Our kitchen is poorly ventilated, so cooking odors tend to linger. Will an air purifier eliminate the smells? Some manufacturers of air purifiers claim their machines will remove odors from your home as well as improve the overall air quality there. Hoping to sniff out the truth, we put five room air purifiers to the test. Manufacturers use a range of different technologies to enable their machines to remove odors:• The Whirlpool Whispure AP45030S, $230, highly rated in “Filtering the claims,” uses a thin carbon-fiber mat that also serves as a prefilter to remove large particles.• The Bio-Net EGF Enhanced, a $750 electrostatic precipitator–type purifier, has a small shallow cartridge loaded with carbon granules. • The IQAir HealthPro Plus, $800, and the Austin Air Systems HealthMate HM-400 (shown), $450, are equipped with large cartridges filled with carbon granules. • The Winix PlasmaWave 5000, $300, combines a carbon filter with “PlasmaWave” technology said to, generate “both positive and negative ions” to create plasma clusters that “instantly neutralize viruses, bacteria, chemical vapors and odors in the air.”

Over the course of several days, we ran each of the five machines through its paces in the same sealed chamber we used to test for dust and smoke removal. turbo 2 pre air cleanerRead the results of the testing below. clean air cool planet grantThe first step involved filling the chamber with a cooking odor by heating ground cumin in an electric frying and pumping the aroma into the room via a duct. is an air purifier good for allergies(There was no air purifier in the room at this point.) Every 15 minutes over the course of one hour, our trained panelists, seated at “sniffing stations,” took a test whiff of the chamber air to determine whether the cumin odor in the room was being reduced. The panelists determined that the odor stayed roughly the same during the one-hour test period.

To get the room ready for an air purifier, we ventilated it completely. Next, we placed an air purifier in the middle of the room and turned it on and then repeated the cumin test as described above. We followed the same procedure for each model. Our findings: The Whirlpool, Bio-Net, and Winix air purifiers did not remove the odors and proved to be hardly an improvement over no air purifier at all. The IQAir and Austin Air models proved the most effective, though it took them an hour to eliminate the odor completely. Note that neither of these models was among the top performers in our tests for dust and smoke removal. Refer to our Ratings of room and whole-house air purifiers (available to subscribers) to find the top overall performers. You’ll need to replace the odor filters on your purifier according to the manufacturer’s recommendation, typically every 3 to 12 months. The cost of replacement odor filters for the models tested range from about $8 for the Whirlpool carbon-fiber mat to about $100 for the IQAir large cartridge.

Instead of buying an air purifier to get rid of smells, you might do just as well by opening a window even for just a few minutes.—Ed Perratore Essential information: Read “Tip of the day: How to choose an air purifier” for expert advice on choosing an air purifier.Do smoky cigars, lingering pet odors, or strong fumes pollute the air in your home? Although odors and foul smells are a part of life, they don't need to be a part of your indoor air. Many people ask, 'Do air purifiers eliminate odors?' The short answer is yes, but it's not that simple. Air purifiers aren't created equally, and certain types of filter media are exceptionally good at removing odors while other won't remove any. Overall, a HEPA air purifier can dramatically improve your indoor air quality, but getting the right model for your needs makes all the difference. Anyone with small children, pets, or a smoker in the house knows all too well that room deodorizers and air fresheners only mask the smell temporarily and don't solve your real air cleaning needs.

You're left buying more and more and more to constantly mask offending odors. To gain fresh, clean air, the odors in your home must be neutralized and cleaned completely. Odors like strong cooking smells, chemical fumes, and tobacco smoke are particularly dangerous for people with asthma, allergies, COPD, or MCS. As the air reaches the lungs, these bothersome odors and fumes trigger allergic and asthmatic reactions. We represent the top brand air purifier and air cleaner manufacturers including Austin Air, Blueair, IQAir, and AirPura. Each of these brands offers a range of products that not only target allergens like pollen, dander, and mold spores, but each uses specialized filter media to adsorb odors, actually removing them from the air you breathe. When deciding which air purifier will be most effective against household gases, odors and fumes, first consider the amount of air each air purifier can effectively process. The CADR, or Clean Air Delivery Rate, is used to measure the overall effectiveness of an air purifier and is tested and certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM).

As air cycles through the air cleaner, the CADR measures the volume of air actually moving through the system, and the percentage and size of the particles being removed. CADR tests for pollutants like tobacco smoke, dust and pollen. These tests determine, in cubic feet per minute (CFM), how effective the air cleaner is at removing specific pollutants. CADR results are recognized as accurate and impartial measurements by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Lung Association. Although some manufacturers use the air exchange rate to qualify their air cleaners, it is not comparable to the CADR tests. Air exchange rates only indicate the total volume of air that is processed by the air purifier in a given time and does not account for the particles being filtered or the overall effectiveness of the air purifier. Keep in mind that CADR is only one item to consider. Many manufacturers are not a part of the AHAM trade association nor do they submit their products for testing.

CADR results have traditionally skewed in favor of ozone generators and ionizers and thus should be taken for what they are - one of few impartial measurements of air purifier effectiveness. Air cleaners utilize various methods of filtration for neutralizing and cleaning the awful odors in indoor air. Activated Carbon Filters are the most widely used type of filter to remove gases, odors, and chemical toxins. The carbon that is contained in activated carbon filters is basically charcoal. When charcoal is treated with oxygen, millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms are created, enabling the activated carbon to adsorb odorous substances from gases or liquids. The term "adsorb" refers to the process by which the material attaches itself to the charcoals by way of chemical attraction. Large surface areas with tiny pores of activated charcoal attract odors, gases, and chemical toxins, and the pores trap these impurities. In this process, odor and chemical molecules actually bind to the carbon.

As the carbon filter becomes full with airborne contaminants, the charcoal becomes less effective, requiring replacement. Impregnated carbon filters contain an additional chemical (a chemisorbent), allowing them to eliminate Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as well as odors and fumes. AirPura Air Purifiers offer a variety of air cleaners especially equipped to remove VOCs, offensive odors, smoke, and smog. With an optional UV light to kill bacteria and sterilize the air, the AirPura air purifiers are comprised of an all-metal housing that does not off-gas nor does the filtration or components produce any ozone. AirPura air purifiers offer exceptionally quiet, heavy-duty air cleaning for industrial or residential settings. HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters, by definition, are required to filter at least 99.97% of all airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns, including dust, pollen, and pet dander. However, the size, material, and construction of the HEPA filter media will determine the amount of particulates that will be filtered.

If the filtration media is too small, some ultra-fine particles like foul odors and chemical fumes can be missed. To tackle odor control, HEPA air purifiers usually combine the HEPA filter with additional filtration systems. Manufacturers like Austin Air combine the HEPA filtration technology with their own carbon/zeolite filter to effectively remove airborne pollutants and lingering odors and smells. The carbon/zeolite filter is impregnated with potassium iodide (in the HealthMate Plus air purifier) for enhanced removal of chemically reactive gases, providing your home with air that's free of allergens, toxins, and odors. Charged Media filters are also effective against nasty odors. Through the use of electrostatic energy and synthetic fiber filters, many charged media filters can collect particles as small as 0.1 microns. The media filter, made from synthetic fibers, is charged through the manufacturing process and attracts airborne contaminants electrostatically before trapping them inside the fibers of the filter.

However, charged media filters lose their charge frequently and become less effective after every use, requiring a filter replacement to regain efficiency. In fact, some charged media filters emit ozone, a dangerous lung irritant that pollutes your air and should be avoided by allergy and asthma sufferers. Some air purifiers like the Blueair air purifiers, offer optional smoke, odor, and gas removal filters. Known for their stylish and sleek design, Blueair air purifiers offer low energy consumption and easy-to-replace filters. With either a Smokestop filter or a particle and gas filter, Blueair air purifiers remove 99.97% of particles at 0.1 micron, and they don't emit ozone. Some IQAir air purifiers are similar to this. Using a blend of activated carbon and oxidizing elements, the carbon filters in the IQAir HealthPro Plus and MultiGas GC air purifiers can adsord and oxidize odors, eliminating them from your indoor air. While these filters aren't typically as loaded with carbon as many of the Austin Air or AirPura models, the specialized carbon blend typically targets a broader range of odors and chemical vapor molecules.

Like charged media filters, Electrostatic Precipitators use electrostatic charges to safely clean air and neutralize odors. As air is pushed through many static prone fibers, electronic cells charge airborne particles and capture them inside of collector plates. As electrostatic precipitators dont require filters, you dont have to worry about replacing the filters. Simply wash the collector plates and insert back into the air purifier to receive fresh, clean air. So if you're trying to rid your home of disgusting odors, noxious gases, or foul fumes, dont spray air fresheners that will only contribute to your indoor air pollution. Instead, freshen your air with a quality air purifier. Your nose will appreciate it! Once you've learned how air purifiers eliminate odors and you want to learn more about air purifiers and cleaning your indoor air, visit any of useful resources. ✔ Air Purifier Buying Guide ✔ Air Purifiers FAQ ✔ Do Air Purifiers Eliminate Odors?