A lot of parents are now convinced to purchase an air purifier for their precious babies. But, the real struggle begins when they are not sure what the safest air purifier for babies is? Really it’s a challenge because there are thousands of air purifiers out there. Each comes with special features and specialized for a certain purpose. Among all these varieties how do you know which one would be effective and at the same time safe air purifier for kids? To know the answer, I request you to keep your eyes glued to this article.
Before becoming a new parent, I was super conscious about making my home clean and tidy. I was so eager to welcome the new baby to a hygienic atmosphere. But, it was the air quality I was unable to do so. I was looking for a quickest but effective solution and that is when I got know about air purifier. Since babies have a weak immune system and high propensity to fall sick, they need the best air purifier which is also safe for children.
Therefore, I began my research and I find it extremely important for the new parents to be aware of out there. Here, I am not only going to answer you how can you find the safest air purifier but also factors what you should be refrain from. As a bonus, I will also share my strategies to find the best air purifier for babies and top tips to use it smartly.
Let’s get started!
What is the Safest Air Purifier for Babies?
As I have already mentioned there diverse types of air purifier out there. When you look for it, you will find an air purifier with HEPA filter, True HEPA filter, carbon filter, air purifier with ionizer, UV technology and so on. If you choose any random best air purifier, it might be dangerous for the baby’s health. Thus, you need to know some identifying features that will help you find the right one for your little one.
True HEPA filter
HEPA represents high-efficiency particulate air. A real HEPA filter has the capacity to capture 99.97% pollutants from the air. Our indoor air is filled with dust, dirt, mold, pollen, germs, bacteria, pet hair, and dander and so on. Here, HEPA can pull out even the tiniest pollutant up to 0.3 microns. It means the HEPA filter can actually ensure that your kid can breathe contaminant free fresh air without having any harmful effects.
However, you’ve got to be careful of finding the True HEPA air purifier. There are a lot of air purifiers that claim to have HEPA but does not actually contain real HEPA. So, stay alert to purchase only the True HEPA air purifier to get the best result.
Activated carbon filter
An unpleasant odor is another element that hampers air quality. It’s not an issue for the baby’s only but also a severe problem for adults like us. Especially when you have a pet or a smoking person at home. The pet poop or nauseating smell of nicotine is really unbearable. Sometimes they cause a breathing problem.
Hence, to have odor-free air you can get an air purifier with an activated carbon filter. Usually, devices with carbon filter are not available. It’s combined with other features like HEPA, ozone generator and so on. Since you would like to get an air purifier for babies, you can purchase an air purifier with a true HEPA filter and activated carbon filter would be safe to use.
Ultraviolet UV-C light
UV technology is one of the popular features of air purifier. Though the UV of the sun is harmful to our skin, the UV light in an air purifier is actually safe to use. There are three categories of UV light such as UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. the UV-A and UV-B are harmful to the skin. However, the UV-C is actually safe to use.
As we know, the indoor air is filled with not just dirt and dust but also diverse types of germs, bacteria, and viruses. The HEPA filter effectively removes pollutants. However, the UV-C will ensure your atmosphere is germs free. How does it do that? When the device is turned on, the UV-C light neutralizes the harmful germs.
Then the fresh air is sent out to the atmosphere. Then, we can breathe in the fresh and germs free air. Usually, the lights are inserted inside the device. Therefore, it will not leave any harmful impacts because the light will not come directly in contact with the baby’s skin.
What is the unsafe air purifier for babies?
Now you are aware of the features that would be safe to use for babies. I feel it would be also good to know which features you should be refrain from. Below I discuss some of the features of air purifier that will be harmful to babies.
Ozone generator
The ozone generator is one way to capture pollutants from the air. When the device is turned on it does pull out pollutants like mold, pollen, dust, dirt, germs and so on. However, as it captures the pollutants the device emits ozone in the air. Initially, you may not realize the impacts of such air purifier.
However, if you keep using for a long time, eventually it will impact on the respiratory system, eyes and nostril areas. It means even if you are breathing fresh air, you are actually indulging yourself to more allergy oriented diseases. So, stay away from air purifier with an ozone generator.
An air purifier with ion
Ion is another harmful element that is harmful to a kid’s health. Babies are very sensitive and prone to get sick easily. If your air purifier features ionizer, it means it will leave ion in the atmosphere to capture the pollutants. Though ion is not much harmful to adults, the ion is extremely detrimental for children. Therefore, you should stay away from air purifier with an ionizer.
When you look for an air purifier, you will see some air purifier does come with True HEPA filter but also contain ionic technology. Remember that it still be dangerous to use. You can also go for devices that give you the opportunity to turn on and off the ionizer. That way you can refrain the kids from getting in contact with ozone.
HEPA or HEPA type air purifier
There are some companies that use the term HEPA for selling purpose. Thus, you may often see air purifier claiming to have HEPA type, HEPA and so on. Remember, they are just using the term for marketing purpose. Such devices might be cheap but won’t give you the service as you expect from a real HEPA filter. Therefore, always keep your trust on an air purifier that claims “True HEPA filter”. Only True HEPA can remove 99/97% of pollutants size up to 0.3 microns.
How to find the best air purifier?
Though you know the key features you can use for an air purifier for baby room, still, you may struggle to get the best one. Because quality and convenience features are what we expect for any technical device we get for children. Hence, I would point out some of the key features that will be beneficial for you and you will also be able to identify the best device in the market.
Make sure the device comes with True HEPA filter.
Does the device has automated features like auto shutoff and air quality indicator?
Is it noise-free?
Does it have a timer?
Check out the room coverage of the device.
Don’t forget to go through the review before you make the purchase
Tips to use an air purifier for baby room
Maintenance is the key to the durability of any device. Since you are going to use an air purifier for kid’s room, you need to be extra careful. Because your child is not going to stay in one place. Therefore, to keep the device and the baby safe, here I am going to share some of the tips that might be helpful for you.
Keep the air purifier out of reach to children.
If the device has a carbon filter, set it near the diaper pail to capture the odor
Maintain to clean the filters regularly
Read through the instruction for maintenance
Keep the device on regularly for achieving the utmost air purification
Keep the door closed of your kid’s room
Final Thought
Our indoor air is five times polluted than the outdoor air. It’s extremely necessary to ensure fresh breathable air when we are at home for us and especially for kids. Therefore, an air purifier is strongly recommended. And the good news is now, you know a lot more than what is the safest air purifier for babies.
I hope the write up was helpful for you. I am confident that you can now ensure your kid’s room is filled with fresh air for its healthy growth. Moreover, I would suggest you get an air purifier for the entire house because as your kid grows up, s/he isn’t going to stay in one room.
