Caring about your health means being mindful about the food you take into your body, your fitness, and how much you rest. However, another essential element you mustn’t overlook is the quality of the air you take in.
Did you know that breathing poor-quality air is, in one way or another, linked to over four million deaths around the world annually? And this doesn’t just impact congested cities.
Sleek Dwellings recommends getting a premier air purifier and placing it in the right areas in your home so you don’t set yourself up to becoming part of this horrible statistic. Today, we’ll discuss some ideal locations to place your purifier to maximize its potential.
What Areas in the Home Have the Most Polluted Air?
The answer should vary from one home to another, and you, of all people, should know where these areas are. The basement tends to be one, with its tendency to be conducive to mold and bacterial growth.
The kitchen is another culprit since certain types of food odor can linger for days. If you’re a pet owner, any room in your home your pet frequents could be subject to some serious air-quality assessment.
It’s simple, really; you place an air purifier where the air obviously stinks to get the best results.
Going straight at the source is what allows the HEPA filter to remove mold, dust, and fur to the best of its ability. That’s where the carbon filter can eliminate foul odors and harmful gases.
An air purifier close to its target areas is most effective in keeping the air clean.
Important Considerations
Now that the “air is clear” on where to place air purifiers, let’s answer some questions that help you know how to position them correctly.
How’s the airflow in the area?
Air purifiers pull air in, so they clean faster the more air is present. Thus, a purifier is most effective when placed in an open area. Positioned close to an entryway or near a window, an air purifier does some of its best work.
Exposing an air purifier to areas with heavy airflow adds power to the moving air, making it strong enough to carry mold, dust, and other contaminants. It then distributes these around your home, preventing them from concentrating on a single area and lowering its air quality.
Entryway placement is especially effective when you have furry pets indoors. Focus on the doorways to the rooms your pet is allowed entry. That prevents dander and allergens from spreading to the rest of the house.
While open spaces boost the device’s effectiveness, corners make it less impactful. In most models, the air gets pulled in through front-facing vents. Placing a unit in a corner can block its vents, reducing its performance considerably.
Generally, a good rule to follow is to have at least one foot of space on all sides of your purifier so it can clean the air the way it should—the fewer the obstructions on each side, the better the unit’s performance.
Will open doors or windows overwhelm the air purifier?
Heavy airflow is only great until it becomes overwhelming. A device on the receiving end of a constant stream of air may backfire slightly and end up “cleaning” indoor air that doesn’t need cleaning. That means the unit expends energy it doesn’t need to.
Nonetheless, placing an air purifier in a room with open windows is still more effective than putting it in a closed space.
How high off the ground should the purifier be?
Elevation matters, and it has something to do with airflow. Indoor air doesn’t just flow sideways; it also flows up and down. That means the space between the floor and ceiling also factors in the equation.
Temperature changes dictate the vertical movement of air. The hotter air is, the more it rises.
An air purifier at least three feet above the ground captures air from all directions, including air moving vertically. You can take advantage of vertical-flowing air using a smaller unit by placing it on top of a desk or counter. A good idea for elevating a larger unit would be to mount it on a wall.
What do you do about the neighboring appliances?
Like most small electronics, air purifiers operate based on wavelengths. When you place a purifier too close to an appliance, it could interfere with both their functions.
Technology-dependent purifiers are especially prone to these disruptions. So, instead of the one foot of space to leave open on all sides, make it five feet if there are nearby electronics.
Smart Placement Gets the Job Done!
Where you place your air purifier matters since these devices can potentially improve your overall health when used correctly. That means not only placing them close to the source of dirty air but positioning them for optimal performance in these areas.
