Air Purifier is a very popular home appliance. For a fresh, clean, and healthy air environment, many families buy an air purifier to improve the air quality at home. Before the epidemic of COVID-19, the filter-type air purifier is the bestseller in the market. But now, more people focus on the sterilization function of air purifiers to fight against COVID-19, flu., etc. This year, more and more people begin to pay attention to air disinfection devices, and the sales of UV air purifiers are rising rapidly.

Maybe you are choosing a UV air sterilizer for your family’s health. Here we will share some tips for buying a UV air sterilizer to help you get a more ideal and efficient device.

UV at the correct wavelength

As know, ultraviolet light is a natural disinfectant with an excellent disinfection effect. It can through the cases of germs' cells, destroy RNA and DNA directly, kill bacteria and viruses fast. But when choosing a UV air sterilizer, you also need to confirm the wavelength of thehigh-power UV sterilizer light used. UV light is the natural ray with a wavelength between 100nm and 400nm. Usually, the UV germicidal lamps generation UVC that wavelength is between 100nm and 280nm. Because the UVC has a more efficient sterilization rate than UVA and UVB that wavelength is between 280nm and 400nm.

But at the same time, the UVC that wavelengths between 100nm and 200nm will react with oxygen in the air and generation ozone. If the UVC that wavelengths between 100nm and 200nm is used in a room with people for a long time, it may cause indoor ozone pollution and harm the human respiratory system.

So, the right choice is a UV Air purifier that uses a UVC with a wavelength between 200nm and 280nm. It will kill the germs fast and will not generation ozone, it is an efficient air disinfection device that safe to co-existing with humans.

Filter

For a more comprehensive resistance to viruses and bacteria, it is necessary to choose an air purifier with efficient disinfection function. However, whether an air purifier needs to have a complicated air filter is different for everyone.

The HEPA filter systems are usually used in air purifiers, they can efficiently adsorb suspended particles (pollen, dust, etc.) and bacteria with a size of more than 1 micron in the air.  But for viruses whose size is usually around 0.3 microns, the absorbing efficiency of the filter is very low. Therefore, whether there is a complicated filter in the air sterilizer is not so necessary for anti-virus. In addition, the complicated filter will form a room in the machine that blocks the UV light, allowing bacteria to hide and survive in it, which will reduce the sterilization efficiency of the UV sterilizer.

So, for the choice of whether the air sterilizer needs a filter, our suggestion is that if you have dust allergy or asthma patients in your home, then please choose an air sterilizer with a high-efficiency filter. If not, a primary filter UV air sterilizer with higher sterilization efficiency may be a better choice.

Coverage

It is different to the filter-type air purifier that absorbs dust with a filter, the UV air sterilizers use fans to circle the air in the room, transmit the indoor air to a special UV sterilizer box in the machine, then use the UV germicidal lamp to irradiate the air intensively for an effect of killing the bacteria and viruses in the air.

Although it is not affected by the adsorption efficiency of the filter, the airflow rate, the intensity of ultraviolet rays, and the irradiation time to the air will all affect the sterilization efficiency. Therefore, each UV air sterilizer also has its own standard coverage. When the user space is larger than this standard coverage, the target effect cannot be achieved. Manufacturers usually mark the most suitable standard coverage area based on the design and performance of the product.

Therefore, when purchasing a UV air disinfection device, please refer to the standard coverage given by the manufacturer and choose equipment that meets the room area, so that you can get a truly effective UV air sterilizer.

Finally, there is a very important reminder, that is to choose an air sterilizer purifier that suits you rather than an expensive one with complicated functions.