Top home air cleaner purifier

Thinking of a home air cleaner purifier? No surprise.

The barrage of advertising by the Sharper Image for their ionizing air purifiers has greatly raised the profile of air purifiers in general.

But it has also convinced many people that a good air purifier doesn't need to have filters. And that's true.

There are good air purifiers that don't have filters.

But there are also many, many such air purifiers that don't work or work but give off too much ozone.

So let's talk about some qualities of a top home air cleaner purifier.

Quality #1  

It gets the job done.

This is true of two types of air cleaners in particular. The "classic" mechanical air purifier and a quality electrostatic purifier.

A top home air cleaner purifier is a mechanical purifier that employs a quality HEPA filter, a good pre-filter (to strain out larger particles and extend the life of the main filter) and possibly a carbon filter to reduce odors.

Another top home air cleaner purifier is an electrostatic air purifier. Here's how it works: It imparts an electrical charge to the air, creating charged molecules known as ions, which are supposed to cling to airborne particles. An oppositely charged collection plate is designed to attract the particles.

Advantage: tie

Quality #2

It's safe.

That's not a concern for mechanical air purifiers. For electrostatic air purifiers, the concern is ozone.

Ozone is produced as a byproduct when high voltage near the charging wires converts oxygen to ozone, which then exits the machine and flows into the room air.

A quality electrostatic purifier must contain this process and now allow the ozone to leave the machine.

Advantage: Mechanical

Quality #3

It's inexpensive.

Here is where the mechanical air purifier gets in some trouble. The bottom line is this: In the long run, a home air cleaner purifier that employs filters will be more expensive.

The reason? Filters must be replaced and that is a regular expense.

On the other hand, the electrostatic air purifier relies on collection plates that never need to replaced, simply regularly cleaned.

Advantage: Electrostatic

Bottom line

Here's the thing: The ozone concern is real.

Unlike ozone in the upper atmosphere, which helps shield us from harmful ultraviolet rays, ozone near ground level is an irritant that can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function.

So while a good electrostatic air purifier can be a great option, since it is less expensive in the long run, it must contain that ozone.

When Consumer Reports tested several electrostatic air purifiers, the big winner was the Friedrich C-90.

On the other hand, the oh-so-popular Sharper Image machine scored very poorly. Since then, Sharper Image has put out a new machine, the Sharper Image Hybrid GP, that does a much better job of limiting ozone out-gassing.

And the mechanical air purifiers? Several get it done, but don't forget to make sure it has a pre-filter to get the most life out of the HEPA air filter.

A couple great options are the BlueAir and the IQAir. The BlueAir is a better deal, the IQAir a better machine.