Can You Use an Air Purifier Without Electricity?

There was a point in time when it seemed like everyone in my life was buying an air purifier. And while it took some time, I eventually got around to owning one myself, and I have no regrets about it.

The second I turned on my air purifier and let it run for a bit, I felt a difference. My air purifier is essential for a person who struggles with seasonal allergies. However, one day, the power went out for a couple of hours, and I immediately noticed the change in air quality.

Since I bought an electric air purifier, this was about expected. But it also got me wondering if there was a way to use an air purifier without electricity. After all, these machines are just fans with filters. So, it wouldn’t be far off to think you can use an air purifier without electricity.

And if you’re wondering the same thing, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, I’ll explain whether or not air purifiers work without electricity, whether there are models that don’t need electricity and different ways to purify the air around you without electricity at all.

Do Air Purifiers Work Without Electricity?

Sadly, I found out there was no way to get my air purifier to work without electricity. My air purifier was able to cleanse the air so well because of how the fan blew in the unpurified air through the HEPA filter. So, the air purifier is useless when there’s no electricity to power the fan.

So, when the power goes out, you can’t rely on your air purifier to keep the air clean.

However, there are a couple of ways to keep the air quality indoors good without using electricity or an air purifier. But we’ll get into more detail on that later.

How Much Electricity Does an Air Purifier Need?

I thought I could figure out a way to use an air purifier without electricity because I knew that air purifiers don’t need that much electricity to begin with.

While these machines do a very important job, I was quite surprised to learn that they don’t really need that much power to do the job properly.

Generally, air purifiers don’t cost a lot to run. Most estimates show that air purifiers only cost around $0.24 per day to run at 100W the whole day.

Of course, this number varies depending on the air purifier you have and the electricity costs in your area.

With that said, you really won’t have to worry about an air purifier raising your electricity bill by that much. And since these machines offer so many benefits, especially if you have allergies like me, the little electricity it costs to run is all worth it.

What Kind of Air Purifiers Work Without Electricity?

While the air purifier I had when the power went out couldn’t work without electricity, a bunch of air purifiers can. These units are often battery-powered and are usually portable so you can bring them with you wherever you go. You can place these air purifiers in the car to keep the air clean on your daily commute, and bring them inside if the power goes out and you don’t have electricity but would still like to enjoy clean air.

There are tons of air purifiers like this on the market today. However, not all of them will do the job that well. But if you need your own battery-powered air purifier, I found some great models that do the job well.

Pure Enrichment PureZone Mini Portable Air Purifier

This model is arguably the best battery-powered air purifier on the market today. One thing I really liked about it is the sleek and modern design. It fits in really well in my car, so I leave it there for when I’m driving, knowing that if ever the power goes out or I’m in a place without electricity, I can still use the air purifier.

On top of that, it uses a USB-C charger. So, if you have an android phone or similar device at home, it’s really easy to charge. In fact, I just use my car charger to charge this model whenever I need to, making it very convenient.

This model uses an H13 HEPA filter, which is capable of capturing a lot of the small solid particles that can be found in the air. It even has a charcoal filter for foul odors and four fan speeds, so you can customize the speed of the fan as per your needs and battery consumption.

With that said, this is a pretty small air purifier that won’t be able to handle large areas. So, if you need a battery-powered air purifier for an entire home, this isn’t the best option.

Westinghouse 1804

This is another stylish car air purifier that you can leave in your car and bring around with you wherever you go. The beauty of this Westinhouse model is that it’s a bit bigger than the Pure Enrichment one. So, you will be able to use this to purify the air in a room even without electricity.

One of the best things about this air purifier is the battery. On a full charge, it can go on for around 8 hours. So, if the power goes out in the evening, you can rest assured that this air purifier can cleanse the air around you all night long.

This is also one of the most silent options on the market today. So, if you don’t care for loud noises coming from your air purifier, this is a great pick for you.

With that said, this is also one of the most expensive portable air purifiers available today.

This can be kind of tricky since you don’t want to spend that much money on a backup air purifier. But if it’s really a necessity and you want a high-quality model, this model is worth the money.

How to Purify Air Without Using Electricity

Okay, so let’s say you don’t want to buy another air purifier when the power goes out.

That’s understandable since most electric air purifiers cost a fair amount of money. So, does this mean you can’t purify the air if the power goes out?

Well, no. Air purifiers aren’t the only way to purify the air in a house. There are many natural ways to purify the air at home without electricity. And in this section, I’ll talk a little bit more about some of my favorite ways.

Houseplants

To start, let’s look at the original air purifier – plants. Plants can absorb harmful gases like CO2 from the air and convert them into oxygen. And luckily, there are tons of plants that can thrive indoors alongside an air purifier while also cleansing the air.

Placing a few of these plants in select areas of the house is a great way to get the air clean around you without raising your electricity bill.

That said, this doesn’t mean you should stuff your home with random plants.

Tons of houseplants won’t be ideal for purifying the air, which you might want to avoid if you strictly want to purify the air at home.

Some of the plants we found to be the most effective at purifying the air at home include chrysanthemum,

Barberton daisies, snake plants, English ivies, spider plants, and aloe vera. Of course, these aren’t the only options available.

There are so many types of plants out there, so it won’t be hard for you to find houseplants that cleanse the air and fit your taste.

Additionally, make sure to care for these plants properly.

If you don’t take of your plants, they won’t be able to cleanse the air properly. This is why plant care is just as important as choosing the right plants to bring into your home.

With that said, houseplants aren’t really going to make a severe difference to the quality of the air inside your home like an air purifier would due to how slow the purification process is.

Essential Oils

Another way you can cleanse the air in your home without electricity is essential oil.

Essential oils are compounds that we extract from plants.

As the name suggests, these are the “essence” of the plants with unique aroma and qualities. And since many plants cleanse the air, the essential oils will also work to clean the air without electricity.

Usually, essential oils are used to give the room a certain scent that’s relaxing and brings good vibes. This is why many people who practice meditation use essential oils to put them in the right mindset.

However, not a lot of people know that the right essential oils can also greatly improve the air quality at home.

Cinnamon, tea tree, clove, thyme, and grapefruit extract essential oil are known to have air purifying qualities.

To cleanse the air with essential oil, you will need a diffuser to introduce the oils to the air.

That said, diffusers aren’t that expensive nowadays, and many affordable ones are available online.

When you diffuse essential oils, you don’t just inhale them, and it doesn’t just cleanse the air.

You actually end up absorbing the oils through your skin, which can also provide many other benefits.

And while essential oils can improve air quality, they don’t do much with dust and dirt floating around.

These oils cannot filter out particles from the air, which is why air purifiers for allergies are still the best option for people who need to improve the air quality at home.

Activated Charcoal Filters

Another thing you can use to cleanse the air at home is an activated charcoal filter.

These filters are actually present in most air purifiers since they are great at absorbing smoke and foul odors from the air. 

If you have issues with the way a room smells because of a new coat of paint, cooking odor, or something else, you can use an activated charcoal filter to absorb the odors and keep the room from smelling bad.

The thing about activated charcoal filters doesn’t require a fan, unlike HEPA filters.

However, even when the filter doesn’t require electricity, it won’t be able to absorb or filter out dust. If you have allergies like me, dust and pollen are the main reason you need to cleanse the air in the first place.

Beeswax Candles

You may not know this, but beeswax candles work similarly to many air purifiers.

Burning beeswax releases negative ions into the air, which causes dust, pollen, and other particles to fall to the ground.

There are many air purifiers with built-in ionizers to release negative ions, but as you can probably tell, this requires electricity.

Beeswax candles are a great way to eliminate harmful particles from the air without electricity.

On top of that, they are fairly affordable and easy to find. All the other natural methods I mentioned above won’t be able to remove dust from the air, which gives Beeswax candles a slight advantage.

A “Shoes-Off” Policy

Lastly, if you don’t bring harmful particles into your home, you won’t need to purify the air as much.

This is why I highly recommend having a shoes-off policy at home.

Whenever we step outside, our shoes collect dust and dirt. And when we walk back inside, all this dust comes along with the shoes and makes its way into the air inside our home.

Conclusion

Your air purifier won’t be able to work without electricity.

Most modern air purifiers are electric, and this is something you can’t avoid.

However, some air purifiers are battery-powered, which could be the solution you need.

And if that doesn’t work for you, then there are other methods you can use to clean the air at home without electricity.

These methods won’t be as effective as having an air purifier, but they will be better than nothing.

So, if the power goes out and you still want to breathe in the cleanest air possible, try the methods above.