flush out odors and pollutants generated indoors, all with your windows and doors closed.

This type of air purifier comes in very handy if you have air ducts or an HVAC in your home and you are serious about minimizing your heating and cooling energy bill while maintaining the highest air quality in your home. For a deeper explanation of how air-to-air exchangers work check out this article.

16. Air Curtains and Doors

Air curtains and doors don’t actually clean air but prevent pollutants from getting in and out of a room by separating a room from other rooms or outdoor air using a strong stream of air blowing downwards from the top of your door to the bottom. It is kind of like an air shield.

The strong stream of air pushing downwards from the top air actually prevents, odors, flying insects and other forms of pollution from moving across spaces even though the door or window between these spaces is wide open.

Air doors also help save energy by reducing heat transfer in and out of a building. You can get one for your home to keep pollution out while keeping your doors and windows open but normally these are used in restaurants, shop entrances and in office kitchens and canteens.

17. Thermodynamic Sterilization (TSS) Air Purifiers

TSS air purifiers use heat sterilization in a ceramic core with micro capillaries. Their ceramic core heats up t o 200 °C (392 °F) and incinerates pollutants.

TSS purifier manufacturers claim that this technology can get rid of 99.9% of microorganisms.

TSS purifiers do not filter and trap or remove particles like filter based air purifiers but rather rely on air convection for air to pass through their core and once they clean the air it is immediately cooled using heat transfer plates and released back into your house.

TSS purifiers have no known harmful by-products and can reduce the concentration of ozone in your atmosphere.

18. Whole House Air Purifiers

Now that you have a good grasp of the different air purifier technologies we can look at the different types of secondary uses these technologies are applied in. The first of these is whole house air purifiers.

Whole house air purifiers are air purifiers that are normally installed in your air duct or at the inlet of your HVAC system to provide clean air and improve air quality across your entire home. They are large filter based air cleaners.

There are a variety of models out there but they are mostly filter based and they use filters ranging from activated carbon HEPA filters to charged media fiberglass air filters. I discuss whole house air purifiers in more detail here.

19. Personal Air Purifiers

Personal air purifiers are more portable types of purifiers that you can take around with you everywhere you go. The technologies these use vary as widely as the number of different types of air purification technologies does.

Personal air purifiers use all sorts of purification technologies ranging from filters to ionizers to biotech air purifiers.

Personal air purifiers include masks, table and desktop air purifiers, travel air purifiers and car purifiers among others. If you are interested in personal air purifiers you can check out my extensive post on different types of personal air purifiers.

20. Plant Air Purifiers

Lastly, on my list of types of air purifiers, we have plant air purifiers. While plants don’t have the same air purification strength as you electrical air purifier? Research from NASA has proven they can absorb toxins in the air and naturally and gradually improve your indoor air quality.

Now not all plants will remove air pollutants and some plants will perform better than others for different types of air contaminants.

One thing that’s for sure though is that plants will not help you with odors, and particulate matter like dust, pollen or pet dander. They are better for gases and VOCs which include substances like formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and benzene.

Also if you go for plants to improve your air quality, be careful to get plants that are not toxic or poisonous especially if you have pets and kids in your home.

Some popular plants for improving air quality include the Spider plant, Dracaenas, and bamboo palms. For more information check out my extensive post on plants that clean the air.

Now that you know about the different types of air purifiers, have a look my specific guide on which brand air purifier to go for if you want the best air quality in your home.
January 27, 2019
46 Indoor Plants That Clean The Air & Remove Toxins – A Detailed List
In addition to man-made air purifiers, you can also use plants to purify the air in your house. This ability of plants to clean the air was formally discovered in 1989 by NASA scientists as they tried to find ways to improve air quality for astronauts while in space.

Unlike on earth where you can just plug an air purifier into an airplane, and it replaces the air in your cabin with fresh air from outside the aircraft, in space there is no air. As a result, you have to find a way to clean air pollutants without replacing your current air with new air and some clever NASA scientist came up with plants as a solution.

Nasa published their study results and the results revealed that various plants are able to remove several Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and toxins in the air including, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, benzene, ammonia, xylene, and some insect and microorganism fecal matter. Before I start with the long list of plants, let’s briefly look at these pollutants more closely.
- Formaldehyde is found in natural gas, cigarette smoke, upholstery, carpets, and plastic tableware. If your home is polluted with formaldehyde it can cause skin problems, irritation of your mucous membrane, and flare up asthma. This gas is infamous for causing “sick building syndrome”.
- Trichloroethylene is present in many fabric cleaners and can also be found in chlorinated water. It is also found in paints, lacquers, printer inc, and carpets. It causes liver and kidney damage and triggers psychomotor agitation. It causes skin and eye irritation and long term exposure to it can result in cancer.
- Benzene is also in cleaning products, lacquers, and paints. Additionally, benzene is present in cigarette smoke and varnishes. As a carcinogen, it is known for causing leukemia. Its short term effects include convulsions, shortness of breath and similar psychological effects to those caused by alcohol.
- Ammonia is similarly present in household cleaners and cigarette smoke but its also surprisingly found in computer parts. It causes swelling of the lungs and larynx and chest pains and it can give you a cough and a sore throat.
- Xylene is used to manufacture lacquers, plastics, glue and paint. It causes skin, eye and respiratory tract irritation. You will also find it in leather products, cigarette smoke, and vehicle exhausts.
Each of these pollutants can be removed by at least one of the plants I list below and some plants are able to remove up to four of these pollutants. In general, as part of their respiratory process and photosynthesis plants draw carbon dioxide out of the air through small pores under their leaves called stomata.

Through this very respiratory process, they are also able to remove the above listed pollutants from the air and synthesize them releasing oxygen and water back into the air. To get the most out of plants in removing air pollutants, NASA recommends 1 plant for every 100 sq ft of indoor space. Let us now look at the different plant.

The Detailed List Of Plants That Can Clean Your Indoor Air

1. Geranium (Pelargoniums)

In a study of over 86 plants, Pelargonium (Geranium) plants were found among the most effective to get rid of formaldehyde in indoor air. This is good news as there are just over 200 kinds of Geranium. Besides cleaning your air, they produce a great aroma (some people may not be able to stand it), repel mosquitoes, and they don’t attract as many parasites as most plants usually do.

Geraniums can live with no watering for up to 2 weeks and don’t need much care. They thrive and blossom well in sunshine and are great plants if you are a beginner at keeping plants. They are usually not harmful to pets and humans and some species can be used to make an herbal tea that helps to lower blood glucose levels if you have diabetes.

2. King of Hearts (Homalomena Wallisii)

The King of Hearts if quite effective in removing ammonia from indoor air. Its commonly used in offices as compared to homes. It is toxic and not safe for cats and dogs. To maintain this plant you have to keep it in mid-shade to shade and avoid drafts, and excessive heat. Its quite a sensitive plant and if kept in an area that is too warm and dry, it is prone to spider mites infestations. To keep this plant in good condition make sure its soil is evenly moist with soft water and where possible use rain water or purified water. Feed the King of Hearts with a weak concentration of fertilizer as it grows and place it in pot with good drainage.

3. Croton

There are a number of varieties of Crotons and they are all good at removing formaldehyde from the air. Crotons also have a very rapid transpiration rate, which allows them release large volumes of oxygen into your indoor air. Their leaves are quite thick and fibrous and the plant will thrive as long as you wipe its leaves down with a cloth often and you provide it with full exposure to the sun.

Crotons also do not like the cold but keep them in temperatures below 80 degrees Fahrenheit and keep their soil moist but not wet. They are poisonous plants for both humans and animals so take the necessary precautions if you decide to own a Croton.

4. Poinsettia (Euphorbia Pulcherrima)

Poinsettias are good for reducing the amount of formaldehyde in your air. This plant enjoys sunlight and warmth but keep it away from drafts. It does well on windowsill as long kept closed. Poinsettias are happy with temperatures of between 15 – 20°C. This plant is mildly toxic but not deadly. If pets or children swallow it it can cause mouth rash and stomach upsets. Its sap can also cause skin rash.

5. Peacock Plant (Calathea Makoyana)

This plant extracts ammonia out of the air. It’s hard to take care of and not recommended for a beginner at growing plants. It a semi shade plant that also needs the right level of humidity. It’s not toxic to animals and it’s also not harmful for humans.

6. Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera)

I could not find exactly which chemical vapor it removes but the Christmas cactus peculiarly clears the air of carbon dioxide and releases oxygen. This is strange plant behavior as a normal plant starts releasing carbon dioxide at night and absorbing oxygen. Accordingly the Christmas cactus it touted as the one of the best plants for your bedroom.

It’s a trick one to take care of. It has to have the right amount of water, not too little and not too much. You have to ensure their pot drains well and keep them in bright but indirect sunlight. They need 14 hours of darkness and 8 hours of bright light. Christmas Cactus are not toxic to dogs or humans but can cause stomach upsets fi swallowed.

7. Kimberly Queen Fern (Nephrolepis obliterata)

Queen Ferns will clear your air of formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. They are not difficult plants to care for and they are not dangerous for humans or pets. They prefer indirect sunlight but can survive direct sunlight if watered properly.

8. Lilyturf (Liriope spicata)

Lilyturf filters formaldehyde, ammonia, xylene and toluene from the air. Lily Turf does not do well in excessively dry air and if you see pests on it these are telltale signs that the air is too dry for your plant. As it dislikes dry air this plant needs water constantly and so you have to keep its soil moist. Place this plant in loose-mix potting soil for good drainage and fertilize every month except during winter months. The plant is a semi shade plant.

9. Dendrobium Orchids (Dendrobium spp.)

This plant will cleanse your air of xylene and toluene. There are over 1800 species of dendrobium orchids and they survive in climates ranging from dry to tropical. This plant needs indirect but high intensity light. Its best kept on your windowsill. The watering can be quite complex depending on whether you are in winter or summer. You have to water the plant with lukewarm water and only once a week and even less during winter and if you want it to bud. Check out this article at Orchid Made Easy for more detail on how to care for this plant. This orchid is non-toxic and not harmful to humans or animals.

10. Dwarf Banana (Musa Cavendishii)

This is a mini banana tree you can keep indoors and it can get rid of formaldehyde in your air. There is not much that goes into taking care of one of these. Just keep the soil moist with lots of mulch and direct sunlight and you are good to go. This plant can stay for a couple of weeks without watering and its not toxic to animals or humans.

11. Mass Corn Plant (Dracaena Fragrans “Massangeana”)

The mass corn plant removes, benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. They do well in light shade or filtered sunlight. When watering, you will do well to let the top soil dry first before you water your plant again. The corn plant likes a reasonable humidity level otherwise if its outside its comfort zone you start to see blemishes on its leaves.

12. Ficus Alii (Ficus Maclellandii Alii):

Ficus Alii gets rid of formaldehyde, xylene and toluene. Don’t let this plant sit in water and allow the water to dry to a depth of 1-2 inches of soil before you water the plant again. Ficus Alii does well in medium sunlight. The plant is dangerous for children and animals, so ensure you position appropriately to avoid any accidents.

13. Lady Palm (Rhapis Excelsa)

Lady Palm can clear your air of formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, benzene, and carbon monoxide. This plant can tolerate a wide variety of indoor conditions and is also very resistant to insects. They need a lot of water and bright but indirect sunlight

14. Kalanchoe

This plant removes formaldehyde from the air but its not the most effective at doing so. Kalanchoe only need water once a week and 1 to 2 hours of direct sunlight. Keep them in a shade where the can get some bright light. This plant mildly toxic and your cat or dog will most likely only suffer a tummy upset and some vomiting if swallowed.

15. Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis)

Moth Orchids only get rid of xylene and toluene. Water this plan every 7-10 days or as it dries out. The watering period doubles to 14-21 days if your plant is growing in moss. They need a lot of bright light but away from direct sunlight and they also love humidity. Keep this orchid away from pets and children as it is a toxic plant.

16. Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix Roebelenii)

The pygmy date palm will take out formaldehyde, xylene and toluene from your air. Keep its soil moist but not soggy and keep it in bright light but not direct sunlight. The plant does well in moderate to high humidity levels and is safe with humans and animals.

17. Flamingo Lily (Anthurium Andraeanum)

The flamingo Lilly absorbs, formaldehyde, ammonia, xylene and toluene. It prefers humid and shady environments. Never put it in direct sunlight. It likes a lot of water but over watering will cause its leave to turn yellow and eventually its roots will rot. Keep this plant away from children and animals as its toxic.

18. Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea Elegans)

The parlor palm removes formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide from the air. It will grow in the low light corners of your home with watering only once a week. This plant can grow in temperatures of between 12 to 26 degrees celsius. Parlour Palm is safe for humans and animals.

19. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata)

The Boston Fern is great for moisturizing and cleaning formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene out of your air. It grows best in the shade and you have to water it regularly. Its non-toxic and you don’t need to worry about leaving around pets and children

20. Devil’s Ivy, Golden Pothos (Epipremnum Aureum)

The Pothos or Devil’s Ivy is best for benzene or formaldehyde indoor pollution. It’s a great plant if you face a lot of traffic pollution in your home. If you are not careful it’s long, wandering vines, can slowly grow all over your room. You can trim the plant down as you need to keep it under control. The plant excels in rooms with indirect light and requires regular watering. That said, its leaves are toxic and if you have dogs, cats or small children, keep the plant out of their reach.

21. Money Bonsai or Guiana Chestnut (Pachira Aquatica)

The Money Bonsai gets rid of Ethyl-benzene and Formaldehyde. This tree likes moist soil and indirect light and does well in high humidity. The Money Bonsai is also a safe tree to keep in a home with pets and children.

22. Weeping Fig (Ficus Benjamina):

The weeping fig clears formaldehyde, xylene and toluene. Its works well for pollutants that typically are in carpeting and furniture. It is quite the sensitive plant. It does not like being moved around even if it’s just turning it around in its flower pot. Put this plant in place that gets enough bright light but has enough shade at the same time.

Also water it carefully and make sure the soil does not stay too moist or soggy. Some people even recommend a fast draining soil-less mix for its oxygen loving roots. If not to add on to your troubles, you have to keep this weeping buddy away from pets and kids as its toxic.

23. Janet Craig (Dracaena Fragrans)

The Janet Craig eliminates formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and benzene. If you are in the market for a laid-back plant that won’t hate you for forgetting about it, then the Janet Craig is your best bet.

This plant can last long with remarkably little water and sunshine. Miss Craig will keep cleaning your air even when you have long forgotten her. Unfortunately the kindness of Miss Janet Craig comes at a cost and as you might have guessed Miss Craig is toxic.

24. Prayer Plant (Maranta Leuconeura)

The prayer plant does well with formaldehyde. Its name comes from the way it folds up its leaves when is sun is setting and at night as if it were praying. If you a bit of experience with growing plants, you should be able to keep up with watering this one. Be mindful that it hates drying out so water it often.

The plant needs medium to high light in the shade. It will burn if you dare place it in direct sunlight. The prayer plant is not toxic and is safe to keep in your home even with animals and kids running around.

25. Radiator Plants (Peperomia)

The Peperomia removes formaldehyde quite well from the air. It comes in over 1000 varieties but they all have the same care instructions and they are all part of the pepper plant family. Peperomias perform well in high to medium shade.

They like their soil moist, well-drained. Make sure you don’t over-water Peperomia or its roots will rot and also note that they are prone to mealybugs and aphids attacks. From a pet and child safety perspective this plant is nontoxic and safe.

26. Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia)

This plant will clean xylene and toluene from your air. Dumb Cane plants like their soil moist and well-drained. They grow best in low, indirect light, making them highly suitable as indoor plants. Your dieffenbachia can grow upwards of 4 feet tall if you take good care of it. Over-watering dieffenbachia is quite a common problem among plant owner so be sure not follow the trend. The plant is quite toxic so keep it away from pets and children.

27. Wax Begonia (Begonia X Semperflorens-Cultorum)

Wax begonias enhance air quality by cleaning out benzene and other chemicals from indoor air. If you take good care of Wax begonia they will produce beautiful white, pink or red blooms all summer long. This plant thrives in bright, indirect light and moist soil. Wax Begonia are highly toxic and must be kept out of reach of pets and children in your home.

28. Fiddle-Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata)

The fiddle leaf fig will detoxify your air of formaldehyde and xylene. For this plant to do well, ensure you keep it out of drafts in your home or office. You need to fertilize the fiddle fig monthly during its growing season.

This tree gives an awesome dramatic touch to a room or office space with its big leaves. They are nontoxic to humans but can cause digestive irritations if pets try to eat them. Like the weeping tree, you want to keep this tree in one to keep it growing well.

29. Azalea (Rhododendron Simsii)

Azaleas clears formaldehyde. It grows in bright spots and and can specifically help you reduce reduce formaldehyde levels from materials like plywood and foam insulation. They are shade plants, making them great for indoor use as.

In spring this plant blossoms like a shrub and just looks stunning especially if you have multiple plants in the different colors of its flowers. You can trim the plant once its blooming season is over to keep it in shape. Azalea has life threatening effects if ingested in large quantities.

30. Warneckei (Dracaena Deremensis)

The Warneckei gets rid of formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and benzene floating around in your air. This dracaena grows in bright, indirect sunlight and can also grow well in artificial lighting, making it quite suitable for indoor use. When watering, allow it to dry out a little between waterings.

It does not need too much water and actually does well even when you occasionally forget to water Use purified water or rain water to water your warneckei dracaena because it’s sensitive to fluoride. The plant is toxic and you take the necessary precautions to avoid accidents.

31. Lady’s Slipper Orchid (Cypripedioideae)

The Ladies’ Slipper Orchid will help you fight xylene and toluene. It a beautiful flower and will definitely bring life to a dull room. It dark green leaves also add beauty to the plant. This plant does not like direct sunlight so you have to place it in a shade away from windows.

Special care should be taken while watering a slipper orchid. Only water it once a week and use pure water. You can get pure water by exposing your tap water to air for a day or two by letting sit in an open container. This orchid is non-toxic but can cause severe dermatitis in some people so be careful when you handle them.

32. Indian Basil (Ocimum Tenuiflorum)

The Indian Basil is different from all the plants we have looked so far. Rather than absorb pollutants it releases essential oils into the air which fight bacteria and repel insects and produce a refreshing aroma.

This plant does well even after little-to-no maintenance and actually has a number of medicinal properties. You can plant it in a simple pot and provide it wit regular sunlight, by placing it on a sunny window and it will grow. Just be sure to water it regularly. Basil is edible and safe to keep around your home.

33. Areca Palm (Dypsis Lutescens)

Areca Palm helps remove xylene and toluene from the air. It is also effective as an humidifier. It quite a classy palm and you can easily place it in your living room or office. It is also easy to look after and highly resistant to insect infestations.

The Areca Palm like moist to dry soil. It can grow up to 30 ft tall but if you put it in a small container, its crowded roots will help in limiting the size of the plant to fit in your home. The Areca Palm is Harmless to humans and animals.

34. Snake Plant (Sansevieria Trifasciata Laurentii)

The snake plant is very good at reducing the amount of formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene and trichloroethylene in a room. Like the Christmas cactus, at night, it also does the opposite of a normal plant by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

Accordingly, it’s a nice to have in your room, giving you extra oxygen as you sleep.Snake Plant is quite a hardy plant, with the ability to tolerate almost any environment. It’s a toxic plant though, so again like other plants be careful with it.

35. Aloe Vera

Tests have shown that Aloe Vera helps to keep your home free from benzene which is commonly found in paint and certain chemical cleaners. Aloe plants like to be dry and warm, not wet and cold, so water only when you see that the soil in the pot is dry.

The best spot to keep this plant is a sunny window. Aloe in full shade will not thrive. Also, if you have just replaced the plants pot again, do not water it for two to three days. You should wait for its roots to settle. Although it is totally safe for humans, it is toxic for cats and dogs, so keep it out of reach of your pets.

36. Rubber Plant (Ficus Elastica)

The rubber Plant has been proven to remove formaldehyde from the air. It can survive with less light than most plant of its size. It’s a great choice for rooms with dim light and cool temperatures.

In fact, its leaves actually grow larger when it gets less light! That said, they are quite moody plants when you move them around so you want to find them place where you can place them and not disturb them. They also don’t respond well to fluctuations in air flow or temperature.

37. Barberton Daisy (Gerbera Jamesonii)

Barberton Daisies remove benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air. They are for the more experienced home gardener. Their soil has to be well-drained, so make sure you put them in pots with drainage holes.

You also have to give these daisies at least 6 hours of sunlight per day and mist them once or twice a week. With proper care, your plants brightly colored cut blooms can last as long as two weeks. You will also be glad to know for all your troubles with this plant that its non-toxic.

38. Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema Modestum)

Chinese Evergreen are good at filtering out benzene and formaldehyde from the air. They succeed in low light areas and also manage to grow in places where other plants struggle. Their habitat is usually tropical, so they grow well in humid conditions. If you stay in a dry place or the air in your home is dry mist your chinese evergreen occasionally to maintain their moisture. Take note that Chinese Evergreen is a toxic plant.

39. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum)

Spider Plants remove benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene from indoor air. They are very easy plants to take care of and grow. Simply by cutting off one of the spiders and putting it in another pot with soil, will give you a brand new baby plant to take care of. Spider Plants like average indoor temperatures and bright indirect sunlight. They are non-toxic and safe to place around your home.

40. English Ivy (Hedera Helix)

English Ivy clears Benzene, carbon-monoxide, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from your air. It also helps eliminate some allergens and mold and clears airborne fecal-matter particles produced by microorganisms. The plant needs bright light to look fresh and can get attacked by pests if you do not provide them with enough light.

Water English Ivy’s carefully and let the soil dry for some time before watering them again. Ivy does not like standing water so ensure your Ivy flower pots are never waterlogged. English Ivy’s are toxic so take care where you put them.

41. Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea Seifrizii)

Bamboo palms are great for removing formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene and carbon monoxide. Place bamboo palms next to lacquered furniture and it will vaporize harmful chemicals off-gassing from there. Bamboo palms prefer shady, indirect light, perform the best in warmer temperatures.

You also do not want to over-water bamboo palm or you could shorten its lifespan. If well looked after, your Bamboo Palm may even flower and produce small berries. If you manage to get berries, however, do not eat them as they are toxic. That said the plant itself is not hazardous to humans or animals and you can safely place it anywhere reasonable.

42. Dragon Tree (Dracaena Marginata)

Another plant that can help you get rid of xylene, trichlorethylene and formaldehyde in your home is the Dracaena Marginata. It grows slowly, but it’s worth waiting for. This plant grows quite tall so make sure you have enough room for it. Place in a place with moderate sunlight and you can control its height by pruning.

The dragon tree grows best in moist soil. Make sure your soil does not get soggy and if you see the plants leaves turning yellow you are either over-watering it or you didn’t give it enough drainage. The Dragon Tree is also a toxic plant.

43. Pot Mum (Chrysanthemum Morifolium)

The pot mum is not only a beautiful flowering plant but also does extremely well at removing formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, trichloroethylene, toluene and ammonia from indoor air. Sadly, pot mums only last about 6 -8 weeks indoors for as long as their bloom carries on.

However if you live in a warm are you can preserve them by planting them outside and bringing them back in when the bloom again. Like many of the plants I have touched on, pot mums are also toxic and you need to be cautious if you have little ones running around around.

44. Peace lily (Spathiphyllum “Mauna Loa”)

As a common house plant, the Peace Lily has a strong ability to eliminate benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air. It can also get rid of toluene, xylene and ammonia and by wiping the dust build up on its leaves often you maintain its effectiveness in absorbing these pollutants over time. Not to say you should neglect it but It’s a hard and sturdy plant that can last a while before in need any maintenance if you neglect it.

When it starts to look a little droopy, you know you have left it for a while and it’s getting thirsty. It blooms beautiful, tall, white flowers and the moisture given off by these striking flowers can boost your room’s humidity by up to 5%. Unfortunately it’s a toxic plant and you have to be extra careful with it if you have kids and pets in your home..

45. Philodendron (Philodendron Oxycardium)

Philodendron clears various air pollutants but its known as a ’workhorse’ plant for filtering out formaldehyde. It has beautiful heart shaped leaves that spin around and twist well around a pole giving a nice decorative effect. It is an easy plant to care for. It likes low light areas and moist soil. However, philodendron is toxic and you have to keep it away from pets and kids to avoid any mishaps.

46. Umbrella Tree (Schefflera)

This plant has been proven effective for absorbing formaldehyde, toluene and benzene from the air. Water the umbrella tree about once a week. Be careful not to get too generous with the watering though as this plant does not grow well with too much water. This tree can shoot up to 6 feet tall, but you can limit its growth by trimming off new growths. Take note that the tree is prone to spider mites and scale and that the plant’s leaves are toxic.

The Umbrella tree brings us to the end of the list. Plants are an awesome natural way to improve indoor air quality but you also need to be aware if you do not use them properly they can actually worsen your indoor air quality. Plants can attract insects and mites whose fecal matter can add to the existing allergens in your home, moreover flowering plants produce pollen.

So before going the plant route, do some deeper research on plant pollution. Personally I would make sure I have an air purifier first before introducing plants as an extra measure for pure air in my home. That way if the plants don’t work out for any reason, I always have an electrical air purifier purifying my air in the background any way.
January 27, 2019