Do Air Purifiers Get Rid Of Smells?
As cold weather sets in, homes can become damp and musty, leading to mold growth and unwanted smells into your space. Even in warmer regions, cooking odors and other household smells persist year-round. Experts have found that higher heat and humidity create an environment that favors mold spores and bacteria growth and allows smells to travel far and wide.
Air purifiers are one of the most effective solutions for protecting against irritating odors. Once you know what type of odors you want to get rid of and what filter to buy, your single air purifier can efficiently remove unwanted smells from your space.
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What Are Odors Made Of?Â
In short, most types of odors that you might encounter around your home on a daily basis are composed of tiny airborne chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
VOCs are chemicals that become a gas at room temperature, which allows them to sneak in and out of confined spaces with ease. Not only do VOCs cause odors, they can also damage our respiratory systems according to the CDC. Thankfully a Coway air purifier can help alleviate both of these issues.
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Why a Particular Filter is Required to Remove Odors From the AirÂ
Most high-quality air purifiers rely on HEPA filters, which are designed to trap and stop airborne particulates as they pass through the purifier. VOCs, on the other hand, are gasses and therefore are able to flow right through most HEPA filters. However, HEPA filters alone are not designed to capture odors and VOCs, as these are gases that can flow right through the filter material.
While HEPA filters excel at capturing fine particles like dust and pollen, they require additional filtration technologies for effective odor control. While it’s true that a standard HEPA filter alone can help to reduce the concentration of an odor by circulating the air. Activated carbon filters, on the other hand, are able to trap VOCs in their tracks. To maximize air filtration and odor removal, Coway has included both HEPA and activated carbon filters on a number of air purifiers, including the Coway Airmega 250S.
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How Does an Air Purifier Remove Smells?
Air purifiers work best in enclosed spaces, and their effectiveness depends on the room size and the purifier's Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). For optimal results, choose a purifier rated for your specific space size. The EPA states that no all air purifiers remove or cleaner or filter will eliminate all particles that cause foul odors.
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1. Activated carbon filter Â
Activated carbon filters are essential to trapping VOCs, and therefore removing odors from the air. Activated carbon has been treated in a way that creates a network of microscopic passageways through the carbon, which significantly increases its surface area. As air passes through the carbon via these tiny, tightly knit passageways, harmful gasses get trapped on the walls and in the nooks and crannies. In essence, activated carbon actively absorbs VOCs from the air.Â
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2. HEPA filter
While activated carbon filters are great at removing VOCs from the air, they aren’t so good at trapping the same types of particulates that HEPA filters stop. Our best affordable air purifier, the Coway Airmega 100, will include:
- Pre-Filter: Pre-filters prolong the life of filters and capture contaminants first
- Green True HEPA™ Filter: This filter captures 99.97%² of ultra fine particles like viruses, bacteria, fungi and pollen, and includes an antimicrobial treatment to deactivate the spread of contaminants.
- Deodorization Filter: This filter captures odors from food, pets, and cigarettes.
The Coway Airmega 400 features three-stage filtration: a pre-filter for pet hair and dust, plus a combined HEPA and activated carbon filter in one replaceable unit.
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3. Easy filter replacementÂ
The one downside to activated carbon filters is that they can become saturated faster than their HEPA counterparts, which means you might have to replace the filter more often. For ease of use and continued maintenance, consider an air purifier with a thoughtfully designed replacement process.Â
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Common sources of odors and smellsÂ
Getting a home air purifier to help deal with odors is the first step in eliminating nuisance smells from your space. The second step is understanding the root cause of the odor in the first place. Doing so not only allows you to strategically place your new purifier, it also gives you increased ability to take extra measures to get rid of the smell if needed.Â
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1. CookingÂ
Cooking should be an enjoyable, healthful experience. However, heating up ingredients, especially those with fat and oil, releases particles and gasses into the air that can settle on surfaces and sneak into your respiratory tract through your airways. Cooking with oils and fragrant ingredients can impact indoor air quality. Place your air purifier near the kitchen and replace filters more frequently, as cooking particles tend to settle on surfaces.
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2. Mold and mildewÂ
Damp places, such as basements, bathrooms, and laundry rooms are mold and mildew hotspots. Not only do mold and mildew cause a stink, they also carry a host of health problems. If either of these pests are the cause of the smell in your home, make sure to take steps to remove the mildew and invest in a HEPA air purifier. While something like the Coway Airmega Icon can help get rid of the VOCs that mildew and mold give off when they grow, an air purifier can’t eliminate either on its own.Â
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3. SmokeÂ
Tobacco smoke combines large and small particulates with various gases, leaving lingering odors in the air and on surfaces. Advanced filtration systems, such as the Blueair SmokeStopâ„¢ filter, are particularly efficient at trapping smoke, odors, and harmful gaseous chemicals. The best indoor air purifiers can trap and deactivate 99.999% of smoke particles as small as 0.01 microns.
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4. PetsÂ
The best air purifiers for pets can handle both larger particles like the pet dander and fur, as well as smaller VOCs these particles release over time. Regular vacuuming combined with an air purifier with a carbon filter provides the most effective odor control for pet owners.
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Sources:
NCB News - Ooooh, that smell! Odors rise with the temperature
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Center for Disease Control - What are environmental odors: frequently asked questionsÂ
Environmental Protection Agency - Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home
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, Airmega Tower AP-1216L, Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH, Airmega Mighty AP-1512HHS, 200M, Icon, IconS, 230, 240, 250, 250 Art, 250S, 300, 300S, 350, 400, 400S, 450, 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 HEPAâ„¢ filter applied based on the Japan Food Research Laboratories(JFRL) testing according to JEM 1467 standard.
→ Tested with Coway Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH, Airmega Mighty 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, Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH, Airmega Mighty 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.
