Air cleaner comparisons are not always as accurate as you might think!

At first sight you might think that it is easy to do air cleaner comparisons, but then we forget that there are many aspects to air cleaners that are important. And unless these air cleaner comparisons take them all into account then they really are worthless.

So what should you look for in a good air cleaner comparison?

Well, it should at least answer the following questions, and put these answers in a table for every air cleaner reviewed, so that it indeed is possible to compare apples with apples.

Does the air cleaner comparison categorize the air cleaners by the quality of air that they generate? You can not compare an air cleaner that has been designed just to get rid of some pollen, with one that gives people relief from serious allergy/asthma problems. The latter air cleaner will be far more expensive, but will also have a far more positive impact on indoor air quality.

An air cleaner comparison can not compare whole house air cleaners with room only air cleaners. Whole house cleaners are generally more expensive, and are not as effective as room air cleaners. They could actually be a cost effective solution if you want to have reasonably clean air in every room, but don’t have a need for top of the line air purification.

Air cleaner comparisons should state the CADR - Clean Air Delivery Rate - for every air cleaner reviewed. It is a very useful measure because it will allow you to work out the cost per square feet that is purified, and compare them on that basis.

Most people would like to know how silent the various air cleaners are. Preferably the air cleaner comparison states the amount of noise in decibel at the lowest and highest setting, or at least contains a subjective comment.

For many the best air cleaner is inexpensive, and has low operating expenses, so the air cleaner comparison should state:

• the likely purchase price,
• the cost of any replacement parts, especially if HEPA filters need to be replaced, as they are quite expensive, and
• electricity consumption.

Finally, a good air cleaner comparison details the warranty on the units involved and any filters.

To date we have not found an air cleaner comparison that actually lists all the above details.

A good idea would be to first familiarize yourself with the various cleaning technologies. That puts you in a position where you can make preliminary decisions on the above categories, so that you end up with a description of what the required features are.

This narrows the field considerably, and allows you to compile your own air cleaner comparison table.

Quite a task, not? Fortunately, nowadays we can do our research on the internet. Just remember to take air cleaner comparisons that purport to have picked the best air cleaner with a grain of salt!

For more information on related products, please choose from the following:

HEPA Air Cleaners |Electrical / Ionic Air Purifiers | Ozone Air Purifiers | Whole House Purifiers | Replacement Filters