What does an air purifier do? And more FAQs!

We have a solution for everything these days. We can control fireplaces with our smartphones, replace our heating with infrared panels and buy an air purifier that cleans the air in our home. The latter in particular is gaining lots of popularity. But is it just a luxury item or a must-have? And which air purifier is good? In this blog, we answer frequently asked questions around air purifiers so you can make an informed choice.

What does an air purifier do?

An air purifier or air cleaner is a device that improves and maintains air quality in the home. Contaminated air is drawn in, passes a filter and is then blown back into the room nice and clean. Depending on the type of filter, it filters dust particles, hair, allergens and bacteria from the air, among other things. This way, you will suffer less from allergies and you can prevent the spread of viruses via airflow.

Is an air purifier useful?

Absolutely! An air purifier can filter the air for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odours, second-hand smoke, particulate matter, pollen, mites, allergens, bacteria and viruses, and more. For example, you make cooking smells disappear quickly and you have less trouble with your four-legged friend's hair floating around.

Does an air purifier help with hay fever?

An air purifier helps with hay fever if the air is cleaned enough times per hour (2 to 5 times). To achieve this, you will have to look for an air purifier with a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) proportional to the area of the room. The CADR represents the number of cubic metres of air the air purifier cleans per hour. If the room is too large, the air will not be cleaned enough times and the air purifier will have little to no effect on your hay fever symptoms. In general, the higher the CADR, the better.

Does an air purifier help with asthma?

An air purifier can certainly provide relief from asthma. However, you need an air purifier with a high Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) for this. If you are not allergic and do not have asthma, an air purifier that cleans the air in the room twice an hour will suffice. If you do suffer from allergies and/or asthma, we recommend cleaning the air in the room 2 to 5 times per hour. Is the CADR of the air purifier you have your eye on low or medium? Then it can still suffice, but in a smaller space.

Does an air purifier make a lot of noise?

This depends entirely on the air purifier you buy. However, the technology behind them is getting better and better, which also means the devices are getting quieter. Looking at Livn air purifiers, the Livn air purifier 150 Basic produces 30 to 50 dB. The exact number depends on the setting it is in. It produces around 30 dB at low purifying speed and up to 50 dB at high purifying speed. For the Livn air purifier 350 Plus, a noise level of 35-64 dB (min-max) applies. By way of indication: 30 dB is compared by Alpine compared to the sound of whispers and 60 dB to a normal voice.

How often should you change the filter of an air purifier?

This also depends strongly on the device you buy. For Livn air purifiers, the filter should be replaced once a year on average. This is based on low-speed air purifying for 8 hours a day.

What is ionisation?

Ionisation is the process by which positively charged particles in the air are changed into negatively charged particles. These charged particles are also known as ions. Sufficient negative ions in the air is important to maintain oxygen levels. Air pollution in the form of e.g. bacteria, allergens and particulate matter decreases the number of negative ions in the air. An ionising air purifier produces negatively charged ions along with the clean air. This makes the air pollution heavier and causes it to sink to the ground. Ideal, because that way you only breathe in clean air! The Livn air purifier 350 Plus is equipped with an ioniser.

What is the best air purifier?

‘But which air purifier is good?’ This depends entirely on your situation. Which room do you want to use the air purifier for, how big is this room and do you have allergies or not? All this plays a role in your choice of an air purifier. We recommend that you look in particular at the cleaning technology, the quality of the filters and the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). Does the air purifier clean using filters, ionisation or both? And what kind of filter is used? Is this a HEPA, carbon and antibacterial filter? In short: plenty to think about!

Livn itself has two air purifiers in its range: the air cleaner 150 Basic and the air purifier 350 Plus. The first, with a CADR of 150 m³/h, is suitable for rooms of 10-18 m2. Think of a bedroom or office, for example. In contrast, you can use the 350 Plus variant in a living room, up to 40 m2. The CADR of this cleaner is 350 m³/h. Both air purifiers are suitable for asthma or allergies, as they have a 3-in-1 HEPA, carbon and antibacterial filter.

Have a question about our Livn air purifiers that was not answered in this blog? Then please contact us! We are happy to help you choose the right Livn product.