The abundance of modern technology to improve the microclimate of housing can sometimes confuse even an experienced buyer who follows all the new products on the household appliances market. Manufacturers offer a variety of models that can cleanse the air from unwanted impurities, destroy pathogens in it, increase the humidity level and maintain it for a long time. This technique is indispensable for families with small children and allergy sufferers who are very sensitive to air quality and composition.
But in this variety of specifications it is very easy to get confused, which is why you can choose not the most suitable model for your home, don't you agree? When trying to figure out which is better than an air purifier or humidifier, it is important to first find out what each type of this technique is intended for and how it performs its functions.
In this material, we will tell you about the features of air cleaners and humidifiers, reveal the principles of their operation and find out which type of climatic devices should be purchased in a particular case.
The content of the article:
- How the humidifier works and functions
-
Features and operation of air purifiers
- Option # 1 - water purification system
- Option # 2 - dry air purification system
- Choosing the best model for your home
- Conclusions and useful video on the topic
How the humidifier works and functions
During the heating season air humidity in the apartment may fall to critically low rates - 20%. The normal level of relative humidity in the room in winter must be in the range of 30-45%. In the summer, the requirements for this microclimate parameter are even higher: the indicator should remain within 30-60%.
Therefore, it is extremely difficult to do without a device that can fill the missing amount of moisture in the air. A humidifier is an almost indispensable device that allows you to easily maintain a normal microclimate in your home.
In fact, air humidifiers convert water into steam or microscopic droplets. For more information about the device and the principle of operation of humidifiers, we told here.
Certain types of devices do this in different ways:
- Cold air humidifiers they drive the liquid through special cartridges using a fan. In these blocks, both the splitting of water and its partial purification from harmful impurities take place.
- Ultrasonic models convert water into microdroplets due to membrane vibrations. It vibrates at a tremendous speed, practically breaking the water into fine dust. This technique is extremely productive and quite economical, but it remains very demanding on the quality of water. Pour in ultrasonic humidifier only distillate is worth it, since together with water, the membrane is able to break down harmful impurities that can be found in ordinary purified water.
- Steam humidifiers differ in power, productivity and greater loyalty to the composition of the water being poured. The devices evaporate water due to heating: after boiling, the water turns into steam and is fed into the air. The steam at the outlet is practically sterile. The disadvantages of such devices are decent energy consumption and the ability to significantly over-humidify the air.
Such characteristics allow air humidifiers to perform their main tasks efficiently.
However, the advantage of this type of equipment is the ability to choose a completely compact, but quite productive model, which can even be placed on a desktop.
If good air purification is required, such devices will not be the best choice, since their main purpose is to convert water into steam. They can only partially make the air cleaner: the smallest dust, mixing with microdroplets of water, settles faster on surfaces and does not fully enter the respiratory tract.
It is important to remember that most moisturizers are demanding on water. Therefore, if you are not ready to buy distilled water or prepare it yourself, it is better to give up ultrasonic modifications and traditional humidifiers.
Some models of steam humidifiers may have a special compartment for aromatic oils or salt solution, which will detrimentally affect pathogenic bacteria. Using these fluids will make the air more humid and safer. However, even such neutralization of pathogens will not make the air masses extremely clean.
To get acquainted with the best offers of household air humidifiers for home and apartment, please go by this link.
Features and operation of air purifiers
In addition to humidity, an important indicator of good air is the absence of harmful impurities in it, which, alas, are so rich in the urban atmosphere. Dirty outside air inevitably enters the apartment through supply ventilation or airing, filling the room with harmful and even dangerous microelements.
In addition to chemicals, dust and microorganisms that provoke various ailments also penetrate. In such difficult conditions, it is difficult to refuse quality air cleaner.
The work of these devices is to drive air through a purification and filtration system. A powerful fan directs the air flows, and the main differences lie precisely in the filter compartment.
According to the method of air purification, the systems are divided into dry and water systems. Next, let's take a closer look at their features.
Option # 1 - water purification system
The air purifier, which performs its functions thanks to the water purification system, is a kind of hybrid of a traditional humidifier and purifier. Air masses carried away by the fan pass through the filtration system and are not only cleaned of dust and small pollutants, but also filled with the missing moisture.
The figure shows the device of a typical water air purifier. Such a device effectively removes contaminants and maintains a normal level of relative humidity in the room.
Often, such models are called air washing, which is quite consistent with reality: the air really seems to be washed with water, getting rid of dirt.
A bonus of such sinks is the manufacturer's desire to protect its own device from mold and mildew, because the humid environment inside it is an excellent springboard for the development of pathogens. Therefore, models are often supplemented with ionizers and UV lamps, which decontaminate both the washing tanks and the exhaust air. But humidifiers should be regularly clean from plaque and mold.
Option # 2 - dry air purification system
Dry-type air cleaners are presented in a wider range of models and perform their functions by directing air flows through special filters.
Dry-type air cleaners are louder than their water-based counterparts. This is due to aerodynamic noise generated by air currents passing through the filters.
There are several types of air filters:
- Coarse filter traps large pollutants such as wool, cobwebs, large lumps of dust. The membrane is made of a mesh or porous material and performs its functions quite well.
- Fine filter effective against fine dust particles and allergens. It has an accordion-like shape, which is quite easy to obtain thanks to a woven or paper material that has many pores. Bending the material and stacking the ribs on top of each other allows you to increase the number of pores that air will pass. Therefore, this filtration removes most of the allergens and dust deposits.
- HEPA filter is one of the most effective barriers, trapping even the waste products of dust mites. Like a fine filter, HEPA resembles an accordion. The knot is made of fibrous material with a filament diameter of only 0.65–6.5 microns. With a fiber spacing of 10-40 microns, the filter provides the maximum possible air purification.
- Adsorption catalytic filter (AK) contains a special material that traps gas molecules and is ideal for neutralizing unpleasant odors.
Carbon or photocatalytic filters can perform similar functions. However, a combination of two AK filters will be more effective.
The picture above shows the HEPA filter device. Such membranes are used not only in air cleaners, but also in other equipment, for example, in vacuum cleaners, as they trap small particles of dirt as efficiently as possible.
From all of the above, it becomes clear that the main function of the air purifier is still to neutralize pathogens, allergens, dust and large pollutants.
Air humidification is just a pleasant bonus, which is only available in models with water filtration of air masses.
Choosing the best model for your home
Trying to decide what to choose - an air purifier or a productive air humidifier, you should focus on your own needs and specific living conditions.
The most compromise option would be an air wash, which effectively humidifies the indoor atmosphere and removes the main pollutants. However, the functioning of such a gadget may not be enough for the special needs of households, for example, to remove the most popular allergens.
When buying, you can use a kind of cheat sheet that will not get confused in the abundance of models offered by manufacturers.
| Need | Appliance |
| Partial air purification and humidification | Cold humidifier |
| Abundant humidification and sterile outlet air | Steam humidifier |
| Maximum removal of allergens | Purifier with HEPA filters |
| Odor neutralization | Air cleaner with AK filter or carbon membrane |
| Moisturizing, aromatizing and fighting germs | Steam humidifier with compartment for aroma oils or brine |
| Air purification and humidification | Air wash |
When buying a dry-type purifier, you should pay attention to the filtration system: the more filters the gadget contains, the better the removal of unwanted impurities will be. The speed of rotation of the fan also affects the performance of the device: the higher it is, the faster the masses are cleaned.
Additional options will not be superfluous, for example, ionization of air or neutralization of microbes using a UV lamp. We have provided detailed recommendations on the choice of a purifier in this material.
When choosing the optimal model, give preference to equipment designed to service at least 40 sq. m of area so that the device can fully process a decent amount of air. We recommend that you read the detailed selection criteria for a humidifier for home and apartment.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
This video presents the TOP 5 inexpensive models of air humidifiers that are ideal for use in an apartment:
The following video shows testing of air purifiers:
A specialist in the selection of climate control equipment tells how to choose an effective air washer:
Purifying the air and maintaining an optimal level of relative humidity in the room is the basis for a healthy indoor climate. Thanks to a responsible approach to the choice of an air purifier or humidifier, the owner of the apartment will save himself and his loved ones from regular respiratory diseases, reduce the risk relapse of allergies and even preserves the decoration of walls and furniture, which may lose their aesthetic appearance under the influence of excessively dry air. A suitable device must be chosen based on one's own needs and living conditions.
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