Sometimes called plug-in air purifiers, outlet air purifiers are small air cleaning devices that plug directly into an outlet and hang on the wall by being connected to the outlet.
Most of the outlet air purifiers on the market are actually air ionizers.
An air purifier is usually what you call a machine that uses filtration as a means of cleaning the air.
If you look at the top Air purifiers on Amazon, you’ll see that they all use a HEPA filter and a carbon filter.
Outlet air purifiers are not big enough to have a large enough filter to make a difference in the air quality.
There are some outlet air purifiers using ultraviolet light with a catalyst.
And even one brand that is strictly a miniature ozone machine.
But the majority of outlet air purifiers are negative ion generators, for ionizers for short.
Ionizers work by emitting negative ions into the airstream.
Through polarity, the emitted ions attach themselves to the particles already in the air.
Which makes them too heavy to float so they fall to the surface. Leaving your ambient air clean to breathe.
Are outlet air purifiers worth it?
Outlet air purifiers may be worth it in certain situations. I can envision a scenario where they help keep the air quality good in a cubicle or small office.( Although you want to keep a microfiber cloth handy to keep your computer screen wiped off. More on that later.)
But for things like kitchen odors or cat litter odors, I would say don’t waste your money.
One thing they don’t tell you about ionizers is that they tend to get very dusty.
The ions that are supposed to float and clean the air throughout the room tend not get very far and end up as dust all over the device itself.
The ions are also infamous for collecting on TV and computer screens because of the magnetic pull.
If you have your heart set on buying one, then I would definitely pick the one that uses a ultraviolet light with a catalyst.
This is a technology that is used in large air sanitizers that has the ability to oxidize germs and viruses leaving them inactive.
I believe that you could get a better result with one of these and you than just a simple ionizer.
But the bottom line is these are very small air purifiers, that will only work in a very small space.
If you keep that in mind and don’t get your hopes up too much, you’ll probably like the results.
But since most of the literature on these small outlet air purifiers tend to boast their ability to work in larger square foot areas,
You might be disappointed.
Are outlet air purifiers worth it?
Personally I would rather have a smaller purifier that I can move around and actually have a HEPA filter and carbon filter.
The ionizer is a good extra feature if it has it, but it’s the first thing I would go without.
