My name is Barry Cohen. I have been in the indoor air quality field and air cleaner industry since 1989. This honest and accurate report is to help you choose the proper type of air cleaner or air purifier that will best serve your required indoor air quality needs.

There are many types of air cleaning devices on the market being sold to people to control and remove the many allergens that trigger allergy, asthma and other respiratory and immune system problems. The most common triggers are smoke, dust, pollen, dust mite allergen, cat and dog dander, mold spores and a huge cocktail of chemicals that out-gas from carpeting, furniture, pesticides, paints, cleaning products and household building materials.

The most common portable air cleaning devices  amazon air purifier offered on the market include: HEPA filtered air cleaners and air purifiers, Non- HEPA filtered types of polyester or washable fiber filtered air cleaners, ionizers, ozone-ionizer air purifiers and electronic air cleaners. I will explain how each of these air cleaner devices actually operates and how they will best benefit your direct needs.

HEPA Air Purifiers & Air Cleaners

Portable HEPA filtered air purifiers and air cleaners are by far the best all around type of room air cleaning system for dust, allergy and asthma control. However there are many levels of quality in the different brands and models that are on the market. I will explain the advantages and differences.

When choosing a quality HEPA air cleaner there are a few very important things to look for.

1. Cleaning Square Footage Area and Air Exchange Rate Per Hour

Look for your HEPA air cleaner to have the highest air exchange rate per hour in any sized room or open area. Remember no air cleaner can clean through walls or clean through narrow hallways or doorways from one room into another. Note: If you place a HEPA air cleaner in a hallway between three bedrooms the air cleaner will do a wonderful job of cleaning the hallway, but it will not be able to clean the air in the adjoining bedrooms.

Each bedroom will need it ‘s own air cleaner if you desire to keep the air in your needed bedrooms clean. A quality HEPA air cleaner can clean and exchange the air through its HEPA filter up to 15 times per hour in an average sized bedroom space of 12 ‘ x 15 ‘ and do a good job of cleaning the air in an open room or areas up to 1000 square feet. If your family room is open to your living room and or kitchen area and the open space is approximately 1000 square feet or smaller a quality HEPA air cleaner will do a good job of keeping that space much cleaner. Most people choose to keep one quality HEPA air cleaner in their needed bedroom{s} and one in their family room area to cover the majority of their living space.

Don ‘t be fooled into thinking that a smaller room should have a small air cleaner! Quality HEPA air cleaners are only approximately 15 inches square by 24 inches high. The height can vary a few inches one way or another. AGAIN, you want to have the highest air exchange rate per hour in any sized room or open area! A small air cleaner will have a low air exchange rate per hour giving you an inadequate cleaning job in most cases. Note that the great majority of the department store and chain store HEPA air cleaners that are on the market are far inferior compared to the much higher quality air cleaners sold by air cleaner specialty businesses and they provide only a very low air exchange rate of approximately 3- 5 air exchanges per hour in a small bedroom. In a larger family room area they are completely inadequate.