The spread of COVID-19 has brought people yet another favourite household appliance— an air purifier. But do air purifiers really work against viruses?
We’re going to answer that now.
The first thing that people have to know is that there are three kinds of air purifiers— air filters, air sanitizers, and ionic air cleaners. 
Air filters are the traditional kinds of air purifiers. The name itself uses filters such as fine mesh, porous cotton, and even activated carbon.
These purifiers are used to remove allergens from the house, such as dust, pollens, and dander.
While air filters take the air inside to clean it, air sanitizers release atomized disinfectant solutions to clean the air. The use of disinfectants allows them to kill bacteria and viruses present in the air.
In some units, the atomized disinfectant solution that usually looks like a thin fog in the house is also paired with a UV disinfectant.
Lastly are the ionic air cleaners. Ionic air cleaners or ionizers charge the air with negative ions. This allows them to remove tiny particles (which have positive ions) such as dander, dust, pollen, smoke, and bacteria.
Different Types
Now that we all know the three kinds of air purifiers let’s talk about their effectiveness against viruses such as COVID-19, and Do air purifiers really work against viruses.
Among the three, the air sanitizers can give you the most “extra” protection against viruses. This is because of their use of disinfectants.
Both air filters and ionic air cleaners are only effective for removing allergens in the air, which are a million times larger in particles than viruses.
However, it’s worth noting that air sanitizers can only give you and your family 10%-15% of protection against viruses.
This is because most viruses, including COVID-19, aren’t transmitted in the air but through direct contact droplets (talking or eating with an infected person).
The best thing that air sanitizers can do is to prevent the spread of viruses inside your house. Aside from this, all air sanitizers have a limited range.
So if you want to achieve its total cleaning capacity, you should get one air sanitizer for each corner of your house.
It’s also worth noting that air purifiers also have harmful effects on health. Air filters tend to dry out the air, which may trigger sneezing and irritation.
On the other hand, some disinfectant solutions may cause eye and nose irritation and trigger asthma.
This is why you should always use your purifiers and sanitizers according to their user manuals.
Truth and Facts
Among the three, people are most doubtful over ionic air cleaners.
While negative ions are naturally present in the air due to our constant exposure to energy sources such as the sun and geothermal energy- excessive amounts of ions, especially in a small enclosed space like the house, can be dangerous. 
Ionizers can produce ozone which can cause coughing, difficulty in breathing, dryness in the mouth, and trigger respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
When choosing ionizers, it’s essential to stick with the FDA’s rule of 0.05 parts per million (ppm).
In conclusion, all air purifiers work best in removing allergens and bacterias in the air. However, they can only do so much against viruses.
But if you want to boost your protection and add confidence to your household, an air purifier is the way to go.
Just remember that regular cleaning and preventing infected people from getting inside your house is still the best solution against viral diseases.
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