What HEPA Means for Clean Air Purifiers?

If you’re looking for a new clean air purifier for your home, chances are you’ve come across the term HEPA. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air and refers to an air filter that uses a mat of arranged fibres to filter out harmful air pollutants. The HEPA designation is applied very carefully to air filters. A filter must attain certain efficiency standards in order to receive the HEPA designation.This article explains how HEPA filters work and how to select clean air purifiers that use HEPA filtration methods.

How HEPA Filters Work

Although clean air purifiers use a variety of filtration methods, HEPA filters are considered some of the best. This is because HEPA air filters must filter out 99.97 percent of all particles larger than 0.3 microns. Some HEPA air filters are able to filter out even smaller particles, such as the  Blueair series of clean air purifiers, which are able remove particles as small as 0.1 microns from the air.

HEPA filters are composed of a mat of randomly arranged fibers (usually fiberglass) that trap airborne pollutants when they pass through. Some of the most common pollutants traped are pollen, dust, pet dander and mold, thus making these filters particularly helpful for allergy sufferers. However, as these particles can be harmful when breathed in on a regular basis, HEPA air filters are also used by health-conscious individuals who want to breathe cleaner air.

Selecting the Best HEPA Clean Air Purifiers

Although HEPA air filters are an effective way to purify indoor air, their air purification capacity is limited when used by themselves. For instance, some of the smallest air pollutants (such as viruses and bacteria) can frequently get through a HEPA air filter. In response to these concerns, companies such as Blue air developed air purifiers that use multiple-filtration technologies.

Many  Blue air units pass air through a 3-stage progressive filter to ensure they remove virtually every pollutant, including viruses and bacteria. Once air enters the unit, it passes through an ion chamber, which charges airborne particles and traps them in filters. Blue air’s optional SmokeStop Filters also provide an extra defence against odors from cigarette smoke or volatile organic compounds (for example, chemicals from paint and plastic, and chemically-produced fragrances).

Selecting air purifiers that use HEPA filters in addition to other filtration methods will ensure you get the most out of your clean air purifier investment and maximize the amount of clean air in your home.