As you may or may not be aware, the air in your home is saturated with all manner of microscopic particles and organisms. Many of these organisms can have an effect on your health vastly disproportionate to their own small size, provoking illness and allergy attacks when you are exposed to them. Using an air cleaner can dramatically improve the air quality in your home. Let’s take a look at the various kinds of air cleaners that can improve your indoor air quality, and how they work.
Air Filters
An air filter is basically a woven fiber mesh stretched over a frame. It is designed to collect any particulates that come into contact with it, while allowing air to flow freely through it. There are many different grades and varieties of filter, with the strongest being the HEPA filters. A HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air) is woven so tightly that it can even capture incredibly small viruses and bacteria. Most homes do not have a need great enough to warrant a HEPA filter, but it’s good to know that the option is available. The downside of air filters is that they must be cleaned on a regular basis, or they stop being effective.
UV Germicidal Lights
A lot of the viruses and bacteria that float through the air in your home are sterilized or killed by too much exposure to ultraviolet light. This is why they tend to thrive inside homes, where there is more shelter from the sun. A UV germicidal light exploits this vulnerability by projecting ultraviolet light in the area around itself. Any germs that pass through the air cleaner are killed or sterilized, rendering them unable to affect any human exposed to them.
UV germicidal lights are a great choice for those who are especially vulnerable to illness. However, they don’t have any way to remove non-biological pollutants like dust and pollen from the air. For this reason, they should not be considered a complete solution to the problem as much as a good contributor to better air quality.
If you’d like to know more, call DuAll Heating & Cooling. We provide air cleaners throughout the Bolingbrook area.
