Keep cold and flu germs at bay this winter with this home gadget
Tis the season for… sneezes, coughs and colds! So how can you avoid catching these illnesses? Alexander Provins, Director Europe, Blueair reveals the effectiveness of air purifiers in helping you to fight off the winter sniffles and gives top tips on what to look out for when buying an air purifier.
There are many ways to prevent catching an illness, from washing your hands to avoiding close contact with sick people. But what if there was a way to actually remove germs, viruses and bacteria from the air we breathe? Air purifiers do just this and are a must-have in the home, especially during the winter months when the chances of catching a cold-related illness are much higher. Indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outside yet we spend 90% of our time inside. So if you’re sharing a home, lounge or bedroom with a serial snuffler, then you can reduce the chances of catching the bug by investing in an air purifier (Blueair’s start from £135) that can eliminate colds and viruses from the air in your home.
To maintain a healthy indoor environment, keep your space well ventilated and do your best to eliminate moist, damp conditions where bacteria and viruses thrive. Research shows that airflow and ventilation can dramatically impact how diseases spread indoors. The more stagnant your air is, the more likely diseases are to spread. After a cough or sneeze, some viruses remain suspended in the air for hours. After landing on a surface, a virus can live for another 24 hours. Even without a cough or sneeze, germs can travel up to six feet away. Blueair’s Classic air purifiers are third-party rated for 99.99% removal of the 12 most common bacteria and viruses.
Air purifier buyer’s checklist
You can’t see it clean the air so how do you know it will work?
- Ask what the CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) is. The CADR is based on independent tests performed for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (or AHAM). The CADR shows how many cubic metres the air purifier will clean every hour. The higher the CADR value, the more air it cleans in an hour. AHAM recommended room size of an air purifier is based on five air changes per hour. Blueair’s air purifiers follow the strictest standard of air circulation and do just this by filtering the total air volume in the room every 12 minutes.
- Make sure it is quiet and efficient. An air purifier is on 24/7 and often in the bedroom while you are sleeping, so quiet operation is vital! Noise levels, measured in decibels (dB), can vary widely depending on various factors, including the setting, energy efficiency, type of technology, filter and sound insulation. It is particularly important to check the noise level on the lowest setting – the setting it will be most of the time and while you are sleeping. For the quietest air purifiers, look for those that have been Quiet Mark approved. Blueair has received the coveted Quiet Mark seal of approval for its whisper-silent, energy-efficient air purifiers. Blueair’s QM approved models are just 37dBA yet still deliver a substantial amount of clean air.
- Check the energy efficiency. An energy-efficient air purifier can use as little as 1.5 watts of power running at its lowest setting. That is equivalent to the energy consumption of an LED-light bulb.
- Picking the right size. Measure the size of your room – length x width to find the m² size. Then check the model you want to buy is suitable for this size of room.
- Choose an air purifier engineered to last. When choosing an air purifier, it is important to consider a purifier made of high-quality components and recyclable materials. The majority of Blueair’s air purifiers are made of galvanized steel or recyclable plastic for the environmentally conscious person.
