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Air Purifier vs. Ozone Generator

What’s the difference between an air purifier and an ozone generator?

Do air purifiers create ozone?

How can you tell the difference between one that does and one that doesn’t?

Pretty important questions when you’re going in to purchase an air purifier.

Air purifier vs. Ozone generator

The most popular air purifier is a filtering device that works by pulling air through a series of filters that capture particulates out of the air stream.

An ozone generator is a machine that deliberately creates large amounts of ozone to treat a room. It does not filter air but disinfects it through the oxidizing function of 03. Ozone.

“Air purifier” is actually more of a generic term that encompasses all types of air purifiers and air purification technologies.

Some air purifiers use technologies that create ozone as a by-product which makes deciphering between a air purifier and an ozone generator that much more confusing.

It’s this gray area that causes so much confusion.

Air purifiers that do not create ozone.

The most popular air purifiers that do not create ozone are Hepa filter air purifiers.

These units at their most basic work like a fan pulling air through a series of filters which captures the pollution from of the air.

The reason these work so well is because HEPA filters can capture particulates as small as .03 microns which would include typical household allergens like pollen and pet dander.

The other filters included in the package are a pre-filter which are for capturing larger debris like hair and trash and the second other type of filter is made from activated carbon which works more like a sponge that absorbs pollutants like gases and odors.

They create absolutely zero ozone.
and they top the list of safe air purifiers.

A second type of air cleaner creates zero ozone is an “Air Washer”.

This kind of air purifier uses water to wash the air. The ideal is water is drawn into the machine where it is scrubbed, then released out the other side clean.

The advantage these have over HEPA air cleaners is that they do not require any type of filter replacement ever.

Air washers create residual humidity and also come as air purifier- humidifier hybrids.

Their main disadvantage is that they do add humidity to the air which is not something you necessarily need all year long. Especially in the hot muggy summer months.

Air purifiers that do create ozone as a byproduct.

Ionizers are air cleaners that even though they do not use ozone specifically to clean the air, they do create residual ozone as a by-product.

A lot of people would stop you right there and ask why would you even bother using them then since ozone is unsafe to breathe?

One reason ionizers are popular is that they are completely filterless so it cuts out the need for replacement filters.

But more importantly than that, they can do something that other purifiers just can’t.

They actually disinfect and destroy the bacteria in the air where as a filter can only capture it.

When it comes to pollutants like viruses and bacteria, ionizers, and even more specifically PCO ionizers and plasma clustering ionizers have a markable advantage over Hepa.

But there are other downsides do ionizers besides residual ozone, namely that they leave the surfaces in the room extra dusty.

That’s because they work by polarizing the air, which causes the negative and positive particles in the air to combine.

After they combine and clump together, they become too heavy to float and fall to the surface.

“Surface” can also mean the wall around the air purifier.

Are ionizers safe?

Ionizer Air Purifier Side Effects

Most ionizers do not create enough ozone to be dangerous but “most” is not good enough.

One of the problems according to the EPA is that even though an ionizer that creates a specific amount of ozone may be safe in one sized area, the same ionizer may create much too much ozone in a smaller area.

The problem is that even though the amount of ozone being created is much lower than an actual ozone generator, they are still technically ozone generators because they do generate ozone.

What’s the solution?

The easiest solution is to change the way an ionizer is used compared to a filtering purifier.

Let me put it this way.

When a professional operates an ozone generator, he or she has to abide by a couple of strict rules.

1. The ozone machine cannot be operated in an occupied room. Regardless if it’s a person, a pet, or even plants

2. the second rule is that the room has to have plenty of time to air out before it is used again.

Should ionizers be used the same way that ozone generators are used?

It’s not a bad idea.

If you change your approach to ionizers from being a domestic alternative to Hepa air purifiers,

to a machine that is intentionally meant to treat the air and not be operated around people,

The problem would be solved.

You could enjoy the benefits of ionic ozone creating air purifiers without ever experiencing any negative side effects from breathing ozone.

But there are some instances when an air purifier is not going to be able to rid an area of strong odors or high concentrations of mold and bacteria.

This is when the big guns have to be called in.

Ozone generator.

Ozone generators can virtually eliminate any airborne contaminant and attack and remove the source of strong lingering odors.

Ozonators are usually operated by professionals to completely remove the smell of third-hand smoke from a house or vehicle. What does ozone smell like?

Since tobacco smoke has a sticky residue , he can be very hard to get rid of.

And ozone generator can create large amounts of highly reactive oxidants that follow the path of cigarette smoke and destroy it and the residue keeping it glued inside of the room.

But unlike an air purifier, it is not ever operating in the company of people or animals. Many professionals remove plants from the area before using the generator also.

Letting the room air completely out is also very important after using an ozone generator.
30 minutes is the minimum but you want to wait before reusing a room treated with ozone.
But it doesn’t hurt to err on the safe side and give it more like a couple of hours.

Are Air Purifiers Safe For Cats?

I have two cats. Both girls. One is named Lucky and one is named Merida.

They are both rescue cats brought home by my lovely wife who is a bleeding-heart mercenary who’s also populated our home with two dogs and two rats.

At any given moment, When I am at home, I have a cat sitting in my lap or draped across my chest when I’m laying down.

I also have two air purifiers. One air purifier is a HEPA filter type and my other air purifier is a photocatalytic oxidation air purifier.

Cats tend to be into everything, so safety is a concern not only for the cats but also for the humans that have to live with the cats.

Are air purifiers safe for cats?

HEPA Air purifiers are absolutely safe for cats. They work by pulling air through a series of filters that capture the pollutants out of the air. That simple. Nothing that could harm a cat.

Almost nothing. If your cat has a habit of sitting on top of the air purifier or sleeping right next to it then there is the possibility that the cat is inhaling a lot of garbage that is being pulled toward him or her by the air purifier.

In other words, by sitting where the air purifier is, he or she could be a direct target.

Also if the air purifier has not been maintained and the filter is extra dirty, sleeping right next to the air purifier would mean being exposed to the germs on the filter.

Honestly my cats don’t seem too interested in the air purifier and I haven’t noticed them sleeping next to it.

Another concern might be the electrical cord. But no more so than any other appliance. Cats don’t seem too interested in extension cords either.

My other air purifier is a PCO air purifier. That stands for photo catalytic oxidation.

That air purifier is more like an air treatment than it is a fan.

The PCO air purifier has a lot more potential to be dangerous to animals for a couple of reasons.

One it has a glowing blue UV light illuminating out of the top of it.

Staring at it is about like staring at the sun. It will eventually burn your eyes.

I don’t put it past the cats to stare at the bulb.

And two, it creates ozone is a by-product. You can smell it every time the ozone interacts with any pollution in the air.

It’s not a rash amount of ozone but ozone and still ozone and it can build up in a confined area.

Ozone is a known lung irritant go cats may have nine lives I’m not sure that means they have 9 sets of lungs.

Regardless of whether or not the machine creates a lot of ozone or not, it is technically still a ozone generator since ozone is being generated.

And to me that puts it in a different category than the HEPA cleaner.

Two different types of air purifiers

One that you can set it up and leave it on.
And one that you run when there’s no one home.

PCO is a run it when there’s no one home type.

And that includes the animals. They go outside or in the garage when I use that air purifier.

It sounds like more of a hassle then the HEPA filter,

But you have to remember, PCO air purifiers do something that HEPA purifiers can’t.
They actually disinfect the air as well as the surface is in the room.
Also they don’t use a filter and that’s a big plus.

But if I had to decide on one or the other, I would go with the HEPA filter air purifier over the photocatalytic oxidation air purifier for animals.

Not only for the cat’s sake but for my sake too.
Though the PCO air purifier is better at getting rid of pet dander it doesn’t do much of anything for pet hair.

The reason is, it is essentially an ionic air purifier the charges the air and clumps the particles together.
When the particles get heavy enough they fall to the surface.

When you’re talking about cats, cat hair is one of the worst things about having felines.

To help control cat hair, you have to have a filter to catch it. Ions can’t cut it.

Also by reducing the amount of cat hair, you are reducing the pet dander
Because dander is actually bacteria on the hair the gets there by the cat licking itself.

Conclusion

Air purifiers are safe for cats as long as you are using a HEPA filter type. HEPA filters basically capture pollutants being pulled into them by a fan. Nothing harmful for cats.

Other air purifiers like photocatalytic oxidation work more as an air treatment. It’s because they use ionic technologies that create ozone as a by-product.

They are very efficient because they are not just capturing pollution, they are disinfecting the air as well as the services around the machine.

But because they create ozone as a by-product, operating them in the same room as animals or humans can result in breathing issues.

Ozone is better left to only using it in an unoccupied room and letting it air completely out.

As far as a air purifier for Cats goes, the HEPA air purifier is the better choice.

The reason is, cat hair.

PCO ionic air purifiers don’t do much of nothing for hair.

Filtering air purifiers can reduce cat hair thereby reducing the pet dander that is on the hair.

Are Air Purifiers Safe?

Let’s face it if you’re asking a question like whether or not air purifiers are safe? then there has to be a reason why you’re asking it. A reason you have to believe that they are not.

Because why would that even be a question?

Wouldn’t you just presume that an air purifier cleans the air and that cleaner air is better to breathe than polluted air?

The thing is..

We’ve all seen hundreds of ads on TV that recommend medications that in the end can result in drastic side effects.

Air purifiers have the same kind of reputation.

A fear that even though the outcome should be air that is easier to breathe,
there could be dangerous side effects that make the opposite true.

So why wouldn’t you be skeptical?

You should be.

I believe the main reason that people could have the ideal that air purifiers are dangerous is that they believe or have been told that air purifiers create dangerous ozone.

So let me share with you what I believed to be the truth about air purifier safety.

Are air purifiers safe?

The most popular air purifiers on the market use HEPA (High Efficient Particulate Air) and Carbon to Filter Airborne Contaminants like pollen, Dust Mites, and Odors, and are absolutely safe. No question.
Safety concerns for air cleaners only arise when ozone is introduced through an ionizer. Ozone is a lung irritant and can trigger asthma attacks. If you stay with HEPA and Carbon filters, you will be safe from any type of danger associated with air purifiers.

If you are in the market for an air purifier that leaves no question of its safety, and performs very well, then you should narrow your search for air purifiers that use HEPA filters and carbon filters and create no ozone.

HEPA filters are the standard for hospitals and can capture air pollutants as small as .03 microns.

Carbon filters work like a sponge that adsorbs gases along with the odors that the gases emit.

These air purifiers work very well to remove particulates like pollen and dander,
and help control dust mites.

That’s good enough.

Enough said. The question is satisfactorily answered.

But..

The other biggest segment air purifiers on the market are ionic air purifiers or ionizers.

And here is where it starts to get hazy. Pun intended.

The Dark Side.

Ionizers are basically machines that polarize the air so that the particles in the air become charged and attach to each other.

The result is that become too heavy to float and they fall out show the ambient air (air that you breathe).

The problem is that they generate a small amount of ozone in the process of polarizing the air.

Stop..

Shouldn’t that just be the end of the conversation?

HEPA good. Ionizers bad?

Why would you possibly want to use a machine that creates any type of ozone as a by-product?

Good question

Isn’t it just a little bit weird that so many air purifier manufacturers use technologies that knowingly generate ozone, even if it is just a small amount?

Is everyone just out for a buck even when it means harming people?

No I don’t believe that.

The reason is ionizers can do something if the other air purifiers can’t.

Ionizers can destroy bacteria and render viruses inactive.

That is something that a HEPA air purifier cannot do.

There are some ionizers, ones that use photocatalytic oxidation to create ions,

That not only disinfect the air, they disinfect the countertops, tables, and other surfaces in the room as well.

Truly amazing.

So am I suggesting that because ions have an effect on germs that effectively destroys them,

that you should just put up with the ozone created and accept any lung tissue damage as your parting gift?

Not at all.

I am not saying that ozone is not dangerous to breathe in any way.

Are ionizers safe?

Ionizers are safe as long as you stick the rules of safety like making sure you are using it in the designed space it is made for. The real problem that ionizers have is that there have been companies that have sold ozone generators as in home air cleaners. The Environmental Protection Agency targets companies that sold ozone generators as air cleaners right in their title.

In other words it’s not that ozone is used, but how it is used.

Ozone generators are used in many industries because of their capacity to destroy almost every contaminant whether it be in air or water.

But there are some strict rules when using ozone.

1.They should never be used in an occupied room. Whether it be people pets or even plants.

2. The room should be allowed to sufficiently air out before people return.

There are many ionizers that do not create enough ozone to be noticeable or an issue.
But there are ionizers that do create more ozone that can be smelled.

To use an ionizer safely, you should give it the same respect as you give an ozone generator.

Make sure the room is unoccupied before running it and then wait a while for the air in the room to dissipate a while before using it again.

A good analogy is using bleach to clean the bathroom. You know that it’s going to disinfect everything in the room but when you’re done you’re going to have to let it air out before using it comfortably again.

Air purifiers with multiple technologies.

There are many air purifiers that use HEPA and carbon filters as well as ionizers built into the machines.

These technologies work together well.

One way and ionizer can help a HEPA filter is that it can clump particles together and make them big enough to be captured into the HEPA filter.

Another way is charging the filter itself so that it becomes a magnetic field to attract the positive ions (air pollutants)
into the filter.

Conclusion

Air purifiers are very safe to use when they are properly maintained and used correctly.

Most air purifiers are technically just a fan that pulls airborne contaminants through a series of filters.

These air purifiers do not use any electricity other than to power the fan.

The only danger in using one of these air purifiers is electrical shock. But it is the same warning that you have on any other electrical appliance that has to be plugged into an outlet.

But the other most popular type of air purifier is an ionizer.

It note on uses electricity coming from the wall, it uses electricity to polarize the particles in the air.

During the process a small amount of ozone is created.

Ozone is a lung irritant that can exasperate breathing problems and bring on an asthma attack.

Most people would say that you should not use any type of air purifier that creates a ozone by product for that exact reason.

But if you stop right there, you would be missing out on some amazing abilities that ionizers possess.

Ionizers, and more specifically PCO ionizers have the ability to disinfect your air and surfaces, actually rendering germs and viruses inactive.

That is something that a HEPA filter air purifier cannot do.

How to use an ionizer safely

Ozone is used in many industries safely including air purification and water.

The only difference is that professionals who use ozone do so under a couple of strict guidelines.

They do not operate them in an area occupied by people, animals, or plants.

And they let the area completely air out before using it again.

Even though ionizers do not manufacture the level of ozone that a ozone generator does,

does not mean that you should not respect the ozone even at a lower level.

Running your ionizer in an unoccupied room and allowing any ozone to dissipate before using the room again is a perfectly safe way of getting the benefits of an ionizer without any threat of dangerous exposure to Ozone.

Do Air Purifiers Make The Room Stuffy?

What is stuffy air? What does it mean when somebody says the room is stuffy?

Stuffy air means – there is stuff in the air.

What kind of stuff? Yucky stuff.
Stuff like dust mites, bacteria.
Stuff like pet dander and pollen.
Stuff like volatile organic compounds from adhesive and paints, cleaners and aerosols.

Yikes

Can an air purifier make you stuffy?

Yes there are a couple of ways or air purifier can make you feel stuffy.

Placement – the air purifier is positioned in a way that it is filtering towards you, making the air directly around you extra junky.
Maintenance- filters are getting too dirty remove air particles and are becoming a source for air pollution.

There are some appliances but you may want right next to you , like say a fan.

But in the case of air purifier, keeping it right next to your easy chair or bedside can mean that you were pulling all the garbage in the air toward yourself.

Positioning the air purifier to where it’s pulling the air contaminants away from you and your family can help you get the intended result from the unit.

Can an air purifiers make you dizzy?

Maintaining the filter on an air purifier is crucial to the air purifier being able to do its job. If the filters are too dirty,
Not only is the purifier not able to filter the particles in the air that can make you feel stuffy,
The filters themselves can become a source of indoor air pollution.

And that returns you to the point that if you are sitting next to a air purifier that has a nasty germy filter in it, then that is going to affect the air directly around the air purifier and you too.

Dizziness can be a symptom of an allergic reaction to the junk sitting in a badly positioned, poorly maintained air purifier.

The point of an air purifier is to remove the stuff from the air that makes you feel stuffy. To create a space where you can breathe clean air.

Humidity air purifier?

A stuffy feeling is better contributed to the humidity in the air.

Not only does Humidity make the air thick and harder to breathe,

It’s tiny droplets also become containers that help move air pollutants like mold spores further into a room.

Air purifiers do nothing to add or take away moisture in an area.

When the humidity is high, a dehumidifier is a better device because it will not only reduce the amount of humidity in the air,

It will also, by reducing the moisture in the air, reduce the source of nourishment for common indoor allergens like dust mites and mold spores.

In other words, by reducing the humidity, you reduce the pollution in the air at the same time.

Dust mite stuffy nose

Symptoms like pressure in the face and nasal congestion that can be considered a stuffy feeling, can also be contributed to a dust mite allergy.

Dust mites. Dehumidifier or air purifier?

Both. Dehumidifiers work better for the reduction of dust mites in the high humidity months, but since high humidity is seasonal and dust mites or not, air purifiers are more useful all year long.

Dust mites flourish when the humidity is high. Dust mite populations soar when there is extra moisture in the air to feed on.

But do you know what do dust mites also flourish in?

You guessed it. Dust.

Often a room that is closed up without windows like a damp basement is referred to as being stuffy.

What does a damp basement have in common with these issues we have been discussing?

That’s right. They are humid and dusty.

What else in the home is there that can contribute to the amount of dust mites and mold spores to the air content?

The HVAC. (Central heat and air conditioning)

Air conditioning stuffy nose

Air conditioning ducts are a Haven for dust mites.
not only because of the amount of dust and dirt inside of the ductwork,
It is also because of the high level of moisture inside of the machine because the condensation created by the cooling coils.

Central heat and air units or a major contributor to indoor air pollution because of these factors.

If your ductwork and drip pans are not maintained, then the same machine that is used to heat and cool the home can become a whole house source of indoor air pollutants.

Conclusion

Do air purifiers make you feel stuffy?

Though there are reasons why a air purifier can be causing you to feel stuffy.

Specifically that they are placed wrong or that they are not being well maintained as far as keeping the filters replaced and cleaned,

The reason a room feels stuffy should not be contributed to the air purifier as much as it should be blamed on the amount of stuff in your air.

Humidity and dust are the two main factors when a room feels stuffy.

Not only does humidity make the air dense and harder to breathe, it becomes a source of nutrition for dust mites and mold and mildew to grow that causes the mold spore population to grow as well.

Dust mites along with pollen and mold spores are among the most common household allergens that can create a feeling of having a stuffy or blocked face.

During the high humidity months of the year, running a dehumidifier will help reduce the dust mite and molds for population as well as make the air easier to breathe.

But since high humidity is only a problem for a few months of the year, a dehumidifier is generally only a device that comes out of the closet for a few months.

On the other hand, a air purifier will help reduce indoor allergens like dust mites and spores all year long.

Dehumidifier and air purifier combo

There are plenty of dehumidifier and air purifier combination appliances available.
But since the dehumidifier is a rather bulky box looking appliance that puts out a ton of heat and is only useful for a few months of the year, having my air purifier connected to it when I don’t need it is not the best Idea. My opinion.

But there are worse ideals and it is certainly useful to have a dehumidifier handy with your air purifier when you need it and vice versa.

Air Purifier vs. Dehumidifier

Air quality in the home or workplace can be impacted in many different ways.

Air pollution, humidity, as well as dry conditions all have an effect on the way people function and the quality of their health and life.

The market to improve and combat indoor air conditions is vast.

Products range from air purifiers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air conditioning, heating, diffusers, etc.

With so many type of products, it is hard to know what is what and what does what.

This article is about air purification and dehumidification and how they relate to each other.

And what type of products are suited for their different needs.

Air purifier vs. Dehumidifier

what is the difference between an air purifier and a dehumidifier?

An air purifier is a device that removes pollution from the air.

A dehumidifier is a device that removes humidity from the air.

Simple enough. But there are times when these two arenas lap over and cross into each others worlds.

For instance, excessive humidity is known to facilitate the growth of dust mites.

By using a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity in the air you can effectively reduce the population of dust mites in your house also.

Let me further explain. Humidity is one of the main places that dust mites get their nourishment.

When the humidity is high, dust mites have a larger source of food available to them. A larger food source equals a larger population.

Mold and mold spores are another example. Moisture is one of the main ingredients in the production and growth of mold.

By reducing the amount of humidity through the means of a dehumidifier you can reduce the amount of mold and the eventual production of mold spores in your air.

Humidity droplets are also known to behave like a container that is able to house indoor air pollutants and carry them further into the airstream.

Consider that fact.

That means that when you’re having trouble breathing because the humidity is high, it is not only because of the excessive water content is making the air dense,

It’s also that you are breathing the pollution that is contained in the humidity.

Once again, a dehumidifier can reduce indoor air pollution by reducing its capacity to travel through the home or office.

?

Yes in many ways a dehumidifier will help reduce a number of indoor allergens, namely dust mites and mold spores.

But unfortunately indoor air pollution is comprised of much more than mites and spores.

For other air quality problems like pollen, dander, and VOCs,
dehumidifiers will do little to nothing.

Not to mention that humidity is more of a seasonal problem but indoor air pollution continues every day all year.

Can you use an air purifier with a dehumidifier at the same time?

The same time? Not too well.

The sequence should be more like running the dehumidifier first and then running the air purifier afterwards.

The reason is excessive moisture in the air can reduce airflow through the dense HEPA filter that your air purifier uses. Less ability to filter.

Also it is a known fact that carbon filters do not fare well with humidity at all.

You may have seen dehumidifiers with carbon filters.
That’s an unusual combination.

The same logic is applicable here though too. If you run your dehumidifier first and get the relative humidity to a good spot, then the carbon filter feature will work just fine.

But if you get the cart before the horse, the excessive humidity in the room will flatout make the carbon filter useless till it dries out.

Dehumidifier with ionizer?

What does the ionizer button on a dehumidifier do?

Ionizer button on a dehumidifier controls the ionizing function of the humidifier.

Ionizers are not a typical feature on a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier with ionizer would be considered a combination air cleaning / dehumidification device.

Ionizers clear the air by creating either negative ions or both positive and negative ions and omitting them into the air.

Negative ions attach themselves to positive ions, which would be considered the pollutants in the air, including the pollutants housed in the humidity droplets.

The result is they become too heavy to float and they fall to the surface or stick to the nearest wall.

Ionizers that emit both positive and negative ions have a instant polarization that traps any air pollution that gets in the way.

One benefit in using ionizers with dehumidifiers instead of the typical filtering air purifier, is that there is no filters involved to be impacted by the moisture in the air nor does the humidity have any real effect on the capacity of the ions to work.

The down side?

Do dehumidifiers create ozone?

Dehumidifiers do not create ozone unless it is a combination dehumidifier with an ionizer.

Ionizers do create small amounts of ozone and depending on the square footage versus the size of the ionizer, ozone can become a problem because it is a lung irritant.

Most people do not want to be in the same room with a dehumidifier when it is working because of the amount of heat it puts out.

And since ozone dissipates fairly quickly, the small amount of ozone that the ionizer generates should not have much effect on persons because of the likelihood of the room being uninhabited in the first place.

Should you buy a dehumidifier and air purifier combo?

My opinion is no. You can much more use out of a air purifier then you can a dehumidifier simply because a dehumidifier is a seasonal device were as an air purifier is useful every day of the week, month, and year.

Also you don’t want to haul around a dehumidifier every time you want to put the air purifier somewhere different.

Summary.

Dehumidifiers can work with an air purifier and even work as an air purifier in many situations.

because excessive humidity can be a catalyst for air pollutants like dust mites and mold spores as well as house vocs,

By eliminating the high amount of humidity in the room you can eliminate the source of air quality problems at the same time.

but that does not mean that you have eliminated your need for an air purifier all together.

That’s because indoor air pollution is comprised of more than dust mites and mold spores.

Other air pollutants like pollen and dander will require a filter to capture them.

Some dehumidifiers come combined with an ionizer.

ionizers clean the air by making the particles in the air to heavy the float so that they fall out of the ambient air that you breathe.

Ionizers also do not require filters.
so they do not have any other problems that pleated filters can have with increased relative humidity.

Most people argue that ionizers create ozone and ozone is unacceptable.

But ozone in an unoccupied area is an excellent way to reduce airborne pollutants.

and since there’s not too many people who want to stay in the same room with a dehumidifier while it is running,

the combination of a dehumidifier and an ionizer makes a lot more sense then a lot of the combination air quality machines on the market.

Where To Place Air Purifier in Bedroom

Getting a good night sleep is one of the most important things you can do the keep yourself healthy.

Uninterrupted sleep can be a challenge when your air quality is less than ideal especially if you already have an underlying problem with sleep apnea or snoring.

Most people go to great lengths to ensure that their bedroom is dark and quiet, but rarely consider the air quality or how it can have an effect on their sleep.

Did you know that there are hidden allergies like dust mites and dander are probably finding your bed and your bedding just as comfortable as you are.

Disgusting to say the least. But however gross, still true.

Not only is it disgusting to think about, you can have a effect on the quality of your sleep.

You can exert an enormous amount of energy coughing, sneezing, and clearing your throat throughout the night and never be conscious that you’re doing so.

People also tend to breathe much deeper when they sleep adding to the aggravation of a room full of airborne allergens.

Keeping an air purifier in your bedroom is probably one of the first places in the house you think about when deciding to get an air purifier.

But once you get it, how do you know where to use it or put it?

Where to place a air purifier in the bedroom?

The opposite side of the room from where you’re sleeping is best.

Why?

You might think placing an air purifier on the bed stand next to you would be the best place because in theory that’s the place that the air would be the cleanest.

But most air purifiers work the same way a fan works, only in reverse.

In other words it pulls air through itself instead of blowing air.

Keeping the air purifier right next to your head, will be pulling the air from the entire room toward your head.

That means that all the pollutants in the air will be driven straight toward your airways.

So unlike a humidifier but you may want closer to you because of the cool mist coming from it and the white noise it produces,

You want the air purifier to pull air away from you, not to you.

If you have an enormous bedroom,
Then placing the air purifier on the opposite side of the room may not be effective enough to help with your sleep.

If that is the case then move it closer, but remember to place it to where the air is being pulled away from your face.

Other things to consider when placing your air purifier in the bedroom.

Place air purifier high or low?

Around four feet off the ground is the best place to put an air purifier.

That’s the average distance of the air from the ground that your are breathing. Regardless of whether you are sitting standing or laying.

in other words the ideal is to clean the air that you are breathing. Or the ambient air.

Air purifiers will clean the air around themselves the easiest.

So the air purifier is on the floor, it will clean the air nearest to the floor best.

If the air purifier is high up on a shelf, then the air near the ceiling will be the cleanest.

Another thing to think about when placing your air purifier is airflow.

Just like a standing fan, an air purifier needs the ability to have air flowing easily through it.

Placing an air purifier out from the wall is better than up against it because the air can enter and exit easier then if it is obstructed buy a wall or drapes or what have you.

Humidifier next to air purifier?

Another appliance typical for controlling air quality in the bedroom is a humidifier.

When the air is extra dry, getting a good night’s rest can be a beast. Dry nose and sinuses, chapped lips, dry cough can keep you up half the night and make waking up just as miserable.

Running a humidifier next to your bed can be a lifesaver during these times of the year.

But should you place the humidifier next to the air purifier?

No. The mist from the humidifier can put a layer on the air purifier filters keeping them from doing their job properly.

And if the air purifier has a carbon filter, humidity is the worst thing to keep it from working efficiently.

Another issue with running an air purifier and humidifier together is excess humidity can actually be a carrier of pollutants like dust mites.

The humidity you could actually pick up the pollutants being pulled into the air purifier and carry them back into the air.

So if you are running an air purifier and humidifier in the same room, keep them far enough apart did they do not interact.

Summary

The bedroom is one of the best places to keep an air purifier because that is where you live half of your life. Sleeping.

Not only is the amount of time you spend in the bedroom a aspect,
Pollutants like dust mites are very comfortable living in your bed with your pillows, comforters, and sheets.

Add that to the fact that when you sleep you actually breathe much deeper,
you start to get an idea of how important the air quality in your bedroom can be.

But after you decided that an air purifier in the bedroom is a good idea,
Where do you place it once you get it?

Put the air purifier close enough to you that it is cleaning the air around you, but not so close to you that it is pulling the air toward you.

And air purifier cleans the air around it the easiest but it is the air around the air purifier that is the dirtiest because the air purifier is pulling the air towards itself.

Putting an air purifier on your bed stand could mean that you were pulling all the contaminants in the room to toward your face.
Not exactly the ideal atmosphere for sleeping.

Many people keep humidifiers in the bedroom also.

If you have a humidifier and an air purifier in the same room, remember to keep them far enough apart that the moisture from the humidifier there’s no add a layer of moisture on the air purifier filters.

Humidity can also be a host for air pollutants also, so keeping the humidifier next to the air purifier could actually feed the humidity with pollutants.

Not exactly the effect you were going for in either.

Do I Need An Air Purifier For Each Room?

Air quality in the home is very important.

Not only do we spend at least half our life inside of our houses, indoor air quality can be much worse than outdoor.

But that does not mean that the air quality inside of our house is the same throughout the house?

Different rooms have different activities and different types of air pollutants to go along with those activities.

For instance, the kitchen is typically a hotspot for odors because that’s where the cooking happens.

Crafting rooms may have things like paints and adhesives that don’t necessarily have anything to do with,

the living room where dust is more of a problem because of the amount of traffic going through.

Basements, Garages, you get the point.

Do I need an air purifier in each room?

How many air purifiers do you need in a house?

Placing small air purifiers all throughout the house is a much more efficient way of keeping the air clean then trying to get one or two large units to do the entire job.

Most air purifiers work like a reverse fan. In other words they pull air, instead of blow air.

Multiple small fans through the house would circulate the air much better than one or two large fans.

The exact same with air purifiers.

In the parts of the home where it is a little more open concept, like if your living room and dining room flow together, one air purifier can be efficient.

But closed off rooms will need their own air purifier.

Air purifiers do not work through walls.

Also Air purifiers clean the air directly around themselves the best.

So the bigger the area, the less efficient at cleaning the entire area an air purifier will be.

Placing an air purifier in the hallway, expecting it to clean the air in all the bedrooms adjacent, is not going to be very efficient at all.

Remember, Air purifiers do not work through walls.

The most popular air purifiers are basically HEPA fans that pull air through a series of filters.

Though the direction of the air is the opposite of a fan, the concept is the same. Air goes in one side and exits the other side.

You would not expect for a fan to cool off more than one room.

In a likewise manner, you should not expect for an air purifier to be able to pull air through itself in more than one room.

And even if you have a large fan, the air directly in front of the fan is going to be cooler than a hundred feet out.

It’s the same with a HEPA air purifier, even if it’s a large air purifier, the air directly around the air purifier is going to be cleaner than the air 100 feet out.

Will a small air purifier work in a large room?

Not efficiently unless you want to keep moving the air purifier around the room fairly often.

Just like you wouldn’t expect a small fan do cool a large room very well, you shouldn’t expect a small air purifier to be able to pull the air from a large room very well.

Will one air purifier work for the upstairs and downstairs?

The only way one stand alone air purifier will work for the upstairs and downstairs is if you move it from room to room.

The one exception, depending on whether you’re home is outfitted with it, is to place in duct air purifiers inside of the ductwork of your HVAC central heating and air unit.

Induct Air Purifiers

By placing the special air purifiers inside of the ductwork, you can effectively, depending on the square footage of your home, use one air purifier to clean the air throughout your entire house.

Whole house in duct air purifiers are the solution to not only having less air purifiers standing throughout your house, they are also much more efficient then using stand alone air purifiers.

Most people know that the ductwork can be extremely dirty. And where there is dust, there is dust mites.

Also the condensation from the AC coils add the perfect ingredient for the inside of the dark HVAC housing and ductwork to grow mold.

This essentially means but every time your air handler kicks on, it is kicking dust mites and mold spores into your home via the ductwork vents.

But through the use of in duct air purifiers, the air inside of your air handler can be clean and disinfected, distributing healthy air out of your vent work.

Also a problem that HVAC units have is they can distribute bad air from one area of the house to the rest of the house.

For instance, the fumes from the bathroom, can make it to the living room traveling through the duct.

Placing an HVAC in duct air purifier at the return and supply Vents will treat the air, not only being supplied but being returned into your unit. Circling clean air throughout your home.

Summary

How many air purifiers do you need in your house?

Air purifiers run a little like a tower fan on low speed.

By using a fan working on low speed as an analogy,

And relating it to how many fans it would take to circulate and cool an entire house,

You can easily estimate how many air purifiers it would take to pull air through themselves effectively.

Using the same analogy, you can understand how placement of an air purifier is important to airflow.

Just like you wouldn’t expect a fan to be able to cool through a wall, you shouldn’t expect an air purifier to be able to pull air through a wall.

You wouldn’t expect one fan to be able to cool the upstairs and downstairs,
Likewise, air purifiers do not have the capacity to pull air through the entire house.

So the best answer to how many air purifiers you need is one in each room or rooms open to themselves.

There are a couple of exceptions.

One being that you could carry the air purifier from room to room. Alternating rooms every one or two days.

Another exception is putting whole house in duct air purifiers in your HVAC air handler.

Depending on the square footage of your home, One air purifier good clean the air in your entire home by effectively using your HVAC ductwork as the distributing mechanism for the air purifier.

Not only is this an excellent ideal because of the existing framework of your HVAC,

The HVAC itself can be very dirty inside with dust mites and mold spores that could be one of the primary reasons that the inside of your home suffers from poor air quality in the first place.

In duct air purifiers placed at the supply and return ducts of your home is a whole house air purification solution.

Do You Put Water in a Humidifier?

There are so many appliances that deal with Air Quality available on the market. Some clean air, Some add moisture, Some reduce moisture.
Humidifiers are one of them that can get confusing. What do they do? How do you use a humidifier?

For instance,

Do you put water in a humidifier?

Yes. Humidifiers come with a detachable tank that you fill with water.

The purpose of a humidifier is to add moisture to air that is too dry.

When the humidifier is filled with water and turned on, it disperses water droplets into the air, either by misting or vaporizing it.

Humidifiers are usually considered a winter appliance. That’s because
dry air is typically more problematic in the winter months. Dry chapped lips, crusty or bloody noses, dry coughing, are all symptoms that you can experience when the air is too dry.

Dry air can have an effect on the amount of dust in your home also.
Dust can also cause you to have issues with your respiratory system as well as dry out your skin.
Dust can also affect things like laptops and other electronics.

Adding a humidifier during the low humidity season
to your home or office can help you reduce the amount of dust in the air.

Providing extra moisture to the air can make the dust wet enough that it will clump together and fall to the surface.
Adding moisture to the air with a humidifier can also give dust an adhesive quality that will keep it from kicking back into the air as long as the humidity stays at a good level.

Do you put hot or cold water in a humidifier?

Cool or Room temperature water are are best . No need to mess with hot or scalding water. A warm mist air purifier will heat the water on its own. Also very cold water doesn’t create mist very well.

What kind of water do you put in a humidifier?

Filtered or distilled water is better because it has less sediment that can get into your air or clog up your humidifier filter.
Tap water is okay if the water is not known to be extra hard. The Vicks V5100 cool mist humidifier owner’s manual calls for tap water.

Both will add humidity to the air equally. But cool mist humidifiers are generally known to ease allergy and sinus symptoms better.

There are advantages to both.

Warm vapor humidifiers typically have some type of tray or compartment to add Vicks or eucalyptus oil.

Breathing warm vapor with Vicks added to the mix can open up your airways nicely.

But without adding some type of enhancement like Vicks, warm vapor tends to cause your nasal passages to swell which could make it harder to breathe.

Warm mist air purifiers also heat water to a boiling point. So they can be quite dangerous if knocked over.

Should a humidifier run all night?

A Humidifier is a great way help you sleep when you have sinus issues that can dry out your nose and throat.

It is safe to leave it running all night as long as the humidity level in your home calls for it.

Is it safe to leave a humidifier running when it is out of water?

The water in the humidifier does nothing to help it cool down the humidifier itself, so there is no danger of overheating if it runs out of water.

Cool mist humidifiers can be quite loud and have a calming effect comparable to listening to rain loops or white noise.

The sound from a cool mist humidifier can be a sleep aid as much as the cool mist emitting from the humidifier.

The only real danger to leaving a humidifier running all night is if your humidity level is already high enough.

Can you over humidify a room?

Too much humidity can exasperate breathing problems as much as low humidity.

One of the reasons that is true is that heavy humidity levels facilitates the growth of dust mites.

One of the most common household allergens is dust mites. Dust mites actually get there nourishment from the humidity in the air.

How long should I run a humidifier?

The ideal humidity in the home is 30-50%. If you were humidifier has a built-in automatic shut off, setting it at 40% RH is a good number.

If your humidifier does not have a automatically shut off when the target humidity is reached, then you will need a hygrometer to measure the humidity and manually turn off you were humidifiers when the desired humidity is reached.

A hygrometer is a inexpensive item that looks a lot like a thermometer but instead of measuring the temperature in a room, it measures the humidity.

One thing to remember when purchasing a humidifier is they must be kept clean. Failure to do so will create an environment for mold to grow inside of your humidifier and the Humidifier filter.
As you can imagine water recirculating through a contaminated filter kind of goes against the point of purchasing a humidifier in the first place.

Summary

A humidifier is a great way to add moisture back into the air when you are suffering or dealing with the effects of dry air.

If you are not familiar with a humidifier or the way one works, it is actually a very simple machine then anyone can figure out very quickly.

Operating a humidifier basically comes down to filling the removable tank with water, plugging it in and turning it on.

But there are some more specifics that will help you get the best out of using a humidifier and help you decide which type of humidifier is best for you.

You might choose a cool mist air purifier if your primary reason for operating a humidifier is for health reasons related to dry air such as dry or cracked lips, nose bleeds, dry cough, etc.

Cool mist humidifiers run a little louder than warm mist humidifiers but the sound combined with the humidity actually make a great white noise machine to help you sleep.

Warm mist humidifiers are less loud.
They also create a small heater effect there can help heat up a room.

Warm mist humidifiers also usually come with a compartment to add Vicks or some other type of essential oil to help you breathe.

The main concern with warm mist humidifiers is that they do heat water to a boiling point to create steam and if they are knocked over there is a chance of someone getting burned.

And remember that humidifiers must always be kept clean to avoid mold growth inside of the humidifier and the Humidifier filter.

Why Is The Dehumidifier Freezing Up?

What a pain in the keester.

The temperature is soaring. The humidity is through the roof.
Now the Dehumidifier is icing over.

How does this even make sense?

The middle of Summer. 100 Degrees and the AC and dehumidifier keep freezing over.

What gives?

Why is the dehumidifier freezing up?

1. The room temperature is too low.
2. Blockage. The air flow is interrupted.
3. Malfunctioning humidistat.
4. Fan is not working

Dehumidifiers and air conditioners work on the exact same principle.
If you have an air conditioner that is freezing up, then you can figure out, using the same logic, why your dehumidifier is freezing up.

Air conditioners and dehumidifiers both pull warm air over refrigerated coils that cause humidity in the air to turn to condensate.

In the case of an air conditioner it’s to exchange the warm air for cool air in the room.

In the case of a dehumidifier it is to reduce the moisture content of the air in the room.

1. The Room Temperature is too Low

Usually the most obvious reason a dehumidifier is freezing up is that the temperature in the room in which its operating is too low.

Dehumidifiers are meant to run at temperatures 65 degrees and over.

Imagine if the air that is being pulled over the refrigerated coils is hot, then the result is going to be condensation like on the outside of a glass of water sitting in the sun.

But if the air that is being pulled across the refrigeration is not hot, then the liquid in the air is not going to turn to condensation, it is going to turn to ice.

That doesn’t mean that the whole machine is going to be a block of ice, it just means that there may be areas in your coil system that are icy or even in some cases completely iced over.

The fix is easy. Turn the machine off and let it thaw out. Then make sure you’re not running your dehumidifier in cool air unless you bought a dehumidifier that is specifically made for winner air.

2. Blockage

Another thing that can cause your dehumidifier to freeze up is a blockage that is not allowing your air to flow freely across the refrigeration coils.

In other words you have something either clogging up your filter or you have the unit too close to the wall where the air cannot enter and exit easily. In some instances you may have debris actually get inside the machine and and prohibit the air from flowing through it.

It’s the same concept as running the dehumidifier into low of a temperature.

If the air that is over the refrigeration coils is not allowed to flow freely it will eventually freeze.

The fix for this is easy also. Clean the filter. Make sure the placement of the machine is not in an area where air cannot Flow in and out freely. And open it up to make sure that there is no trash or debris inside that could cause the air to be slowed.

Even though most problems with dehumidifiers and air conditioners freezing can be solved very easily using the methods we stated above, there are also going to be times when the problem is mechanical.

If you have a dehumidifier that it is freezing up and you have ensured that you’re not using it in a room that is too cold or that you have a blockage that is prohibiting the air from flowing through the machine easily,

3. Humidistat Malfunction

There is always a chance that your humidistat is not working.

The humidistat on a dehumidifier is basically the thermostat that tells the machine when to turn on and turn off based on the temperature in the room.

If the temperature in the room drops too much and the humidistat does not communicate with the machine to tell it to turn off then the machine will continue running when the air in the room is too cold and the refrigeration coils will freeze over.

The fix for this is not going to be as easy.
If you’re mechanically inclined, then you may be able to take a tester and test out the humidistat easily enough. And the part itself is held on by a couple of screws usually.

But if you’re not mechanically inclined then you’ll probably want to hire a technician to do the job for you.

4. Broken Fan

Another mechanical problem that can happen that would cause your dehumidifier to freeze over is the malfunctioning of the fan.

Related to the airflow being prohibited when you have a blockage is the function of the fan moving air through the machine evenly and often.

If the fan is not working then the air will not flow through the machine as designed and can end up lingering over the freezing refrigerated coils too long and cause your unit to freeze over.

The fix for replacing a fan or fan motor is the most difficult thing to fix when your dehumidifier is freezing over.

It is recommended that you call a technician to check and replace the fan motor if needed.

Depending on the price that you paid for the dehumidifier and the price of the part and the cost of the service, you might be looking at the cost of a new dehumidifier as well.

Summary

Why does the dehumidifier keep freezing up?

There’s only a few things that can go wrong when a dehumidifier is freezing up.

A couple are very easy to deal with and a couple not so much.

Typically if the dehumidifier is freezing up it’s because the temperature in the room is too cold and instead of the air that is passing over the freezing refrigerated coils turning to condensation, it turns to ice.

And easy enough fix. Turn it off and let it thaw. Then make sure you don’t run it in a cool room below 65 degrees.

Similar to the first problem is airflow. If your filter is too clogged or if you have something in the way of the machine causing the air not to flow freely then the air cannot move easily across the refrigerator coils and the humidity inside of the air will freeze instead of turning to condensation.

Another easy fix. Remove the blockage, clean the filter, make sure the placement of the machine is not inhibited by a wall or any other thing.

The humidistat is a mechanical problem that if it goes out or is not working properly will keep your dehumidifier from turning off at the right time, allowing your dehumidifier to keep going when the air is too cold. Which causes freezing.

Replace the humidistat. Fairly easy job that even a novice technician can accomplish easily.

Lastly and related to the issues with air flow is the fan itself. If the fan has gone out, then they are going inside of the machine will not be forced out evenly and can eventually freeze.

This is the most difficult fix. It is also one that you’ll probably want to call a service man or get someone that is mechanically inclined to deal with.
Parts and labor might be comparable to buying a new machine at this point.

Does a Humidifier Help with Dust?

Dust is a fact of life and one that finding a effectual way of dealing with it is not always the easiest thing to do. Humidity is something you may not associate with the amount of dust in your house. But it can play a huge part.

Does a humidifier help with dust?

Yes. By using a humidifier to add moisture to the air you can significantly reduce dust. When the air is damp, airborne dust particles will absorb the humidity and get too heavy to float.

Humidity will also will also give the dust and adhesion effect that will keep it from stirring up into the ambient air.

Want to learn more? Check out our full Humidifier Guide here.

What does Humidity have to do with dust? Is it a help or is it a hindrance?

The answer is both. Low humidity has its issues and high humidity has its issues when it comes to controlling dust.

Low humidity and dry air can make your surfaces, as well as your air, extra dusty where as high humidity can help feed dust mites and facilitate the growth of mold. Both of which are common household allergens.

Dust has the ability to create havoc anywhere.
It can have an negative effect on your:

1.Respiratory System – Dust is made up of multiple components that are considered allergens
2. Skin – dust can clog skin pores which makes acne spread easier as well as dry out your skin and your lips.
3. Household electronics like laptops – laptops and computers tend to get very hot when dust settles on the components located inside. Not only does it make you where electronics get hot, we can make things like switches and volume knobs staticky.
4. Plants- if your plants are covered in dust, you can affect photosynthesis and cause your plants to be malnourished for lack of sunlight.
5. Etc.

Honestly just about anything you can think of can be affected by being inundated with dust.

And the anatomy of dust can be just downright gross.

Some of the many components of dust include insect waste and decomposing insects. As well as shed skin and pet dander. Along with bacteria and pollen and every other microscopic particle, is there any wonder that dust could induce allergies and mess with your respiratory system?

Do humidifiers help purify air?

Yes. Humidifiers can add moisture to the air that will purify the air by causing the dust floating in the air to clump together and become too heavy to stay airborne.

Adding humidity to a dry room can actually have a washing effect on the air.

But though humidifiers can temporarily freshen your air by dampening the dust and preventing it from floating, they will do nothing to completely remove the dust.

To get rid of the dust you are going to need an air purifier.

The majority of air purifiers pull air through a series of filters including a HEPA and a carbon filter.

HEPA filters are able to capture particles as small as .03 microns which would include particulates like pollen and pet dander.
Other pollutants like off-gassing and odors are adsorbed by a carbon filter.

Does an air purifier help with humidity?

Unfortunately no. Air purifiers do not do anything to add or subtract moisture from the air.

Seems a little unfair that a humidifier can have a cleaning effect on the air but an air purifier you can do nothing to humidify a room. But there are air purifier/ humidifier hybrids like Air Washers that can be purchased that can potentially kill two birds with one stone.

But there are issues with having too much humidity that make that type of device useless in the hot humid months.

Can you use an air purifier and humidifier together?

Yes. The use of an air purifier can only compliment the use of a humidifier and leave the air that much more pure and easy to breathe.

But there is one caveat. If the air is too humid, condensate can cover the filters and make them less effective.

Carbon filters do not mix with humidity and are basically useless when the humidity is too high.

Though humidifiers are usually only pulled out in the winter months when the air is dry, an air purifier is needed every day of the year.

Low humidity is not the only tissue that creates problems with dust. Or more specifically, dust mites.

Dust mites sounds scary because they sound like they might actually bite you. But the truth is dust mites do not bite and what makes them dangerous is that they are so minuscule that they are easily breathed in where they can cause nasty allergy symptoms.

How they relate to humidity is that they actually get their nourishment from humidity. So when the humidity is high, dust mite populations skyrocket.

2. Dehumidifier

Controlling humidity during the hot muggy months is not about using a humidifier to add moisture back into the room, it is about reducing the amount of humidity in your home by the use of a dehumidifier.

High humidity has the ability to hold higher levels of indoor air pollutants than low humidity.

And because the problems like dust mites and mold spores that thrive and high humidity, the indoor air quality can be much worse when the humidity is higher indoors.

A dehumidifier can help reduce the level of humidity in your home and help put a stop to the exponential growth of mold and dust mites that happens in moisture.

Summary

Humidity can help reduce dust by simply making the dust wet and unable to float. It also causes the dust to have an adhesive quality that keeps it from moving around.

a humidifier is a device that you can use in your home that will help you control dust by adding moisture to your air the same way that moisture is added when humidity levels go up outside.

But even though humidifier will help keep the dust population out of the air, it will not purify the air or keep it safe from the allergens that travel in dust.

To completely remove dust allergens, you will need an air purifier.
Most air purifiers simply pull dust through a filter where it is captured.
They can do nothing to add or take away moisture from the air.

So even though a humidifier might help with dust control, a air purifier won’t help with adding humidity to the air.

But that’s assuming that your air is too dry.

What happens when you have the opposite problem? High humidity?

Dust is also a problem in high humidity because dust mites flourish in high humidity and dust mites are one of the most persistent household allergens that creepy and make your air quality unbreathable.

When the air is over humidified, a dehumidifier is a device that can reduce the amount of humidity in your air and give you a welcomed relief from dust mite and mold spore allergies.

Just remember that the collected water in the dehumidifier has the aforementioned allergens residing in the pool with it. So don’t drink it. And don’t let your pets drink it. But it’s probably safe to water the grass or flowers with it.