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Air filters can work, and work well, against a variety of unsavory things floating in the air like contaminants, smoke, viruses and allergens, experts say. “Air cleaning and filtration can help reduce airborne contaminants, including particles containing viruses,” the EPA says, adding that when used with other safe practices like masking, “filtration can be part of a plan to reduce the potential for airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors.” And for anyone with allergies to things like dust, mold and pollen, “air purifiers may be used as part of a multicomponent intervention,” says Dr. Merin Kuruvilla Kalangara, assistant professor of allergy and immunology at Emory University. What’s more, if you’re worried about wildfire smoke, they’re something to consider too, says Dan Jaffe, professor of atmospheric chemistry at University of Washington Bothell. Here are the air filters that experts use in their own homes.
The budget solution: MERV-13 filters ($8 per filter on Amazon)
Amazon
“Most furnaces and HVAC systems can accommodate a MERV 13 filter without creating equipment problems,” and the MERV 13 “can remove as much as 95% of the particles that pass through it,” the EPA notes. This is what Jaffe opts for in his home (and it’s a lower cost solution than many portable air purifiers). “We have shown that it can be nearly as effective as more expensive options. By using a low-cost air purifier, one can have more of them and therefore cover more rooms,” says Jaffe.
Learn more: MERV-13 filters ($8 per filter on Amazon)
The portable air purifier solution: Germ Guardian True HEPA Filter Air Purifier ($85 on Amazon)
Amazon
This is what V. Faye McNeill, professor of chemical engineering and earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University, uses in her home: “We live in the city in an older building, which can be quite dusty, and my children have asthma, so I have used these small units in my children’s bedrooms for years — we leave the UV light off,” says McNeill. When buying a portable air filter make sure you look at the manufacturer’s note about how many square feet it can handle.
Learn more more: Germ Guardian True HEPA Filter Air Purifier ($85 on Amazon).
Other solutions that work:
Any air cleaner that is equipped with a HEPA filter will work as long as the air cleaner is sized correctly for the space in which it is used,” says Jordan …….