Air purifiers are machines are you typically want to have on as much as possible. To make sure that you’re breathing healthy air anytime you are in your home.
But that poses a challenge because so much of our life needs to be done without a layer of background noise going on from a loud appliance.
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Are air purifiers loud?
HEPA air purifiers can be so loud that they are considered to be a white noise machine as well as an air cleaner.
How loud an air purifier is depends on, what type of air purifier it is, what size is the air purifier, and whether or not the air purifier is set on high or low or in between.
Air purifier noise levels range from very loud when you’re talking about using a HEPA air purifier on high to very quiet when using a ionic air purifier with the fan turned off.
Loudest Air Purifiers
HEPA air purifiers are the most common air cleaners on the market and they tend to be a little on the noisy side.
They are often marketed as having a blanket of white noise to help your baby sleep.
Loud air purifier for sleeping.
A loud air purifier for sleeping is not the worst idea. I personally like to have some sort of white noise or rain sounds playing while I am sleeping. Not only does it block out other sounds, it helps you sleep more soundly.
But that being said, there are also much of the time when having a white noise machine running is not opportune at all.
Even watching TV with something running behind you all the time can be a challenge.
Unfortunately the only thing you can do with a HEPA purifier to turn the sound down is the put it on low or cut it off.
Quietest air purifiers
The quietest air purifiers are
1. Ionic air purifier.
Though some ionizers come with a small fan to help push the ions further from the machine, the fan is not much bigger or noisier than a computer fan.
But most ionic air purifiers are completely silent.
But ionic air purifiers, even though being very quiet, are not the best for sleeping.
Why?..
a. Ionic air purifiers create a low level of ozone that can be an annoyance to smell when you are trying to relax or sleep.
Though ionizers can be very effective at reducing airborne allergens, they are better when you turn them on for a little while, then turn them off to let the smell dissipate.
b. Blue light.
Another annoyance about a ionic air purifier that makes it less desirable to sleep by is the blue light that shines from the air purifier.
Some people can sleep with the lights on, TV on, and train driving through the living room.
But not me. I like it dark when I’m trying to sleep. I’m not a night light type of person and having a blue light from a ion air purifier illuminating the ceiling when I’m trying to sleep is not for me.
2. Induct
Having the air purifier inside of the HVAC (heating ventilation air conditioning unit) is the ideal way to get a whole house air purifier that is completely silent.
The amount of air pollution coming from the ductwork in your home might surprise you.
The HVAC unit is actually one of the main sources of indoor air pollution your home can have.
The quality of your air can be impacted greatly when you have dirty and moldy duct work.
In duct air purifiers or a great way to ensure that the are coming from your heating and air system is clean and that your unit is circulating clean air.
You can also have an effect on the way you sleep, especially if you have any underlying conditions like sleep apnea.
Summary
Most appliances make some level of noise. With air purifiers it’s pretty easy access whether you’re looking at a lot of noise or not.
Air purifiers that use filters as their primary method of cleaning air are going to be louder by nature. Especially if they are designed to clean a large area.
Remember that a HEPA air purifier is essentially a large fan but pulls are through a filter. It takes a large motor to be able to pull the air from a large room through a filter. It’s going to be louder.
HEPA air purifiers are also widely marketed as white noise machines.
Air purifiers that use ionic technologies are going to be quiet because they are simply generating ions or illuminating a germicidal bulb.
Though they may have a small fan, the fan is generally the size of a fan in a laptop and is considered to be whisper quiet.
The best way to get absolute quiet air purification is to play spin doctor air purifiers into your HVAC system.
Not only will you get complete silence with your air purifier, you will turn your HVAC and ductwork into a whole house air cleaner that provides clean air and cleans the air circulating back into the machine, and back into your house etc.
