Introduction
Considering that we are all spending more time at home lately, it makes perfect sense that the air we breathe in our home needs to be as pure as possible. Ideally, we want an air purifier that removes all harmful elements and contaminants. You may have heard of UV air purifiers. What’s the big deal?
Well, you are about to find out as we explain the differences and how you could benefit from using one in your home.
How Do Regular Air Purifiers Work?
Before discussing UV air purifiers, it is worth looking at the more ‘general’ types.
The air around you is made up of many different elements. No, it isn’t “just oxygen.” Due to various factors, there are quite a few ‘additions’ to the air you are breathing. Right. Now.
Such as?
Aside from the usual makeup of the breathable air in your home, you might find things such as:
- Allergens – These are tiny molecules that, in macro terms, could be considered ‘solid’. Think of things like pollen. While harmless, the body can convince itself that these are a threat, and it responds accordingly. This can produce cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose and stinging eyes.
- Carbon molecules – For this, you can essentially read ‘pollution.’ There are plenty of ways carbon molecules can be introduced into your home, whether from traffic fumes, solid fuel fires, or smoking cigarettes.
- Pet Dander – Dried saliva, skin cells, and hair particles all go into making pet dander. Depending on your disposition, this can cause irritation and breathing difficulties, not to mention odors.
- Dust – Dust is particularly disturbing once you know what it is. Dust is comprised of dead skin cells, fibers from clothes, dust mite carcasses, microplastics, hair cells, and more… Yuck!
- Odors – Any time you smell a strong scent, you are actually breathing in tiny particles. Bad smell from outside (or inside)? Yes, you are lining the inner mucous membranes of your nose and throat with whatever is causing the odor.
- Germs and Viruses – Bacteria and germs can be introduced in many forms from several sources. If they make their way into your body, they can make you really sick.
Some air filters can remove a large proportion of the above, with one exception.
They do this by forcing the air through several layers. Think of an air purifier a little like a series of sieves, each with smaller and smaller holes.
With each level of filtration, the air becomes slightly purer.
The one exception?
It’s the last on our list.
These ‘additions’ are too small to be trapped by most filters. Quite simply put, they can often ‘slip through the net’.
Do standard air purifiers work then? Mostly?
Could the air be purer? Most definitely.
How UV Air Purifiers Work | The Big Difference?
If we can’t trap virus particles, then what is the answer?
UV air purifiers.
UV air purifiers don’t snatch virus and bacteria particles out of the air. But what they do is add an additional level of treatment to the air before it is output into the room.
They achieve this by bombarding the pre-purified air with strong Ultraviolet light. UV light kills germs and bacteria and prevents them from replicating.
By removing this final ‘contamination’ you can be sure that the air you are breathing is about as pure as it gets.
How effective are UV air purifiers?
In truth, there is no better or more effective solution for home-produced pure air.
The output is phenomenal too. Running a UV air purifier, such as those from Clair Air, for around one hour will produce enough pure air to last around 14 days!
Are UV Air Purifiers Effective Against Covid?
Covid behaves in a similar way to any other virus. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, UVC radiation (the type used in UV lamps and air purifiers) destroys the outer coating of virus cells, effectively inactivating the virus.
UVC radiation is often used in commercial systems to disinfect the air. UV air purifiers follow this principle to remove viruses and germs too.
Is UV Light in Air Purifiers Harmful?
While direct exposure to UV light can harm human health (such as from sunlight or tanning beds), you won’t actually see any UV light emitted from your air purifier.
Why?
The only things that will be exposed to UV light are the virus particles. This filtration stage is all self-contained within the unit. The light isn’t accessible to the outside user, meaning you can breathe completely pure air without concern.
Are Air Purifiers with UV Light Worth it?
You should be asking yourself if you want to breathe partially pure air, or do you want to breathe completely pure air in your home or business?
Standard air purifiers remove most contaminants, but as we discovered previously, there are still things that can be missed.
The final stage of treatment, UV light, ensures that the air outputted from the purifiers is free from the contaminants removed by standard air purifiers and smaller particles such as germs and viruses.
However, don’t take our word for it.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, while good ventilation is an essential part of improving your indoor air quality, research has demonstrated that air filtration can be used to effectively supplement the air further.
Conclusion
Clair Air is a leading producer of high-quality UV air purifiers. Our products feature well-researched and advanced HEPA filters that can remove extremely small particles that remove 99.7% of particles. When combined with UV light, our air purifiers also kill germs and viruses. Our air purifiers are certified by the European Center for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF) too!
For the purest air possible, in a compact and highly efficient unit, visit our website, where you can see the range of products that will dramatically improve the air quality in any home.