{"id":496038,"date":"2022-09-25T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/does-an-ionic-air-purifier-clean-better-than-standard-units\/"},"modified":"2022-09-25T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-25T15:00:00","slug":"does-an-ionic-air-purifier-clean-better-than-standard-units","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/does-an-ionic-air-purifier-clean-better-than-standard-units\/","title":{"rendered":"#Does an Ionic Air Purifier Clean Better Than Standard Units?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af1b21835c8c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af1b21835c8c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/does-an-ionic-air-purifier-clean-better-than-standard-units\/#%E2%80%9CDoes_an_Ionic_Air_Purifier_Clean_Better_Than_Standard_Units%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Does an Ionic Air Purifier Clean Better Than Standard Units?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/does-an-ionic-air-purifier-clean-better-than-standard-units\/#What_Is_an_Ionic_Air_Purifier\" >What Is an Ionic Air Purifier?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/does-an-ionic-air-purifier-clean-better-than-standard-units\/#What_Is_a_HEPA_Air_Purifier\" >What Is a HEPA Air Purifier?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/does-an-ionic-air-purifier-clean-better-than-standard-units\/#Ionic_vs_HEPA_Which_Is_Better_at_Cleaning_the_Air\" >Ionic vs. HEPA: Which Is Better at Cleaning the Air?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/does-an-ionic-air-purifier-clean-better-than-standard-units\/#What_About_Electrostatic_Precipitators\" >What About Electrostatic Precipitators?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/does-an-ionic-air-purifier-clean-better-than-standard-units\/#Which_Is_Right_for_You\" >Which Is Right for You?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CDoes_an_Ionic_Air_Purifier_Clean_Better_Than_Standard_Units%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Does an Ionic Air Purifier Clean Better Than Standard Units?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-830392\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/shutterstock_1324165574.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"White ionizing air purifier on a desk with a person using a laptop in the background.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/ionizer-stands-on-white-shelf-background-1324165574\">BOKEH STOCK\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you\u2019re shopping for an air purifier, you\u2019ll likely encounter ionic air purifiers. These work differently than the ones with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, which have sort of become the \u201cstandard\u201d air purifier. So are ionic air purifiers better?<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_an_Ionic_Air_Purifier\"><\/span>What Is an Ionic Air Purifier?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ionic air purifiers are air cleaners that help your remove or reduce ultrafine contaminants from the surrounding air. Also called ionizers or ion generators, the ionic air purifiers release a negative ion charge that attaches to the pollutants in the air and leads them to stick to a nearby surface. Some ionic air purifiers also come with a positively charged collector to attract the negatively charged pollutants.<\/p>\n<p>Although ionic air purifiers are typically standalone units, some manufacturers have also started including air ionizers as a part of standard air purifiers with a HEPA filter. In such an air purifier, the air ionizer function is optional, and you can choose to switch it on or keep it off.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_a_HEPA_Air_Purifier\"><\/span>What Is a HEPA Air Purifier?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-830064\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/coway-airmega-400.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Coway AirMega 400\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Coway<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>HEPA air purifiers are the most common consumer-grade air purifiers on the market. As their name suggests, they rely on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/indoor-air-quality-iaq\/what-hepa-filter\">HEPA filters<\/a>\u00a0that they pass air through. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fiberglass\">Fiberglass<\/a> or <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Polypropylene\">polypropylene<\/a> filters can theoretically remove all particles of 0.3 microns or more.<\/p>\n<p>Air purifiers with a HEPA filter sometimes include additional filters like a prefilter, an activated carbon filter, or an ultraviolet filter. As mentioned previously, they may also feature an air ionizer.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ionic_vs_HEPA_Which_Is_Better_at_Cleaning_the_Air\"><\/span>Ionic vs. HEPA: Which Is Better at Cleaning the Air?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Both ionic and HEPA air purifiers clean the surrounding air but use different technologies. While HEPA purifiers trap contaminants in their filters and effectively remove them from the air, ionic air purifiers simply make them stick to various surfaces in the room, such as walls, floors, drapes, tabletops, and even people. These surfaces need to be cleaned regularly to remove the pollutants; otherwise, any disturbance can cause them to re-enter the air.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\">United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)<\/a> says that while ionic air purifiers may remove smaller particles, like the ones in cigarette smoke or smog, they <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/indoor-air-quality-iaq\/what-are-ionizers-and-other-ozone-generating-air-cleaners\">may not effectively remove larger particles<\/a> like pollen and house dust allergens. Ionizers also cannot remove gases and odors.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, HEPA purifiers can theoretically filter almost all particles with a size of at least 0.3 microns. Such particles include dust, pollen, mold spores, mildew, pet dander, dust mites, soot, and many airborne pathogens. Unfortunately, like ionic air purifiers, HEPA filters can\u2019t clean gases or odors. However, many air purifier manufacturers include an activated carbon filter with the HEPA filter to remove odors and gaseous pollutants, including <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/indoor-air-quality-iaq\/what-are-volatile-organic-compounds-vocs\">volatile organic compounds (VOCs)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>You might see claims on the internet suggesting that negative ions released by ionic air purifiers provide some health benefits, particularly in your mood, by fixing a so-called \u201cion imbalance.\u201d But EPA notes that no controlled studies have confirmed this. Plus, research conducted to look at various studies around air purifiers by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/health-canada.html\">Health Canada<\/a> had a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/236004768_Effectiveness_of_Home_Air_Cleaners_in_Reducing_Indoor_Levels_of_Particles\">similar conclusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ionic air purifiers as a side effect also produce ozone in the surrounding air. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/ozone-pollution-and-your-patients-health\/what-ozone\">Ozone<\/a> is a lung irritant, and its inhalation can cause throat irritation, chest pain, coughing, and shortness of breath. While some ionic air purifiers claim to produce zero ozone or below the 0.05 ppm standard set by FDA, research by California Air Resources Board (CARB) has noted that the ozone generation by some ionizers could <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arb.ca.gov\/research\/indoor\/esp_report.pdf\">reach unhealthy levels<\/a> (PDF) in more realistic conditions compared to the lab conditions in which they are typically tested. That said, CARB <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ww2.arb.ca.gov\/list-carb-certified-air-cleaning-devices\">maintains a list of air cleaners<\/a> that have been tested to emit little or no ozone.<\/p>\n<p>HEPA purifiers have no such health concerns but require timely replacement of filters to ensure efficient operation, which adds to their overall cost. Their fan noise at higher settings can also be disruptive. In contrast, most ionic air purifiers work silently and have no filters to replace. As a result, they are cheaper to operate.<\/p>\n<p>Another vital detail to remember about both ionic and HEPA air purifiers is their clear air delivery rate (CADR), a metric used to calculate the efficiency of an air purifier. Most ionic air purifiers have a CADR rate between 0 to 50 cubic feet per minute (CFM), which is quite inferior to the CADR of the best HEPA purifiers. Purifiers with higher ion generation powers could theoretically result in better CADR, but they would also result in unacceptable ozone levels.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_About_Electrostatic_Precipitators\"><\/span>What About Electrostatic Precipitators?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-830065 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/avari_600.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Avari 600\" width=\"650\" height=\"398\" data-credittext=\"Avari Air\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Avari Air<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Electrostatic precipitators are filterless air cleaners that are also sometimes referred to as ionic air purifiers. But they aren\u2019t technically ionic air purifiers as they don\u2019t release ions in the air. Instead, they rely on electrical charges.<\/p>\n<p>Electrostatic precipitators have two plates\u2014one with a positive charge and the other with a negative charge. When the polluted air circulates through an electrostatic precipitator, the particulate matter passes over the negatively charged plate and gains a negative charge. These charged particles then pass over the positively charged plate (collector plate) and stick to it. As a result, cleaner air exits the purifier, leaving behind contaminants attached to the collector plate.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, while the process of electrostatic precipitators sounds great in theory, it isn\u2019t very efficient in reality. These purifiers don\u2019t capture many particles and often let pollutants pass through them. Additionally, they are only effective when the collector plate is clean. As it gets dirty, the efficiency of the purifier drops. Finally, electrostatic precipitators are known for high power usage.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_Is_Right_for_You\"><\/span>Which Is Right for You?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Both ionic air purifiers and standard air purifiers with HEPA filters have advantages and disadvantages. But the benefits of HEPA purifiers greatly outweigh their drawbacks. Unfortunately, you can\u2019t necessarily say the same thing about ionic air purifiers. Also, many of the supposed health benefits associated with ionic air purifiers <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6213340\/\">haven\u2019t been widely tested<\/a>. So if you are still inclined to opt for an ionic air purifier, it\u2019s better to go for one with a built-in HEPA filter than a standalone unit. That way, you get the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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These work differently than the ones with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, which have sort of become the \u201cstandard\u201d air purifier. So are ionic air purifiers better? What Is an&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":496039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/shutterstock_1324165574.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-496038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/496039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}