Air Purifiers vs Air Ionizers: What’s the difference?

Air pollution is a great menace that we deal with every day in our lives not only outdoors but also inside our living areas. If the air quality inside your home is poor, the first idea that will come to your mind is to get an air purification device that will help clean your indoor air. When shopping for the best air purification device, you will find yourself in a dilemma of having to choose between air purifiers vs air ionizers.

In this guide, we shall dive deep inside the air purifiers vs air ionizers debate, to help you understand what they are, how they differ, and their pros and cons.

Air Purifiers

A standard air purifier uses one or more air filters to clean the indoor air by trapping common indoor air pollutants such as dust, mold, pet dander, pollen, smoke, gases, and other allergens. A fan draws the polluted air inside the air purifier device and the air filter traps air pollutants.

The cleaned air is then released for re-circulation inside your home thus, improving indoor air quality.

Different types of air purifiers have different potentials for cleaning air particulates of various sizes. The most effective and recommended air purifiers are the ones fitted with True HEPA air filters.

HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters have a 99.99% effectiveness in capturing common airborne pollutants such as dust, bacteria, and allergens that are as small as 0.3 microns.

If you or any of your family members are allergic to dust or suffer from common respiratory complications such as asthma, air purifiers that use air filters are the best to buy and use. To get the best results in improving your indoor air quality, it’s necessary to replace the air filters every 3-6 months.

Some air purifier models are designed to use a combination of multiple air purification systems to increase their effectiveness.

Instead of using an air filter to trap common air contaminants, air ionizers clean the indoor air by releasing negative ions that attach themselves to positively-charged airborne particles.

They make the airborne particles too heavy to stay in the air and they eventually fall to the ground or on other surfaces in your home.

To eliminate these air contaminants, you will need to sweep or vacuum clean your house and surfaces where these airborne particles are likely to settle regularly.

Air purifiers vs Air ionizers; How do they differ?

Although both filter-based air purifiers perform the same function as air ionizers of cleaning the air, they differ in the following aspects;

Air purification technology

Filter-based air purifiers work by drawing polluted air inside the air purifier device using a fan. The contaminated indoor air passes through air filters like True HEPA Air filters that trap common airborne pollutants and allergens.

The cleaned air is then released back into your home indoors for re-circulation.

Air ionizers clean the air by emitting negatively charged ions into the air that attracts positively charged atoms of common air pollutants and allergens such as dust and pollen.

They make the airborne pollutants too heavy to float in the air and they end up falling on the ground or other surfaces.

If you are using air ionizers to improve the quality of your indoor air, you will be required to clean or vacuum your house often as these particles can get re-introduced into the indoor air if they are not removed.

Level of maintenance

Filter-based air purifiers require regular maintenance since the filters get dirty and clogged after trapping air pollutants and allergens.

If you live in an environment where the level of air pollution is high, you will be required to replace the air filters every 3-6 months. For air purifiers with washable air filters, you need to wash them every 30 days.

Buying air purifiers that use True HEPA Air filters is recommended as they are the most effective air filters when it comes to cleaning your indoor air.

Air ionizers require less maintenance as there are no air filters that need to be replaced on a regular basis. Ionizers with metal plates only require to be wiped with a dry cloth from time to time and they will work seamlessly.

The size of air particles that they can clean

Air purifiers fitted with True HEPA Air filters have a high-efficiency rate of up to 99.9% when it comes to trapping the most common air contaminants. With a high MERV rating, they can trap air particulates such as dust, pet dander, pollen, and molds of sizes 0.3-10 microns.

On the other hand, air ionizers are more effective in eliminating airborne pollutants and allergens as small as 0.1 microns. However, regular cleaning will be necessary to completely remove air pollutants that have settled on the ground.

Negative impact on air quality and health

Air purifiers fitted with air filters have no negative impact on the quality of your indoor air. For ionic air purifiers, they pose a health risk as they emit ozone gas into the indoor air when releasing negative ions.

Although small amounts of ozone are not harmful, high levels of ozone in your indoor air can worsen the health complication for persons suffering from respiratory conditions such as asthma and allergies.

If you suffer from any respiratory disease, an air ionizer is not the best indoor air purifier device to buy as it can increase the rate of respiratory irritation.

Pros and cons of air purifiers vs air ionizers

Although air purifiers and air ionizers perform the same role of cleaning your indoor air, each device has its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros of air purifiers

• They are effective in removing air contaminants completely and you will not have to worry about them finding their way back
• They are perfect for absorbing odors and other chemicals especially the carbon-activated air filters
• Filter-based air purifiers don’t emit ozone and therefore, are ideal for persons with respiratory conditions as they don’t interfere with the quality of your indoor air.

Cons of air purifiers

• They require constant maintenance, especially the replacement of air filters 3-6 for maximum efficiency

Pros of air ionizers

• Ionic air purifiers are more effective in removing fine airborne particulates as small as 0.1 microns.
• They require minimal maintenance compared to filter-based air purifier models

Cons of air ionizers

• On ionizer air purifier dangers, they emit ozone. High levels of ozone in your indoors can result in negative health complications. It’s not advisable to use ionic air purifiers, especially for people living with respiratory conditions such as asthma and allergy.
• The heavy airborne particulates will drop on the floor of your house or other surfaces in your home and they will require to be swept or vacuum cleaned frequently to remove them completely.

Air purifiers vs air ionizers; which is better?

The air purifiers vs air ionizers debate is going to continue for a long time but to know which one is right for you, you need to consider several factors.

For instance, if you or any of your family members are allergic or suffer from other respiratory diseases such as asthma, an air purifier with True HEPA Air filter is the best choice.

If the most prevalent indoor air contaminants that you want to eliminate are viruses, bacteria, and molds, going for an air ionizer can be a great choice as they are more effective. An ionic air purifier also has a minimal maintenance cost.

However, True HEPA Air filters are effective and they don’t pose any health risks as air ionizers do by emitting ozone in your indoor air.

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