Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See All Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See All News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet is not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See All Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See All Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See All Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. COPD Chevron Right
  3. How to Buy the Right Air Cleaner

How to Buy the Right Air Cleaner

April 07, 2010
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Istockphoto
View this step by step guide on what to look for when buying an air purifier, and what to avoid if you've got chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, allergies, or asthma. From HEPA to furnace filters to air purifiers, find out how to get cleaner air.
Start Slideshow

1 of 6

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cleaner indoor air

Credit: Getty Images

Even the cleanest homes can contain dust, pet dander, pollen, and fumes. If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) or other lung problems, these airborne irritants can make it harder to breathe.

Although it’s impossible to remove all of the particles, a portable air cleaner (also known an an air purifier) may reduce asthma and allergy symptoms.

“Since many people with COPD have sensitive airways and problems with allergies as well, an air cleaner may be worth a try,” says Norman Edelman, MD, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association. “It’s not going to make a huge difference in their illness, but it may be beneficial.”

1 of 6

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 6

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

How to read the label

Air cleaners are tested and rated by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), which assigns a number from 0 to 450 known as the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) to indicate how quickly a cleaner filters dust, tobacco smoke, and pollen out of the air. The AHAM also suggests the size of the room (in square feet) for which a particular model is best suited.

When shopping for an air cleaner, compare these four key numbers by looking for the AHAM seal, which the association requires manufacturers to display on their packaging. Consumer Reports recommends that you purchase a model with more square-footage capacity than you need, so that you can run the machine effectively on its (quieter) “low” setting.

2 of 6

3 of 6

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Electronic air cleaners

Air cleaners that use electrically charged plates known as “electrostatic precipitators” have grown in popularity. These cleaners are very efficient and don’t require replacement filters, but they produce small amounts of ozone, a gas that irritates the lungs and has been shown to exacerbate COPD. “We caution against buying any air cleaner that generates ozone, because ozone is very irritating to the respiratory tract,” says Dr. Edelman. (Another type of air cleaner known as 'ozone generators' that purposefully produce ozone should also be avoided, according to both Dr. Edelman and the EPA.)

Though Consumer Reports has expressed the same concerns about ozone, the magazine listed the Friedrich C-90B (left), which retails for around $550, as the top electronic air cleaner in a 2007 test.

3 of 6

Advertisement

4 of 6

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

HEPA filters

The other main type of air cleaner uses high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. These are effective at removing dust and other irritants from the air, yet they produce no ozone.

High-end HEPA cleaners, such as the

Airgle 750 and Blueair 650E, have earned the AHAM’s top CADR score and are rated for rooms as large as 26-by-26 feet, but these units typically sell for $800 or more. For a more affordable HEPA room purifier, Consumer Reports has recommended the Hunter Permalife 547 (left), which retails for between $300 and $350.

Be sure to check the price of replacement filters before buying. HEPA filters need to be changed about once a year and can cost $100 or more.

4 of 6

5 of 6

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Low-cost clean air

Upgrading the existing filter in your forced-air HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) system is an inexpensive alternative to room cleaners.

Just as the AHAM does for room cleaners, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers assigns a “minimum efficiency reporting value” (MERV) to filters that measures their effectiveness at removing particles from the air.

Most HVAC systems are equipped with filters of MERV 1 to 4. While most homes cannot accommodate HEPA filters (MERV 17 to 20) because they are too big and dense, filters with a MERV between 7 and 13 are nearly as effective as HEPA filters. Filters in this range, such as those from True Blue (pictured), are available at most hardware and big-box stores for $20 or less.

5 of 6

6 of 6

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Online resources

Credit: Istockphoto

For more information on shopping for air cleaners, check out these valuable online resources:

• The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers' comprehensive

online directory of Clean Air Delivery Rates; browse by brand, room size, or other criteria.
• The Environmental Protection Agency publication, Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home.
• The Consumer Reports online Air Purifiers Buying Guide.

6 of 6

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 6 Cleaner indoor air
2 of 6 How to read the label
3 of 6 Electronic air cleaners
4 of 6 HEPA filters
5 of 6 Low-cost clean air
6 of 6 Online resources

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

How to Buy the Right Air Cleaner
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.