Ionic Air Cleaner
The Ionic Air Cleaner Problem
Clean air remains one of the most important things a person should have. Ionic air cleaners have come around with their fancy lingo and claimed that they would be able to clean the air. There’s so much to clean up after all, from dust to pollen and for animal lovers, dander. It sounds high tech and seems legit, but does it work? You might have seen it on the television or perhaps in a mall but chances are you know about Ionic Air Purifiers and the numerous ads about them.
Apparently, the makers thought that fans and filters would simply not be enough for the man or woman of today. The makers look to use negatively charged ions, electrifying all that stuff in the air. They become negatively charged and as anyone who knows basic physics could tell you, they’ll become attracted to anything positively charged, like the collection plates inside each Ionic Air Cleaner.
Most of these air purifiers work quietly and since they have no moving parts, rarely break. That alone will probably bump up the appeal. According to some people and companies, an ionic air cleaner is capable of reducing the presence of airborne irritants and indoor air pollution. Generally, that means that it can provide relief from and reduce the instances of bronchitis, hay fever, asthma or anything that involves things with the air hampering your respiratory system. They even claim that ozone, which most ionic air purifiers tend to make, is a good thing.
According to other, generally more trustworthy studies such as those made at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, reveal that it simply does nothing. Most machines simply take up space and electricity – never the dust in the air. They simply can’t attract particles that are far away and whatever they can attract, either through a fan or other things, doesn’t stick for long. The charged plates actually don’t retain their charge for long.
The real deal-breaker is that it actually adds a pollutant to the air: ozone. Ozone is an irritant and a pollutant and ionic purifiers make those in spades, possibly making the situation worse rather than better. In fact, if put in a place with poor ventilation, the ozone an ionic purifier produces can actually do more harm than good.
Many allergy sufferers would recommend installing HEPA or high efficiency particulate air filters rather than dumping money on an Ionic Air Cleaner, as those will actually help and might cost less than a brand new air purifier. Clean air doesn’t have to be expensive; you just have to be informed.