Air purifier ratings rated

Most air purifier ratings are useless because they only try to show the manufacturer’s air purifier in the best light. So always take a rating with a bit of salt - unless an independent third party performs the air purifier rating.

That said, with a bit of homework it is possible to make sense of the many air purifier ratings that you find online.

The best way to go about it is to first decide what you want an air purifier to do. Do you need it to remove some larger pollen from the air, get rid of viruses and other germs, remove fine dust, or have you had enough of the cooking odors that linger on forever?

All air purifiers specialize to some extend on one cleaning job or another. So by having made you decision, you will have eliminated the need to review many candidates, and can focus on the remaining air purifier ratings.

to help you with your air purifier comparison, an air purifier rating ideally includes the following information:

• Type of air purifier – so that you have some idea of what can be expected of it
• Purchase price – not only to see whether it fits your budget but also to be able to work out the cost of clean air per square foot – see below
• Operating cost – replacement filters and parts, electricity consumption
• Noise levels on different settings – some air purifiers, like HEPA types can be quite noisy, especially on higher settings
• Warranty and guarantees – gives some indication of product quality
• Shipping cost – watch this one if you are buying online.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) has developed a air purifier rating system, called CADR - Clean Air Delivery Rate – the amount of clean air that an air purifier can deliver. There are actually three categories: tobacco smoke, pollen and dust. The higher a category’s rating, the faster the unit filters the air for that category.

Although certainly not perfect, the great thing about this air purifier rating is that it allows you to:

• Figure out what size air purifier is required, and
• compare air purifiers’ cost of clean air per square foot (purchase price divided by CADR).

One thing to take into account though is that the CADR air purifier rating test is based on performance at high speed only, so select a unit with ample capacity, or you may regret having purchased a unit that is unduly noisy.

The following better known manufacturers use this air purifier rating: BlueAir, DeLonghi, Electrolux, Friedrich, Hunter, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Holmes, Whirlpool, and Vornado.

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