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I've been wanting to buy an air purifier but not sure if it is a necessary buy or not. Before spending another 200-300$ for some stuff that I usually find reaso

I've been wanting to buy an air purifier but not sure if it is a necessary buy or not. Before spending another 200-300$ for some stuff that I usually find reason to spend on, I need to know if it makes a huge difference from day to day basis. This article definitely supports it, however has anyone actually ever felt that much difference after getting their purifier?

vpj 5y ago
Bought one about a week ago, because of similar research studies. I don't notice anything different. I use it in the bedroom when sleeping. May be my air quality was already pretty good. I will check the status of the filter after a few weeks to see how much purifying it had to do.
- robertwt7 5y ago
  Do you feel any slight difference on your breath, health, body at all? Something worth noticing?
  - qw3rty01 5y ago
    You probably won't notice a difference unless you have allergies, or there's some other issue causing abnormally high amounts of VOCs to be in the air (such as mold or dust)
  - vpj 5y ago
    Nothing
jjeaff 5y ago
Get a $20 box fan and slap a house intake HEPA filter replacement on the back of it. It will do just as well if not better than an expensive HEPA filter. If it makes a difference and you want something that sounds different or has some extra features, then you could get a nicer one.
- chris_va 5y ago
  Probably want an activated carbon layer in there too, but that's only another $20.
- bcrosby95 5y ago
  This is what we did after wildfires. Way cheaper than buying a truckload of purifiers. And we could actually buy them - purifiers were completely sold out.
- sonofhans 5y ago
  You’re right that it’s better than nothing, but it’s a far cry from “better than an expensive HEPA filter.” The best efficacy I’ve seen claimed in rigorous testing is 87%, compared with well over 99% for a good HEPA filter: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/#what-if-you-just-put-a-furnace-filter-on-a-box-fan https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier...
  - gandalfgreybeer 5y ago
    Have little knowledge on this field so this might be a dumb question: How noticable or significant is that 12% difference? On the same thought, if I had one that had a 95% efficacy, how does it compare to the 87% one and the 99% one in terms of day-to-day or long term effects?
    - sonofhans 5y ago
      I’ve spent a good amount of time in this space, mostly WRT cleaning air in wood shops. One of the problems is that the 12% difference there is mostly the smallest particles, and those are the most harmful. It’s hugely noticeable with smoke, for instance. Humans don’t have a great sense of smell, but we do very well with smoke. The difference between air with <1% leftover smoke and air with 13% leftover smoke is obvious to everyone. The EPA has a lot to say about this, if you’ve the patience to wade through it — https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/air-cleaners-and-air-filters-home https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/air-cleaners-and-...
gilgoomesh 5y ago
> This article definitely supports it The article clearly states that the best way to "clean" the air is just to bring in more fresh air from outside. The article doesn't strongly support filtration unless your outside air quality is poor.
radu_floricica 5y ago
Xiaomi sells ones with particle detection for about 100. No reason not to get one, plug it in and just forget about it.
crazygringo 5y ago
It really depends on where you live and what the air's like. I have a $100 HEPA air purifier, and separately an air quality monitor. I live in a very residential area of Brooklyn on a side street. On normal days the air purifier makes absolutely no difference because PM10/PM2.5 are relatively low just generally. But the other week when wildfires were producing smoke that smogged up NYC? It absolutely made a difference (brought indoor levels back to "normal", far lower than outdoors that day) and I was happy to be able to run it. Before you buy a purifier, buy an air quality monitor. This is the one I got, based on reviews it seems to be the most accurate for any under $100: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P4QN2NN?psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P4QN2NN?psc=1

vpj 5y ago

Bought one about a week ago, because of similar research studies. I don't notice anything different. I use it in the bedroom when sleeping. May be my air quality was already pretty good. I will check the status of the filter after a few weeks to see how much purifying it had to do.

robertwt7 5y ago
Do you feel any slight difference on your breath, health, body at all? Something worth noticing?
- qw3rty01 5y ago
  You probably won't notice a difference unless you have allergies, or there's some other issue causing abnormally high amounts of VOCs to be in the air (such as mold or dust)
- vpj 5y ago
  Nothing

jjeaff 5y ago

Get a $20 box fan and slap a house intake HEPA filter replacement on the back of it. It will do just as well if not better than an expensive HEPA filter. If it makes a difference and you want something that sounds different or has some extra features, then you could get a nicer one.

chris_va 5y ago
Probably want an activated carbon layer in there too, but that's only another $20.
bcrosby95 5y ago
This is what we did after wildfires. Way cheaper than buying a truckload of purifiers. And we could actually buy them - purifiers were completely sold out.
sonofhans 5y ago
You’re right that it’s better than nothing, but it’s a far cry from “better than an expensive HEPA filter.” The best efficacy I’ve seen claimed in rigorous testing is 87%, compared with well over 99% for a good HEPA filter: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/#what-if-you-just-put-a-furnace-filter-on-a-box-fan https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier...
- gandalfgreybeer 5y ago
  Have little knowledge on this field so this might be a dumb question: How noticable or significant is that 12% difference? On the same thought, if I had one that had a 95% efficacy, how does it compare to the 87% one and the 99% one in terms of day-to-day or long term effects?
  - sonofhans 5y ago
    I’ve spent a good amount of time in this space, mostly WRT cleaning air in wood shops. One of the problems is that the 12% difference there is mostly the smallest particles, and those are the most harmful. It’s hugely noticeable with smoke, for instance. Humans don’t have a great sense of smell, but we do very well with smoke. The difference between air with <1% leftover smoke and air with 13% leftover smoke is obvious to everyone. The EPA has a lot to say about this, if you’ve the patience to wade through it — https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/air-cleaners-and-air-filters-home https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/air-cleaners-and-...

gilgoomesh 5y ago

> This article definitely supports it The article clearly states that the best way to "clean" the air is just to bring in more fresh air from outside. The article doesn't strongly support filtration unless your outside air quality is poor.

radu_floricica 5y ago

Xiaomi sells ones with particle detection for about 100. No reason not to get one, plug it in and just forget about it.

crazygringo 5y ago

It really depends on where you live and what the air's like. I have a $100 HEPA air purifier, and separately an air quality monitor. I live in a very residential area of Brooklyn on a side street. On normal days the air purifier makes absolutely no difference because PM10/PM2.5 are relatively low just generally. But the other week when wildfires were producing smoke that smogged up NYC? It absolutely made a difference (brought indoor levels back to "normal", far lower than outdoors that day) and I was happy to be able to run it. Before you buy a purifier, buy an air quality monitor. This is the one I got, based on reviews it seems to be the most accurate for any under $100: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P4QN2NN?psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P4QN2NN?psc=1