where to place an air purifier

Essential Tips on Where to Place an Air Purifier

Last Updated on January 10, 2023

Air purifiers work by removing airborne particles from the air you breathe in your homes, such as outdoor pollution or pet dander, ensuring that your air is odour and pollutant-free. Most contain a HEPA filter which is incredibly fine and can remove up to 99.97 per cent of pollutants from the air.

But do you know where to place an air purifier? Air purifier positioning has a significant impact on its maximum effectiveness, and there are several factors to consider before deciding on its location in your home. Like many other electronic devices, there is a wide variety of air purifiers you can purchase, so we have provided some top tips and advice below on where to keep your air purifier.

Which Room Is Best?

The answer to this question depends on what issue you are trying to resolve by having an air purifier. Here are a few suggested locations:

Near Pollutant Sources

fine dust cleaning device in living room

If there is a specific issue in a room, such as a mouldy corner or dampness in general, then place the air purifier close to the source of the issue. If you worry that polluted air is coming in from the outside, such as from a busy road, then placing an air purifier in the room where the door or windows open out onto it makes sense.

Bedroom

Suppose your aim in having an air purifier is to improve your home’s indoor air quality generally. In that case, you have options available to you about where the best air purifier location is. We spend a third of our life asleep, so having purified air in your bedroom will help you achieve a peaceful night’s sleep.

Unless you are a light sleeper, then there is the chance that the noise made by the air purifier may disturb you. If you wish to have a unit in your room, look for ones tested for low noise levels and place it somewhere so that it doesn’t blow directly into your face as you sleep!

Nursery

The other room common for air purifiers to be placed in is a baby room. It makes complete sense to want unpolluted and clean air for your baby to breathe. Maybe more so than another bedroom, it is important to choose an air purifier which is quiet and place it at a distance from the cot so that it doesn’t disturb your baby.

Living Room and Kitchen

The other two rooms that most people spend the majority of time in when they are at home are the lounge and kitchen. Having a clean atmosphere in the rooms, you spend most of your time is a great idea as it can help reduce or eradicate allergies and cooking or pet odours.

The Best Position for an Air Purifier in a Room

Once you have decided on the room where you will use your air purifier, you can decide where to place your device. Your goal is to choose a location that ensures you get the maximum benefit without the noise coming from the machine disturbing you.

Where to place the air purifier depends on several factors, so we have provided some useful tips below to help you:

Room Size and Air Purifier Capacity

Once you have decided which room you want to place your air purifier in, you should probably consider what size the room is to ensure that the one you have or purchase is powerful enough.

If you have a large room but a small air purifier, you are going to struggle to get the benefit of the filtered air unless you place it near where you sit, which may disturb you.

Rotation Angle

Like most electronic devices, air purifiers vary in their specifications and how they work. For example, some will rotate a full 360° which means that you can place them in a room and circulate the clean air all around the room.

However, other air purifiers will only push air into the open space in front of them. In this case, you need to position it to point into the central area of your room.

Type of Air Purifier

Another consideration when deciding where to put your air purifier is whether it is freestanding or mounted.

Mounted

A mounted air purifier is great for a small room or tight spaces as it won’t use up valuable floor space. Once you have fixed the mountings to a wall for your air purifier, you are obviously committed to its position.

Therefore, you need to make sure that its position makes sense and allows fresh air to be circulated into your room. If you put an air purifier on a wall, make sure that all the air can freely circulate. The device shouldn’t be backed onto the wall as well.

Freestanding

A freestanding air purifier can be moved around, so you have much more flexibility with it. It will, however, take up space in your room if you purchase a large tower air purifier.

Another option is to have your air purifier placed on a table, worktop or desk, as it does not require additional floor space. You need to ensure that you purchase one in a suitable size.

Top Tips for Achieving the Most From Your Air Purifier

There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding where to place your air purifier, which can impact its performance.

Airflow

You should ensure that as much air as possible can be cleaned, so make sure that the air flows past your air purifier unimpeded by any furniture or anything else that may block its air intake.

Placing it near an open window or open doors will mean that it constantly has to work very hard to remove all of the pollutants coming in from the outside. Moreover, it will not clean as much of the air inside the room. But, having an air purifier near an area with strong airflow will allow it to process the air through its filter.

Humidity

Like many other electronics, air purifiers don’t like high humidity as the humid air can cause the filter to become blocked more quickly. If you have too much moisture in a room, it is probably a good idea to use a dehumidifier until the damp issue is resolved. Once done, you can let your air purifier tackle indoor air pollution.

Things to Remember When Using Air Purifiers

The size of your room and the power of your air purifier will determine where your new appliance needs to go. If you have a small air purifier tucked away in the corner of a large room, it will not clean all of the air that you breathe. Therefore, make sure you purchase a powerful enough unit for the room size.

You should also ensure that you do not put an air purifier where the airflow is blocked by furniture or soft furnishings, as air purifiers work best when they have good air circulation. Not all air purifiers have wall mountings, but those that do make good use of vertical air movement around them. It would help if you were sure that you don’t back them directly onto the wall.

Placing an air purifier near a window or door which is sometimes opened allows for a good flow of air around it, but if it is open all of the time, the air purifier work will all be focused on the air coming into the room and not the remaining air.

Make the Most Out of Your Air Purifier

We hope we have provided you with some valuable tips and information on optimal air purifier placement and positioning to get the most benefit.

Where you place your air cleaner is important to achieve clean air throughout your home, and different factors can influence how well it works.

Most air purifiers function best when you place them in the room where you either have a specific issue such as mould or dampness or where you spend most of your time. So as long as you situate it somewhere that makes sense for you, with unimpeded airflow, you should start to recognise the benefits straight away!

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