Apartment Air Purifiers: Why Your Building Needs Them This Moving Season
We spend as much as 87% of our time indoors in North America, but our homes are not always the safe spaces we think they are. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that for around 1.5 million people worldwide each year, indoor air pollution is fatal. From allergens and dust to toxic chemicals and gasses, poor air quality is a serious health risk we might not even be aware of. Until, that is, you make the decision to take control with an air purification system.
During moving season in particular, an apartment air purifier can be a game changer, boosting quality of life and sending a powerful message to prospective tenants.
If you’re the owner or manager of a multi-family housing unit or residential complex, installing apartment air purifiers as standard is the investment that reaps dividends. Find out how to stand out in the market by guaranteeing residents the right to clean air at home.
Address the Issue of Allergens
According to the American Lung Association, the rate of asthma is twice as high in multi-unit housing as it is for the general population. That’s partly because residential buildings allow the most common triggers to accumulate and proliferate:
- Dust (both household mites and construction dust from outside)
- Pet dander
- Mold
- Cleaning products (including the industrial-grade products contractors might use in hallways and other shared areas).
- Pollen
The tiny airborne particles associated with the above irritate the upper and lower respiratory tract, causing short- and long-term health problems. While residents cannot always manage the source of allergens, air purification systems do allow each occupant to control the destination. A single unit can secure a safe environment for an entire apartment.
Show Zero Tolerance for Pollutants
Tenants have a legal right to minimum safe standards of indoor air quality, and building owners must be aware of the maximum permissible concentration levels for the most common indoor contaminants, such as:
- Carbon monoxide
- Volatile organic compounds (eg. benzene, formaldehyde, phenol)
- Radon
- Lead
- Pesticides, and more
Unfortunately, the sources of these toxic chemicals are notoriously hard to eliminate. We’ve succeeded in eliminating asbestos and indoor cigarette smoke from the equation, but pollutants are still in the furniture we sit and sleep in, the products we clean with, and the physical building structure from wall to ceiling. Building managers can expect today’s consumers to be informed and empowered in relation to the risks. An air purification system sends a clear signal that a safe environment is a priority.
Strong Odors Deter Potential Tenants
First impressions matter, especially in the hyper-competitive rental market, but no balcony view can compensate for a building that smells musky, damp or “sick”. Multi-family housing units are particularly prone to unpleasant odors because the shared network of ducts and hallways accumulates cooking aromas, gasses, and chemicals or cleaning smells. Humidity and heat in summer exacerbate the issue. When residents optimize their indoor environment by blocking vents or keeping windows sealed, damp or mold can flourish. A safer solution is an air purification system that can monitor and manage air quality, along with carbon filters to eliminate even the strongest odors.
Pristine Air Quality in Challenging Times
Few things focused minds on the air we breathe like the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but there will be more SARS-related virus outbreaks to come. That’s an inevitable feature of densely populated city life. Accordingly, today’s tenants have a greater awareness (and demand higher standards) of where ventilation and air source quality are concerned. Empowered consumers see clean air as an essential well-being issue and no longer take it on trust that their environment is safe. They’re ready to challenge the basic standard of air quality they’re entitled to. With the Airmega 400 and Airmega 250, you can show them that you’re eliminating 99.98% of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (in minutes), be putting minds at rest.
How Coway Keeps Your Building’s Air Pure
The pandemic provided a wake-up about the composition of the air we breathe, coming at a time when we also have more information about air quality, the risks from pollutants, and our rights as tenants and consumers. Safe, breathable air can now be considered a dealmaker or breaker between tenant and owner, and it’s no longer an invisible issue. Anyone with a smartphone, wearable or portable device can monitor their environment in real-time, and if air quality falls short of minimum standards they are entitled to escalate a complaint to the appropriate authorities.
Luckily, Coway makes it simple and affordable to install a smart, state-of-the-art air purification system in every apartment (or room). A Coway unit makes a statement too, given that the innovative HyperCaptive™ air filtration system and Green True HEPA™ filter go far beyond minimum requirements, removing the fine particles and contaminants standard systems often miss.
As a building owner, real-time monitoring allows you to record, share and store air quality data for prospective or current tenants, as well as building inspectors, insurers or other officials. Installing a Coway air purifier shows your tenants you’re doing your best. The smart data linked to each unit proves it.
Sources:
Consumer Product Safety Commission The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality | CPSC.gov
Environmental Protection Agency Introduction to Indoor Air Quality | US EPA
World Health Organization Household air pollution
Disclaimers
1Coway air purifiers have been proven to trap dust, pollen, dander, viruses and bacteria in the air based on KCL (Korea Conformity Laboratories) testing.They have been tested in a 30㎥ size chamber according to the Korea Air Cleaning Association standard (SPS-KACA 002-132:2022 Modified) to measure the 0.01㎛ size of particle removal rate. It was tested on maximum airflow speed in normal room temperature and humidity conditions. The performance may vary in the actual living environment of customers.
→ Tested with Airmega Aim, 100, 150, 160, AP-1216L, AP-1512HH, AP-1512HHS, 200M, Icon, IconS, 230, 240, 250, 250 Art, 250S, 300, 300S, 400, 400S, ProX
299.97% of viruses, bacteria, fungi and pollen were verified to be removed from the air for Coway air purifiers which have Green True HEPA™ filter applied based on the Japan Food Research Laboratories(JFRL) testing according to JEM 1467 standard.
→ Tested with Coway Airmega AP-1512HH, AP-1512HHS, 250, 250 Art, 250S, 300, 300S, 400, 400S
→ All tested by JFRL and received above result within below time.
All tested by JFRL and received above result within below time.
- Virus: Tested with Escherichia coli phage ΦX174 NBRC 103405, 60 minutes
- Bacteria: Tested with Staphylococcus epidermidis NBRC 12993, 60 minutes
- Fungi/Mold: Tested with Penicillium citrinum NBRC 6352, 60 minutes
- Pollen: Tested with Cedar Pollen extract, 60 minutes
3Aerosol test conducted in a Biosafety level 3 laboratory with two Coway air purifier models, Coway Airmega 250 and 400 for removal of SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol by US based MRI Global, a not-for-profit laboratory and partner of US Department of Defense. The test was conducted in a 13.1ft3 chamber. Virus was aerosolized for 15 minutes and the product was turned on high for 2 minutes. Result showed each product effectively removed over 99.98% of the SARS-CoV-2 in 2 minutes. This is a result from a laboratory experiment condition and result may vary in different conditions. This result does not imply it kills SARS-CoV-2 or prevents the transmission of Covid-19. Coway Airmega 250S and 400S are identical to the tested models and has equal performance with an additional mobile connectivity function.
4The concentration of ammonia, acetaldehyde and acetic acid were proven to be removed within 30 minutes by FCG Research Institute, Inc. Human Life Science Lab. It is not a demonstration result in the actual use space. Not all odors and gases may be supported. → Tested with Coway Airmega 150, 160, AP-1512HH, AP-1512HHS, 400, 400S
5The coverage area of the air purifier is based on an area where the air cleaner can make two air changes per hour (ACPH). An air change per hour translates to how many times an air purifier can clean an area, assuming the height of a ceiling to be 8 ft, in one hour. Therefore ** means two air changes per hour means that the cleaner can clean the area once every 30 minutes and * means air changes per hour means that the air purifier can clean the area once every 60 minutes.
10Terms and conditions apply. Discounts, including promotions, coupons, bundle discount and subscription discount, cannot be stacked on top of other coupons. During promotional periods, discount codes will not be able to be applied to orders. Promo codes may apply to products only—filters, accessories, and new products within 3 months of the release date are not included.
