How Dirty is the Air in Your Home?

Did you know home air purification products existed for several years before the Covid pandemic? As the post-pandemic world is beginning to slow down, the number of homeowners concerned about air pollution within their homes is increasing. Being concerned is the first step; the second is acting. 

At Fire and Ice, we understand that your home is your personal oasis, so why not have the best air purification products installed in your home, which, in turn, will help you and your loved ones breathe easier!

In this article, we will take a look at several factors that contribute to air purification in your home, including, but not limited to, the following:

• The Difference Between Air Purification and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
• Is Your Indoor Pollution Worse Than the Pollution Outside?
• What are the Benefits of Investing in a Home Air Purifier?
• What are the Most Common Types of Air Purification Products?
• Indoor Air Purification Through Plants
• What are the Next Steps?

Go ahead, sit back, and relax while you learn more about the air purification systems and products that are perfect for a residential homeowner like yourself! 

Air Purification vs. Indoor Air Quality

At first glance, you may think they are the same thing; however, as someone in the HVAC industry, I'm here to tell you that they're two different concepts that occupy the same field. 

What I mean by that is that they have similarities, they can work apart from one another, and they can be put hand in hand to increase your home's poor indoor air quality. 

Air Purification

An air purifier is a device designed to remove/filter any air pollutants or contaminants as they make their way through your HVAC system. They produce cleaner air and improve your home's overall indoor air quality.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) 

IAQ refers to the overall air quality within your home and how it relates to the homeowner - not the process of making your air cleaner. Understanding and controlling your space can help reduce indoor pollutants making for a safer, more comfortable home. 

Read More: Indoor Air Quality: Air Filtration & Air Purifying HVAC Products

Is the Air Inside Your Home Dirtier Than the Air Outside?

Environmentalists promote the idea to make environmentally conscious decisions to protect the earth and its fresh air. This encompases outdoor air pollution from coal, gas, and the depletion of the ozone layer.

What about the air inside your home? 

Did you know that according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), we spend approximately 90% of our time indoors? With that being said, the concentration of some indoor pollutants can be up to five times higher than typical outdoor pollution. 

As the use of indoor pollutants, such as synthetic building materials, household cleaners, personal care products, pesticides, and even some furnishings, begins to increase, so will your indoor air pollution. 

This is why indoor air purification exists! 

What are the Benefits of Investing in a Home Air Purifier?

If the inside pollution isn't enough to convince you that indoor air purification products are worth it, here are a few other benefits for you, your home, and your comfort regarding an in-home air purifier:

• Relieves Asthma Symptoms: about 1 in 12 (about 25 million) people have asthma, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). This means that everyday pollutants such as pet dander, pollen, and dust can cause difficulty breathing.
• Eliminating Smoke: Whether it's tobacco smoke, smoke from a wildfire, or smoke generated from cooking, an air purifier can help remove indoor pollution, thus helping eliminate any kind of secondhand smoke.
  
• Helps Combat Against Seasonal Allergies: If you suffer from seasonal allergies mostly triggered by ragweed and pollen, an air purifier is a great non-invasive approach to nip those allergy symptoms in the bud.
• Gets Rid of Pet Dander: I love my pets as much as the next person, but pet dander is one of the leading causes of dirty air within a home. By utilizing an air purifier, you can capture any pet hair or dander before it makes its way into your lungs. 
• Removes Unpleasant Odors/Gasses: Common household cleaners, paint, and air fresheners can let off a gas called Volatile Organic compounds (VOCs). The odor from VOCs can have serious health issues, including shortness of breath, nausea, and in some cases can impair your cognitive functions. 
• Stops Airborne Viruses from Spreading: Airborne pollutants and viruses are all around us in the air we breathe daily. This includes, but is not limited to, the common cold, flu, and even Covid. Air purifiers can help catch the bacteria-infected airborne particles before they cycle back through your residential HVAC system.
• Improved Sleep: Did you know those indoor allergens like bacteria, fungi, and dust mites can interrupt your sleep? Repeated coughing, sneezing, and runny noses can keep you up at night, ultimately affecting your productivity for the next day. However, investing in an air purifier can keep your air clean and your sleep cycle uninterrupted.

What Are the Most Common Air Purification Products?

So, now that we have gone over the benefits of investing in a residential air purification system, let's dive into some of the products associated with whole-home air purification.

Reme Halo

The Reme Halo is an innovative design that combines Ultra Violet (UV) light and a catalyst that can produce and distribute low levels of hydroperoxide plasma to eliminate pollutants that may be hiding in your home's air.

By using this unique combination, the Reme Halo can effectively destroy over 99% of all bacteria, mold spores, viruses, and other household pollutants.

Related Content: Reme Halo® Whole Home Air Purifier Review

iWave-R

The iWave-R is a patented, self-cleaning, needlepoint bipolar ionization product that creates positive and negative ions. When the iWave-R is at its peak performance, it can produce over 160 million more ions than any other UV product in the current HVAC market. 

Once these ions are established in your home's airflow, they attach to airbourne particles, thus making the unwanted particles become larger. Then, as the ions attach to these particles and get bigger, they are then more easily trapped in your HVAC system filter, which helps circulate clean air throughout your home. 

Related Content: iWave Air Purifier Video Review

Filters

Furnace air filters are one of the most important aspects of your home's HVAC system. Has anyone ever told you that most of the common problems with an HVAC system boil down to an issue with its filter?

There are several different filters for your HVAC system, including but not limited to HEPA, media, activated carbon, pleated, one–inch, four-inch, and many more. Each filter has specific (or multiple) duties to keep your home's air purified and clean. 

If you want to learn more about the different types of filters and their specific uses, check out our article on Indoor Air Quality: Air Filtration & Air Purifying HVAC Products.

Portable Air Purifiers

This option is for homeowners who don’t want to invest in a whole home air purifier or if you're only looking to purify a frequently used room, like a living room or bedroom. However, keep in mind that a portable air purifier has several drawbacks; the main one is its inefficiency. 

On average, a portable plug-in air purifier works harder than a whole-home purification system. Since they are typically smaller than a whole-home air purifier, these air purifiers have to work twice as hard to purify the air within one room, thus, limiting their overall effectiveness.

Keep in mind; there isn't a “best” air purifier out there. It all depends on the customer's needs. You can mix, match, and add air-purifying products to make the air in your home cleaner.

Indoor Air Purification Through Plants

Plants produce oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. So it makes sense that plants continually produce oxygen, which in turn, can help your home's air purification process. In fact, in 1959, NASA conducted a clean-air study to explain this phenomenon.

Keep in mind that this case study was done in a secluded environment (outer space) without access to other oxygen forms. In our houses, we have access to the outside air by opening our windows and doors or through the air conditioning cycle by our HVAC system. 

NASA concluded that certain household plants that require a low amount of light could act as a natural filter that can absorb VOCs, such as formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene.

NASA’s Top 12 Plants for Air Purification

1. Bamboo Palm
2. Chinese Evergreen 
3. English Ivy 
4. Ficus 
5. Gerbera Daisy 
6. Janet Craig 
7. Marginata
8. Mass Cane/Corn
9. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
10. Peace Lily 
11. Pot Mum
12. Warneckei

When Should You Invest in an Air Purifier?

Yesterday!

All joking aside, there is no time better like the present to invest in a home air purifier for you, your home, and your comfort. In our experience, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. 

Many homeowners decide to invest when they have extenuating circumstances like allergies or someone in the home with an autoimmune disease. We also see many people investing in their home's air purification process when they want more protection against bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus. 

I personally have a Reme Halo in my home because I have kids; no matter how much we love them, they can be little germ factories that bring in all the germs from school, and I'm a firm believer that the Reme Halo keeps my family more healthy than if we didn't have any air purification products.

What Are the Next Steps?

Now that you've learned all about air purification, are you ready to make the plunge into investing in your home's indoor air purification?

If so, an air purifier is an excellent accessory for your residential HVAC system. And since it's an accessory, it can be installed anytime. Not to mention if/when you purchase a new HVAC system, it can be added to your equipment, so you don’t have to buy a new one!

However, you typically get the best pricing on HVAC accessories if you purchase and install a whole new system. Nonetheless, if you purchase it outside of that scenario, you won’t lose any quality or efficiency of the product. 

At Fire and Ice, we have installed thousands of air purification products, and we see and hear all of the benefits and the peace of mind it gives our customers daily! 

So, let us make your day better! 

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