Choosing an Air Purifier for Your Apartment
When picking out an apartment to live in, having control over the air isn’t a very high priority for most shoppers – outside of making sure it’s not constantly 80 degrees and stuffy that is. However, most apartment owners don’t realize that the levels of indoor air pollutants are often 2-5 times higher than outdoor levels. In some cases, these levels can even exceed the outdoor levels of the same pollutants by 100 times. So while you may be in charge of which windows are open and the temperature on your thermostat, portable air purifiers are your only real option to combat air pollution in an apartment.
Do I need an Air Purifier for my Apartment?
First off, let’s break down all the pollutants that are hanging around in your apartment air and how an air purifier can target and eliminate them.
Allergens
Anyone who lives with allergies understands the pain of forgetting to take their allergy medicine and waking up with puffy eyes or an inability to breathe properly due to a stuffy nose. If you have allergies, bringing down the number of airborne allergens in your indoor living space is a MUST. Having an air purifier in your apartment is one of the best ways to reduce the numbers of allergens that may be floating around your breathing space.
Mold
Kitchens and bathrooms are breeding grounds for mold growth due to the amount of moisture that comes with their use. Living in an apartment building where these spots are connected makes owning an air purifier a necessity. The FilterQueen Defender combats the airborne spread of mold, along with dust and other allergens, by using its Medi-Filter Cartridge to remove 99.99% of particles down to 0.1 micron in size. This helps reduce mold spores in the air before mold growth begins.
Pet Dander and Odors
If you live with pets, you and your guests are no stranger to their contribution to poor indoor air quality. While devices like the FilterQueen Majestic help with cleaning up surfaces after your pet, using the FilterQueen Defender air purifier is equipped to remove 99.99% of pet dander, while working to eliminate common pet odors.
Smoke and Other Odors
Whether it be from cigarettes or accidentally leaving something on the stove for too long, smoke in your apartment can leave pollutants and a bad smell in the air. These odors, along with others (such as the trash you forgot to take out last night!), fill the air quickly. Apartments, after all, tend to be smaller in size and have a lower quality of ventilation. Having an air purifier helps to reduce such odors to make for a healthier and more pleasant living area.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
VOCs are airborne chemical pollutants that can come from taking care of your apartment. Cleaning regularly with certain supplies, painting, and receiving new furniture all have the potential to continually release VOCs into your apartment. Having an air purifier will help reduce the number of VOCs hanging around your living space.
Which Air Purifier Should I Buy for My Apartment?
Now that we’ve gone over many of the reasons you should own an air purifier for apartment living, let’s go over what makes some air purifiers better and what you should look for when comparison shopping.
Size Matters
Many of the reasons for someone to buy an air purifier for their apartment are exacerbated by the smaller living space typically offered by apartments. The FilterQueen Defender is not only designed to be lightweight, discrete, and portable, but also covers enough space for one unit to cover an entire room. The Defender is designed so you won’t ever have to worry if it will fit into your space!
Filter Quality
Most air purifiers that you will be considering for your apartment will be HEPA certified. This means they will be picking up 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.3 micron. However, this HEPA standard still leaves many bacteria, viruses, smoke, and dust particles in the air. The FilterQueen Defender eliminates over 99.99% of particles down to 0.1 micron, making the filters used THREE TIMES more effective than an average HEPA filter.
Reliability
Odors and pollutants never take time off, so you should find an air purifier for your apartment that does the same. The ideal air purifier needs to work 24/7 and should come with a Lifetime Perpetual Warranty, so you never have to worry about taking a chance on what you are breathing.
Where Should I Put the Air Purifier in My Apartment?
When deciding where to put your air purifier, there are two main factors to keep in mind:
- Where in your apartment you spend the most time
- Which area of your apartment has the biggest concentration of indoor air pollution
It may seem obvious but you want to make sure you’re maximizing the amount of time you spend in your apartment breathing clean air. While the main living area is a great spot to keep your air purifier most of the time, keep in mind that we spend about a third of each day sleeping. Fortunately, the Defender is lightweight and portable, so if you want to move it to the bedroom each night, that’s super easy!It’s also important to keep in mind the areas of the apartment where pollution in the air is most likely to form. Kitchens and bathrooms are both breeding grounds for mold to form, so an air purifier near those locations would more effectively combat the airborne spores. If you still need a couple more cooking classes to stop your apartment from smelling like burnt food, then placing your air purifier in the kitchen is recommended.
Whatever your living situation may be, people are spending more and more time indoors, while indoor air quality continues to decline. Portable air purifiers for apartment living are quickly becoming a simple solution to improve your quality of life.
By Ryan Duggan
Sources:
- https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality
- https://www.epa.gov/mold/mold-course-chapter-1
