![]() See related: Do air purifiers help with allergies? (opens in new tab)įor many people, it’s the proteins in the dust mite droppings rather than the mites themselves that cause symptoms, according to scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.For those with a dust mite allergy, this poses a whole new scheme of problems, including sneezing and a stuffy or runny nose. In fact, one survey found dust mites had holed up in 84% of beds in the United States. No one wants to share their home with unwanted intruders, and unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for dust mites to take a liking to your home. Without other dust-busting methods like proper ventilation and halting pollutants at their source, the EPA suggests that air purifiers are pretty powerless at lowering indoor air pollution levels - dust included. So, while air purifiers decked out with HEPA filters seem to have more luck filtering out dust from your home, it’s still necessary to take other actions to fight off dust. These carbon-based filters are better geared to deal with particles and odors than things like dust and dander. "While a standard air purifier usually has a pre-filter and a HEPA filter to tackle these types of particles, other air purifiers might push air through an electrostatic filter or clamp down on chemicals and odors by absorbing and trapping them in a carbon filter," says Bassett. So, that covers your classic pollutants, including dust, pollen, mold, and bacteria - all of which are fine particles mostly under 2.5 microns, and the peskiest at sparking health problems. In theory, the fibers in a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter will filter out 99.97% of airborne particles at least 0.3 microns in size, according to the EPA. This calls into question, do air purifiers help with dust particles themselves? To start with, if you were to peel an air purifier apart you’d find something different inside depending on which type you’ve bought. ![]() They also aren’t effective for those sensitive to dust mites because mites live in carpet and bedding. While air purifiers are effective at removing the majority of the offending air particles from a single room, they certainly don’t take away all the particles, and definitely not those that have burrowed down into walls, floors and furnishings, explains Dr Alana Biggers, the University of Illinois-Chicago’s assistant professor of medicine.
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