Purify Your Air with an Air Filtration System

You may see a thick layer of smog hovering over your city on your drive home from work, but research has shown that today indoor air pollution has become a bigger danger than outdoor air pollution. A quality air filtration system is the ticket to reduce or eliminate any number of problems associated with indoor air contaminants. Children have inherently weaker immune systems, so installing some kind of air filtration should be nearly automatic for homeowners with children.

Respiratory problems (including asthma), allergies, dust mites, pet odors, cigarette smoke, fumes from paint and cleaning products, and many airborne diseases can all be taken out of your air with an air filtration system. Forget about not going outside with bare feet; purify your air to prevent those pesky colds.

Self-Contained and Whole House Air Filtration
The biggest question you'll need to answer when choosing an air filtration system is whether you need a self-contained air filtration unit or a whole house air filtration system. Individual units are naturally a lot cheaper, but if you have a forced air heating system, you're pretty much asking an individual unit to purify the air of your entire home, which simply doesn't work. By attaching an air filtration unit to your ventilation system, you can purify the air throughout your home. These units are not only more expensive, but require professional installation and, unless you leave the fan on, only work when your furnace or air conditioner kicks on.

The Cost and Quality of Air Filtration
To determine the size of the system you'll need to purify the air in your home, you'll need to know how much air circulation a unit creates. This airflow is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). For every 250 sq. ft. of your home, you'll need 100 CFM. A small tabletop air filtration unit (150 CFM) can run as little as $60. High-quality, whole house air filtration is probably going to run somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,500.

High-quality air filtration systems refer to more than just CFM, though. You'll probably want to invest in a unit that also operates at a reasonable noise level and is relatively energy-efficient. Removing your indoor air pollution shouldn't mean replacing it with noise pollution or escalating utility bills.

HEPA Air Filters
These air filters are the highest-performing air filters available. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate arresting filter or high-efficiency particulate air filter. The most difficult air particulates to filter are particulates that are .3 micrometers in diameter. HEPA filters manage to more than 99.9% of these particles and are even more effective at removing both larger and smaller-sized particles. HEPA air filters work by funneling air particles into randomly arranged fibers that catch the particles and hold them there.