Air purifiers quickly and efficiently remove allergens, mould, bacteria, pet dander and other particles from your air, circulating clean air back into the room in its place.
But with so many options available, how do you know which is the best air purifier for you and your home? What are the things you should consider?
How to choose an air purifier:
- How big is the room you want to use it in?
There are several different types of air purifier – the most common type used in domestic homes combines a fan with one or more filters. The fan draws in air, the filters purify it by removing and trapping particles, then fans circulate the clean air back into your room. Air purifiers are available in a range of sizes, which can all clean different quantities of air depending on their size, power and the number of fans they contain.
Check the manufacturer’s recommendations to make sure your air purifier is powerful enough to be effective in your home. With 4 fans, the Shark Air Purifier 4 is perfect for medium size rooms while the Shark Air Purifier 6 is designed for larger rooms with 6 fans.
- Manual or automatic controls?
Features such as intelligent air quality monitoring and auto mode can track the level of pollution automatically. The air purifier’s fan speed will increase automatically if it detects more particles in the air – for example if you burn some toast or spray deodorant.
Both Shark air purifiers include these features, plus manual touchscreen controls and a handy remote control.
- Is there a specific pollutant you want to tackle?
Do you want general air cleaning or is there a certain substance you want to filter out? For example, if you have hay fever you may be particularly interested in removing pollen from your air. Check the range of particles sizes the air purifier can remove (also referred to as particulate matter or PM).
The Shark Air Purifier 4 can detect particles at PM 10 (such as dust, mould and pollen) and PM 2.5 (such as smoke and bacteria) while the Shark Air Purifier 6 can also detect PM 1.0 (such as viruses and ultra-fine allergens).
- How often does the filter need cleaning or replacing?
Over time filters get clogged up with the particles which have been captured, which stops them working effectively. It’s worth finding out how often you will need to clean or replace the filter and factor the cost of replacements into the cost of buying a unit.
Shark air purifier filters are designed to operate without maintenance for 6-12 months before needing replacing – the digital display will tell you how long is left and alert you when a new filter is needed.
- Is it energy efficient?
Air purifiers are most effective if they are left running constantly in auto mode. It’s understandable to worry whether leaving the unit running will bump up your electricity bill. Shark air purifiers are intuitive and energy efficient – when your air quality reaches 100% clean, the fans will go into power saving standby mode.
