Do Air Purifiers Help with Smoke?

Today, air pollution has become a major concern around the world, and one of the most common forms is smoke, which can come from various sources, including cigarettes, wildfires, and even cooking. What’s more, smoke can lead to several health issues, such as respiratory problems, allergies, and asthma. To avoid this, an air purifier specially designed for the removal of smoke odours will be right up your alley.

How Bad Is Smoke?

As a complex mixture of particles and gases, smoke can be harmful to human health. For one thing, exposure to smoke can cause respiratory irritation, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest pain. It also increases the risk of respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, especially for those with pre-existing respiratory conditions. 

What’s more, smoke may lead to long-term health effects such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Since the particles of smoke may threaten the health, an efficient solution that removes not just the smell of smoke but the tiny particles can’t be seen is of great importance. Dida Healthy is contributing to this.

Can an Air Purifier Actually Filter Out Particles That Small?

Normally, an air purifier can filter out small particles of smoke. However, the effectiveness depends on the type and quality of the filter used. In general, HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are effective in capturing smoke particles, including small ones, as they can trap particles as small as 0.3 microns with an efficiency rate of 99.97%, while the majority of these particles fall in the 0.1 to 0.5 micron range.

As we can see, it is important to ensure that the air purifier has a high quality HEPA filter to effectively filter out smoke particles. It is also recommended to regularly replace the filter to maintain its effectiveness. To better filter out particles, the HEPA filter can be enhanced with activated carbon adsorption technology.

What Are Air Purifiers Designed to Filter Out?

Air purifiers are designed to filter out various pollutants and contaminants from the air, which include:

• Dust and dust mites: Airborne dust particles and dust mites can trigger allergies and asthma.
• Pollen and Allergens: Air purifiers are designed to filter pollen and allergens from the air, which can help alleviate allergy symptoms.
• Smoke and Odors: Air purifiers work to filter out different types of smoke and odors, including those from tobacco smoke, cooking, and pets.
• Bacteria and Viruses: Some air purifiers filter bacteria and viruses from the air to reduce the risk of illness.
• Mold and Mildew: Air purifiers can help remove airborne mold spores and mildew with the goal of reducing respiratory problems.
• Chemicals and VOCs: Air purifiers serve to filter out Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) found in cleaning chemicals, paints, and that are harmful when inhaled.

How Do Air Purifiers Work for or Help With Smoke?

Air purifiers mainly consist of filters , all of which work together to ensure the normal operation of air purifiers.

• Filters: Generally, filters can be further divided into three types and perform different functions. The pre-filter is typically made of a porous material such as foam, mesh, or non-woven fabric. They work to capture larger particles such as pet hair, dust, and other pollutants from the air before the air passes through the HEPA or activated carbon filters, so that the HEPA or activated carbon filter life can be extended and the air purifier can work more efficiently. Usually they should be cleaned or replaced every 1-3 months. An activated carbon filter is a unique filter that consists of a highly porous material that can open millions of tiny pores between carbon atoms after being treated with oxygen. Therefore, when air flows through the filter, gases and odors become trapped in these pores and won’t be released back into the air. Usually a thicker filter or one with a higher density of activated carbon will be more effective at removing odors and VOCs. HEPA filters are made of a dense mat of randomly arranged fibers, especially fiberglass. When air flows through the filter, dense fibers cause the air to change direction and particles as small as 0.3 microns get trapped in the fibers.
• UV-C Light: Some air purifiers use UV-C light technology to destroy germs and bacteria in the air, which is especially beneficial for those who are allergic to smoke or have respiratory problems.
• Ionizers: Ionizers attract and trap pollutants in the air, including smoke particles. They work by emitting negative ions into the air, which attach to smoke particles and other pollutants to make them easier to capture in air purifier filters.

How to choose an air purifier works for smoke?

There are many varieties of air purifiers available on the market today, so it is important for us to choose the one we need. Usually, three factors must be taken into account. When it comes to removing smoke, many air purifiers rely on activated carbon filters to adsorb odors and harmful gaseous pollutants. The filters will eventually be saturated. 

So when buying an air purifier, we need to pay attention to a parameter of CCM gas value, a value of at least 3000 or more is ideal for removing smoke, and the best value is more than 10,000. 

In addition, CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate, which is a measure of the amount of clean air that an air purifier can deliver to a room. A higher CADR rating means that the air purifier is more efficient at removing these pollutants from the air. 

And when considering air purifiers for smoke removal, it's best to avoid those with carbon cloth filters because this type of activated carbon material can quickly become saturated and emit unpleasant odors. 

In conclusion, an current new A6 air purifier will be an ideal choice for you if you are looking for a machine to filter out smoke. However, the smell of smoke will not be completely removed, so opening your windows for adequate airflow is also recommended. Some plants, such as green radishes, aloe vera, and spider plants, are also ideal options. I sincerely hope that the above information will help you.