I do not say I would, but if I were visiting your home, I could look around to see if you have an air purifier. If you do, I could estimate the square footage of your room and then, if I’m alone, I could open the purifier to see the filter.
I know I’m a bad guest, but I’m serving a greater purpose.
Depending on what I find, I will try not to tell you that your air purifier is too small to clean the room effectively, or that you shouldn’t put it next to a sofa or wall, or that the filter needs to be replaced, or worse, that the plastic covering the filter was never removed when you first bought the air purifier.
The urge to give this unsolicited advice about indoor air goes deep into the subconscious. I didn’t know better until I was on Air quality. I didn’t think about the air in my home, nor did I understand that simply changing a few things and using one or two devices could have a lasting impact on my health, sleep quality, and clarity. And I want the same for you. Be sure to check out our related guides, such as Best Air Purifier, Best Indoor Air Quality MonitorAnd Best robot vacuum cleaner.
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Size matters
You may already have an air purifier. Is it the right one for the room? I used to think a small, sleek air purifier was all I needed. Not anymore.
First, find out what size air filter you have and realize that air purifiers are usually sold by the filter size at the highest setting. Remember, the highest setting is also the noisiest setting.
Chances are you don’t turn on your air purifier, so what’s the square footage for the setting you typically use? And you’re looking for this formula: How many air changes can a room of a given size have in an hour?
The ideal number, known as the clean air supply ratio, or CADRfound on the air purifier label. The higher the number, the larger the room it can clean. Note that CADR is based on rooms with 8-foot ceilings. If your ceilings are higher, like an A-frame ceiling, you will need a purifier with a higher CADR.
The right fit for the right speed
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Photo: Lisa Wood Shapiro
You’re not done calculating CADR. There’s still a Goldilocks process to air quality that needs to happen. For example, if you’re using an air purifier in your bedroom, know that “sleep mode” means the purifier is running at its lowest setting.
