It might surprise you - but a recent study found that indoor air quality is on average 5 times worse than outdoor air quality. So if you spend a lot of your time at home, you are in fact breathing very poor air. Even while sleeping, you are still spending at least 6-8 hours in your bedroom breathing bad air.

The simplest solution is to put an air purifier in your bedroom. Since it's also the room that is least visible to guests, it also tends to be the dustiest room in most homes.

If odors are a problem, you should consider an ozone air purifer or a combination air purifier, combining ozone and ionic air purification.

Air purifier types

There are two main types of air purifier - mechanical air purifiers and electronic air purifiers. Mechanical purifiers are the most common and use a fan to attract the dust, and then a series of filters to catch the small particles. Many people with allergies require the air purifier to have a HEPA filter - a very fine filter to catch the smallest particles.

There are two main types of electronic air purifier - electrostatic and ionic. Electrostatic air purifiers first attract dust with a fan, then apply a positive charge to the particles, making them drawn to the negatively charged collectors. Ionic air purifiers negatively charge the air, making it ionized - it will then stick to the walls and other surfaces.

Which air purifier is best for me?

Mechanical air purifiers are very popular because of their lower price. However, you will need to buy filters. Another drawback is that they use a lot of power and will increase your electricity bill.

Electrostatic air purifiers are the most energy efficient solution. Ionic air purifiers are also said to aid sleep because of the negative ions.

What else should I consider?

When choosing an air purifier, it is important to consider Air Changes per Hour (ACH) - how many times per hour an air purifier distributes clean air, and is particularly important for asthma and allergy sufferers. Noise is another consideration. Mechanical air purifiers are often much noisier.

Reference: Air Purifiers Today