There are many harmful materials present in the air around us, and air pollution can be a health hazard. Controlling or eliminating the sources of the pollutants can combat this environmental health risk. You can ventilate your home with clean air from outside, but sometimes, due to weather conditions, this may not be practical. Hence a home air cleaner can be useful to remove the pollutants from the air inside your home.

A home air cleaner can be mounted in your home’s central heating ductwork. As well, it can be placed in the ventilating or air conditioning duct. Either of these methods will allow the air in your entire home to be filtered and cleaned. But you can also clean the air in an individual room or region of your house by using a portable home air cleaner.

Most of the time a home air cleaner has mechanical air filters. These filters trap large airborne particles like dust, pollen, dust mite and cockroach allergens, molds and animal dander. However, these particles settle quickly and the air filters cannot remove them completely. When there is some movement in the house, these particles are stirred up, but the larger particles resettle before the air filter manages to remove them.

Most air-conditioners and residential furnaces come with flat panel air filters which serve as home air cleaners. Their primary purpose is to protect the equipment. However, they also filter bacteria, viruses and pet and dust mite allergens.

The portable home air cleaner has a fan to circulate the air and uses filters to clean the air. It can be moved from one room to the other and can be used wherever air cleaning is required. It is quite effective in reducing airborne pollutants, and depends on the size of the room or area it is placed in.

The home electronic air cleaner also removes small particles, but is not effective in removing large particles. An ionic air purifier may produce ozone, a lung irritant. Ultra fine particles may also be produced and this occurs as a reaction of ozone with indoor chemicals like household cleaning products, air fresheners, or even carpets. These particles can have adverse health effects.

The home air cleaner certainly helps to lessen levels of smaller airborne particles or allergens but it is not capable of removing microorganisms, which ultimately cause disease.

Children, old people or people suffering from asthma and allergies can benefit from a home air cleaner, especially if they are affected by the small particles in the air. But with larger particles, it is often difficult to control indoor pollution, and hence may not be of help at all.