How can an air purifier help protect you from Covid 19

It has recently been revealed that air purifiers and ultraviolet light can help prevent the spread of Covid-19 when in confined spaces such as offices and classrooms. Lots of us have heard of humidifying units but not many people are aware of air purifiers or what they do. A humidifier works by adding moisture to the air and this helps to improve the air quality however these do not remove pollutants or cleanse the air.

An air purifier works by sucking air into the machine by a fan. This air then gets pushed through a filter (or multiple filters), which cleans out any pollutants and particles, before pushing the air back out into the room. The filters are often made from paper, fiber or mesh and need regular maintenance or replacement to keep the purifier working at an optimum level.

A lot of air purifying filters are classed as HEPA filters, which stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air filter. These filters use a multi-layered netting type of mess which is usually made out of extremely fine fiberglass threads (thinner threads than a strand of human hair!). This netting has gaps of different sizes which allows the filter to catch particles of various sizes. These filters are air tight and often sealed with a plastic or metal frame.

There are a couple of important specifications that you need to look out for when purchasing an air purifier-

• CADR rating - This stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate and is a measure of how quickly the purifier removes pollutants such as smoke, dust and pollen from the air. A minimum rate of 300 is ideal but above 350 is even better! 
• Room size guidelines - A common rooky mistake is purchasing a purifier that is not designed for use in the size room you have. All purifiers will specify the maximum M² that it can sustain. If you opt for a model that can cope with a larger room than you require, you will be able to run this on a lower setting which may be quieter and more cost effective in the long run.

We stock 2 main brands of air purifiers, the Leitz TruSens and the Fellowes AeraMax. To make it easier for you, we have broken down the key differences below for you-

The Leitz TruSens offer 3 models, which can purify room sizes of 23M², 35M², and 70M². The larger 2 devices have 4 levels of purification, whereas the smaller device has 3. These purifiers all use a HEPA filtration system which captures particles down to 0.3 microns. The filtration system also uses ultraviolet light which sterilises the filter itself to prevent the recirculation of live bacteria and viruses. The most unique part of the TruSens purifiers is the SensorPod. This is a smaller sensor which is placed across the room, away from the purifier, it then measures the pollutants in the air to ensure the full room benefits from purified air. This smaller device comes with the 2 larger models.

The contemporary design allows the TruSens to blend seamlessly into its environment without looking big and bulky. The 2 larger devices also feature a colour coded illuminated ring which indicates good, moderate or poor air quality, along with a numerical display on the top of the device. The PureDirect feature splits the purified air flow into 2 streams so that clean air is delivered efficiently to the entire room.

Our second option for air purifiers is the Fellowes AeraMax. These are ideal for use in smaller rooms and the 3 models can purify room sizes of 8M², 18M², and 28M². The AeraMax devices use True HEPA filtration which captures 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns, and the AeraSafe treatment offers protection from odour-causing bacteria, mildew and fungi growing on the filter.

The AeraSmart sensor automatically monitors the air quality and then will adjust the fan speeds accordingly. There are LED indicator lights in blue, amber and red, to give you a clear view of the air quality in the room. There is also a filter change indicator so that you know when to replace the filters to keep your device working at an optimum level.

Use this link to shop either of the above air purifiers and help to combat the risk of spreading Covid-19 in your home or workplace-

https://www.officestationery.co.uk/facilities/cooling-heating/air-purifiers/