The Best Spot In Your Home To Put An Air Purifier

More than ever, homeowners are turning to air purifiers to improve indoor air quality. With smog, smut, and other forms of pollution rampant within urban settings and proximity to nature commonly inducing pollen allergies, air purifiers are almost necessary for anyone's home. The devices may also prove useful for homeowners wanting to rid their houses of bad odors caused by pet dander, food, smoke, or harmful chemicals like volatile organic compounds. When installing your air purifier, it's important to note that the device works more effectively in some places than others. The best spots in your home to place an air purifier are open spaces, including common areas like living rooms or family rooms and private areas like bedrooms. Air purifiers are especially beneficial when set near areas that impact airflow, like hallways and entryways.

Finding the right space for your air purifier benefits residents' health and helps homeowners get their money's worth out of their machines. When placed in ideal locations, homeowners can improve the efficiency of their air purifiers by upwards of 20%. However, when installed in less ideal locations around the home, residents may unintentionally reduce the efficiency of their machine by more than 50%. Here's more on figuring out the best spot in your home to use your air purifier and how avoiding doing so can negatively impact your purifier or other elements of your home.

Air purifiers are best suited inside spacious rooms featuring little obstruction by large surfaces. Purifiers absorb existing air through vents normally found on top of the device. Like a kitchen range hood, air purifiers run the old air through one or multiple filters before releasing clean air into the space. So, it's crucial to place the machine where its vents and airflow aren't hindered from dispersing the purified air across the room.

There are many factors to consider when determining where to set up your air purifier, including airflow, noise, and the size of the rooms in your home. Every air purifier model comes equipped with different capacities and settings. Pricier varieties typically purify the air from a greater distance, so investing in a more robust and expensive purifier should allow you to easily decontaminate the air in larger areas of your house. 

Some purifiers also emit a noise when the device is turned on, which may influence where you place it, or the times of day you choose to use it. Larger models, or those with larger filters, are ideal for areas of the house that experience the most activity and foot traffic since there's a greater chance for pollutants to enter and spread from outdoors. On the other hand, smaller models are suitable for private use, like inside bedrooms and personal offices.

Since air purifiers work best in environments completely unrestricted by other objects, including walls, appliances, and large furniture, refrain from placing your air purifier along a wall or in the corner of your chosen room. Else, you risk preventing your machine from working at its full capacity. For optimal results, space your air purifier anywhere from 6 to 15 inches away from other objects to give it enough room to do its job.

Air purifiers may also impact the efficiency of nearby electronics if installed too closely to them, so distance the products from televisions, computers, gaming consoles, and other devices. If you plan to add a purifier to your home office, gaming room, or any additional space featuring electronics, place it far away from the devices to prevent damage caused by wavelength interference. The humming noise that air purifiers typically produce might also serve as a distraction if the machine is positioned too close to your workspace.

Refrain from placing your purifier near generators of heat, as well, like portable heaters and radiators. Air purifiers also do not fare well in moist environments, so avoid using these devices inside kitchens, bathrooms, or anywhere else the machines could come into direct or indirect contact with water. If you're looking to tackle mold buildup in these humid areas, opt to use a dehumidifier instead to keep the space moisture-free.