How To Reduce Dust in Your Home With an Air Purifier?

Dust is one of the main enemies of our homes. Sometimes we can see it floating in the air, but more often, it remains invisible, which is why I like to refer to it as an “invisible enemy.”

This article isn’t like others that list the top 5 or top 10 ways to deal with dust, instead, I will only explain how to fight dust with an air purifier. 

Air purifiers are devices that use a combination of fan and filter layers to combat airborne dust and other small particles.

With the right filtration technology, such a device won’t only clear your space of airborne dust but will also capture pollen, neutralize bad odors, remove VOCs, and much more.

However, it’s important to know a few facts before investing in an air purifier to combat dust in your home. The most crucial fact is that an air purifier can’t remove dust that has already settled on surfaces such as furniture, floors, or similar; it can only remove the dust that is floating in the air.

Use an Air Purifier That’s Powerful Enough For Your Room

Before getting an air purifier for your home, you need to decide in which room you want to use it. After that, you have to measure your room, because you need to know how powerful an air purifier you would need. 

The more powerful the air purifier, the more air it can clean in one hour. This capability is referred to air changes per hour (ACH), an industry-standard associated with the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). They recommend that an air purifier should have an ACH of at least 4.8 to effectively clean the air in a room.

This means that if your room is, for example, 200 sq. ft., then you would need an air purifier that can clean the air 4.8 times in one hour in such a room. It’s as simple as that!

But what if your room is too large, and you can’t find an air purifier suitable for its size? In that case, I would recommend getting two smaller air purifiers and placing them in the same room. This approach is much better and more efficient than using a single air purifier that’s insufficient for your room.

Keep Close Attention to the Filtration Technology

Not every air purifier uses high-quality filtration technology that is efficient enough to remove dust from your home at a high rate. 

What I can suggest is to always seek an air purifier that uses a True HEPA filter or one with similar or higher efficiency.

Also, I would avoid using ionizers, or air purifiers that include ionizers, as these devices only change the state of airborne particles, causing them to fall to the ground rather than capturing them.

Place Your Air Purifier Properly

Lastly, apart from the CADR (coverage) and filtration technology, it’s also important where you place your air purifier.

I’ve written an in-depth guide on air purifier placement, which I strongly recommend reading. However, if I must highlight just a few recommendations, they would include:

• In the bedroom, place it at least 6-10 feet away from your head.
• In a living room, position it somewhere in the middle, or at least near the center of the room.
• Since your main concern is dust, place the purifier where you or your household members walk most often.
• Avoid placing it near walls, behind furniture, or under a desk.

By following these tips, you will maximize the effectiveness of your air purifier and significantly reduce the airborne dust in your home.

FAQ About Reducing Dust in Home

Final Conclusion: What Else You Need to Know?

I wrote this article to help people make the most of their air purifiers in capturing airborne dust in their homes. However, you can do much more to deal with dust, such as vacuuming, mopping, washing your bedding, cleaning rugs and carpets, and, of course, cleaning your furniture.

If there are any questions about using an air purifier to deal with dust that remained unanswered, feel free to ask in the comments section below.