I remember how my roommates and I used to have a minor spat whenever we ran out of fresh air filters for the negative ion air purifiers at our old college dorm rooms. It was always a sore point on whose turn it was to buy the filters.

Students in today’s dorms probably argue about which brand of negative ion air purifiers are best before they can move on to the nitty-gritty of whose turn it is to change the filters.

Negative ion air purifiers, no matter the brand, will probably work in the same way.

Airborne particles generally have a positive charge. Since opposite charges attract, the negative ions released by air cleaners attract the positively charged particles in the air.

Airborne negative ions will continue to attract dust and sundry particles until the heavy, ionized particles becomes so dense that they fall from the air. Since they are no longer airborne, the dust and other particles will no longer be inhaled and they are prevented from interfering with respiration and causing problems.

You can just vacuum, dust, or sweep away ionized particles. If they become airborne during cleaning, the ionization process will simply be repeated.

Negative ion air purifiers are no longer just used in dorm rooms and households. They have made their way into cars as well.

One interesting study comes courtesy of the Toyota Central R & D Laboratories, which showed ionization relieves fatigue and enhances cognition in drivers. Now THAT’s uplifting!

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A germicidal air purifier with UV light destroys microorganisms such as:

• germs
• bacteria
• viruses
• molds

As airborne microorganisms pass through the device, an ultraviolet lamp shines UV rays on them. This damages the microorganisms at the cellular level, killing them.

Sounds pretty effective, but also scary doesn’t it? If a germicidal air purifier with UV light can kill microorganisms, what effect does it have on organisms, like pets and humans?

Well, similar damage DOES occur in humans due to UV lighting, but it’s restricted to the skin and eyes. However, reputable manufacturers will ensure that their purifier units do not allow ultraviolet rays to escape. So the UV lights will only sterilize the air that passes through the purifier.

In fact, UV air cleaners are deemed so safe and effective that the US government specifies UV lighting in government facilities to minimize the growth and spread of germs.

What’s more, UV lights are recommended by the Center for Disease Control for use in homeless shelters. UV lights stop diseases like tuberculosis from spreading. What makes this a big deal is that such diseases often develop a resistance to drugs.

Some commercial office buildings also use UV lighting in their ventilation systems to reduce respiratory-related problems (e.g., breathing difficulties, mucus, muscle pain, etc.) in their employees.

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I recently found out that ALL THREE air purifiers I use at home were phased out – and the filters along with them! The guy at the store I get my filters from suggested I upgrade to their latest models. I’m darned if I’m going to give the same manufacturer my money again! Instead, I began searching around for some filterless air purifiers – at another store.

I’m tired of having to periodically change filters anyway, not to mention having to deal with yearly filter price increases. But it’s really annoying that I have to junk THREE perfectly good air cleaners just because the manufacturer was inconsiderate about providing enough filters for all the suckers that patronized their product! There ought to be a law against stuff like this!

Anyway, to make sure I don’t get suckered again, I’m buying three air purifiers without filters to change.

Filterless air purifiers, so I’ve recently discovered, ionizes the air in a room. This charges the dust particles and other dirt in the air so that they’re trapped in a plate collection mechanism.

Some filterless air purifiers make use of a fan to enhance the system, although it will work without a fan as well. I’m thinking about maybe trying out a unit without a fan because I hear those make less noise.

Another thing I’ve recently found out is that any device you use for filtering air can never be truly maintenance-free, no matter what manufacturers say. Take filterless air purifiers – yes, you don’t have to replace a filter but you will eventually have to clean the plate mechanism.

So it’s a good idea to invest in a unit where you can get at the plates easily to clean them. Otherwise, you may have to shell out the same additional dollars you were trying to save by buying a filterless system in the first place!

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