When Should You Use an Air Purifier? 

After testing out my friend’s air purifier for the first time, I knew I had to get one myself. The quality of air was truly nothing like anything else I had ever experienced before – and to be fair – I wasn’t surprised considering I live in the middle of a very big and heavily populated city.

So – like my other people – I went on the internet, figured out which air purifier I wanted, and ordered it. A few days later, it arrived. I opened it, set it up, and started wondering when I should actually make use of it.

Do I need to use it 24/7? Do I need to use it at night or during the day? I have far too many questions and no answers. So, I took it upon myself to do some research and see what other people were doing and why.

It’s been over four years since then and quite frankly, I’ve accumulated a pretty extensive amount of knowledge when it comes to air purifiers and when you should use them. So, to save you time and trouble trying to figure it all out on your own – in this article, I will help you better understand the importance of indoor air quality and when you should use your air purifier depending on various different circumstances including where you live, time of year, and so on.

But first, I want to talk to you a little bit more about air purifiers and what they are designed to do.

What Does an Air Purifier Do?

As the name suggests, an air purifier purifies the air. And while that might sound like a pretty complicated task, these machines do it in a very simple way. When you strip down an air purifier to its last component, you will find that 90% of it is the fan and the filter.

The fan in the air purifier is responsible for sucking in and pushing out air from the air purifier – just like a standard fan but a little bit more powerful. The second and arguably most important component of an air purifier is the filter, which traps dust, pollen, mites, and any other solid particles you may be unknowingly inhaling in your room.

Additionally, there are some air purifiers that have a secondary filter that is used to absorb gaseous particles. This includes volatile organic compounds (VOCs), foul odors, and even smoke.

Once the air has gone through all the purifier’s filtration systems, it leaves the air purifier free from any particles, odors, and allergens, making it a whole lot healthier for you to breathe.

The Importance of Indoor Air Quality

We’re constantly led to believe that as long as you open the windows once a day and ventilate your room – you’re all set and ready to go. Unfortunately – this couldn’t be any further from the truth.

The actual truth is that whatever the air quality is outside your home – that’s exactly what you are breathing inside. So, if you’re like me and live in an apartment in a busy and heavily polluted city – chances are you’re constantly breathing in poor quality air. And while the noticeable impact of polluted air might not start showing until a later stage in life – it is affecting you far more than you realize.

From poor quality of sleep to headaches – these are some of the early symptoms of breathing in bad quality air. And even if you don’t live in the big city – rural areas are full of pollen, which can be quite the nightmare for people with allergies. That’s why regardless of where you are – having an air purifier is essential if you want to ensure you’re breathing in high-quality air that’s free of any allergens, dust, and VOCs.

When You Should Use an Air Purifier

When I first got my air purifier – I had absolutely no idea when to use it. So, I would just turn it on and off as I saw fit, which wasn’t ideal because the air purifier could never do its job properly. If you’re in the same shoes as me 4 years ago – in this section, I’ll give you some examples of when you should make use of your air purifier.

During the Allergy Season

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, using your air purifier during the allergy season is a no brainer. Making sure the air inside your room is as clean as possible will go a very long way in helping you prevent any irritation or even allergic attacks.

When you get an allergic reaction, there’s a high chance that the allergen came from the air – and during the allergy seasons – the number of allergens in the air from outside increases and so do your chances of suffering as a result.

Now, depending on where you are, the allergy season can come at a different time so it’s important that you’re aware what time of year is particularly bad for you as far as allergies are concerned. That way, when that time of year comes around again – you can simply pop your air purifier on and leave it to do its job around the clock.

If You Live In Heavily Polluted Areas

I live in a big city and as you can probably imagine – the quality of air isn’t the greatest. Opening my window in the morning won’t really do me any good because all I would be doing is letting in more of the bad air inside my home.

I know this because I actually measured the quality of air I have been breathing for years just before I got my first air purifier. I urge you to do the same and see for yourself. You will quickly realize that an air purifier isn’t a want but an absolute necessity if you want to preserve your health in the long term.

So, if you live in a big city that is heavily polluted, running your air purifier as long as possible is a very good idea.

If You Own a Pet

If you own a pet – be it a cat or a dog – running your air purifier as often as possible is highly recommended. Not only will the air purifier catch any allergens your pet might be spreading around but even any fur flying around in the air will likely get caught up by the air purifier and trapped by the filter during the filtration process.

To test this – run your air purifier for two weeks and you will see the amount of fur and hair your air purifier picks up. You will be surprised by the results.

If You Have Respiratory Conditions

Unfortunately, it’s a lot more common for the average person to suffer from respiratory conditions. From poor diet to heavily polluted air – all these factors end up having a toll on our health – and I’m no exception.


In America alone – there are over 25 million people that suffer from some sort of respiratory condition. Whether it’s something as serious as COPD or asthma – such illnesses and diseases can be helped a whole lot simply by breathing in cleaner air.

So, if you have respiratory conditions, I recommend keeping the air purifier on as much as possible. With an air purifier, you eliminate a lot of the harmful particles in the air, which will give your lungs a much easier time.

All the Time

While the above were examples given by professionals and manufacturers of air purifiers, as an owner of an air purifier, I actually believe you should have your air purifier on all the time – regardless if it’s the winter or the summer – whether you live in the big city or in a rural area.

Just about everyone including your pets can benefit tremendously from having clean air inside. You and your pets will not only suffer much less from allergies related to pollen and other irritants but will also sleep better and have a healthier respiratory system as a result.

Another reason for running your air purifier all the time is because there will constantly be new air entering your indoors, which your air purifier needs to purify and free from any particles. If your air purifier is on all the time – not only will it have a much easier time keeping your indoors clean, but you will actually feel the benefits of constantly breathing in clean air.

And don’t worry about racking up your electricity bill as most air purifiers are built to be on all the time – and be very energy efficient.

Benefits of Using an Air Purifier

There are tons of benefits of using an air purifier. Below, I will mention a few of my favorite ones.

Removes Allergens

Back in the day – before I got my first air purifier, I used to suffer from allergic reactions a lot. No matter what I did – nothing would be quite enough to improve my quality of life even a little bit.

If you’re like me and suffer from seasonal allergies – I couldn’t recommend you to get an air purifier enough. Do pay attention to what air purifier you get though. You want to get one with a real HEPA filter, which is designed to filter out even the smallest of particles.

This is because pollen and dust are particularly small, and most cheap air purifiers on the market struggle with catching and keeping hold of them during the filtration process.

Removes Foul Odors

If your housemates smoke or you don’t want the smell of food to spread all over your home – using an air purifier with a carbon filter will be of a huge benefit to you. These air purifiers are great at eliminating odors.

Improved Quality of Sleep

One of the biggest advantages of using an air purifier is that you will get the chance to constantly breathe in high-quality and clean air. And as you could imagine, breathing in clean air comes with a ton of benefits including better overall sleep. So if you’re someone who struggles with sleeping at night – an air purifier will help you a lot.

Conclusion

There’s no secret that using your air purifier during the allergy season, if you have pets, or live in a heavily polluted area is extra beneficial for your respiratory health. Despite that, if you truly want to make the most out of your air purifier, my advice to you is to use it 24/7.

There is absolutely no harm in running your air purifier around the clock. Yes, that will mean you will have to clean the filter quite a bit more often than normal but it won’t cost you a ton in electricity and most modern air purifiers are designed to be ultra quiet – meaning you can go to sleep without having the noise of the fan ruin your quality of sleep.