Do Air Purifiers Help With Asthma?

Air purifiers always seemed like such a niche appliance to me. 

On the surface, getting an entirely separate machine just to “clean the air” didn’t seem worth it. 

However, as I got older, I realized the importance of air quality.

When talking to my friend one day, I asked why he decided to buy a new air purifier for his apartment. 

And when he told me that he got an air purifier to help reduce his asthma attacks, it was eye-opening for me.

I never thought air purifiers could help people with asthma, and I was honestly pretty skeptical. 

But when I researched, I found that air purifiers can help reduce the chances of an asthma attack.

And in this article, I’ll explain why air purifiers help with asthma and which air purifiers to get if you want to deal with asthma. 

I’ll also talk about the other benefits of owning an air purifier.

Keep reading to learn more.

Can An Air Purifier Help with Asthma?

It may come as a surprise, but air purifiers can benefit people with asthma. 

I’m not saying that turning an air purifier on while someone is having an asthma attack will do any good. 

Instead, I mean that if you have an air purifier at home, you can reduce the chances of someone developing an asthma attack.

This is because certain things trigger asthma attacks. 

I’ll explain the different triggers for asthma later on. 

Still, something that’s important to remember is that air purifiers can remove a lot of the asthma triggers from the air

This means there’s a smaller chance of an asthma attack when the air purifier is on.

So, if you or anyone at home has asthma, having an air purifier can help keep them safe from attacks. 

When you have asthma, it’s essential to pay close attention to air quality, and an air purifier is one of the best ways to do that!

What Can Trigger an Asthma Attack?

The thing about air purifiers is that the research on whether these devices can help with asthma symptoms like chest tightness, coughing, and wheezing is inconclusive. 

However, this doesn’t mean air purifiers don’t help with asthma.

While it’s debatable whether these devices help with the symptoms, they are known to remove particles that trigger an attack. 

One of the most common causes of an asthma attack is environmental triggers, and it’s imperative to address these triggers quickly and effectively if you’re looking to reduce the chances of an attack.

The most common environmental triggers for an asthma attack include:

  • Pet dander
  • Dust
  • Pollen
  • Toxic chemicals
  • Mold
  • Smoke

A person who inhales any of these triggers can result in asthma symptoms. 

This can be very dangerous, especially if they don’t have any medicated inhaler on hand.

Air purifiers are designed to remove these specific particles from the air.

So, while having one on won’t reduce the symptoms, it eliminates the particles that trigger asthma from the air. 

This means there’s a lesser chance that you’ll have an asthma attack in the first place.

This is why air purifiers can be very valuable for people dealing with asthma regularly.

What Air Purifiers Can Help with Asthma?

While most air purifiers can reduce the environmental triggers floating in the air, not all can.

So, if you’re looking for an air purifier to help you with your asthma symptoms, make sure to take the time to find a suitable model for your needs.

If you go on the market today, you’ll find many purifier options. 

Granted, having a lot of options is a good thing if you want complete control over what your air purifier can or can’t do, but it can make it hard to choose.

So, here are some of the air purifiers that can effectively remove asthma triggers in the air and reduce the chances of an asthma attack.

Air Purifiers with HEPA Filters

Nowadays, HEPA filter air purifiers are some of the best models on the market. 

This is because HEPA filters are incredibly effective mechanical filters that can capture tiny and fine particles. 

These tiny particles are known to trigger asthma attacks, so I highly recommend getting one of these models if you’re looking for an air purifier to reduce asthma attacks.

When buying a HEPA air purifier, look for models with a “True” HEPA filter. 

These are filters that meet the standards that all HEPA filters need to meet. 

If you don’t have a true HEPA filter, it won’t be as effective, and you might end up breathing in the particles that can cause an asthma attack.

Additionally, it might be even better for you to get a model with a washable HEPA filter

There are some air purifiers on the market with replaceable HEPA filters that you must change every couple of months

This can be a huge hassle, especially when compared to the HEPA filters you can wash and reuse for a long time.

Air Purifiers with Carbon Filters

Another type of air purifier that can be highly effective in removing environmental asthma triggers from the air is the carbon filter air purifier. 

Carbon filters can’t capture fine particles like dust or pollen. 

But, it can absorb toxic gases floating in the air.

An excellent example of this is volatile organic compounds or VOCs. 

These hazardous compounds are used in many things like paint thinner and paint. 

This means that these compounds can float around the air in your home without you even noticing.

A carbon filter can effectively absorb these compounds and keep them away from your lungs.

Another toxic gas that carbon filters can absorb is smoke. Smoke can trigger an asthma attack, so people with asthma should stay away from it as much as possible. 

But the smoke will be unavoidable if you live in an area with wildfires or smokers.

However, a carbon filter air purifier at home will absorb all this smoke to keep you and your lungs safe. 

The downside is that you have to change the carbon filter every couple of months, but since it offers so many benefits, it’s not really bad.

Automatic Air Purifiers

automatic air purifier

If you want to keep asthma attacks at bay, you might want to keep your air purifier on 24/7

However, it can be hard to do this if you constantly adjust the settings depending on the air quality. 

I suggest getting an automatic air purifier you can just turn on and forget about.

These air purifiers are equipped with air-quality sensors that detect the particles in the air and automatically make the necessary adjustments to the settings. 

For instance, if the air quality in your room is poor, the unit will automatically increase its performance. 

And once the air quality improves, the sensors force the air purifier to slow down. 

This is very convenient and makes it much easier to leave the air purifier on for a long time.

If you want the most effective air purifier, I suggest getting one with all the above features. 

Many models on the market today come packed with a multi-stage filtration system and automatic modes. 

While these might cost you a bit more, rest assured that you will get your money’s worth, especially if you’re trying to reduce the chances of an asthma attack.

What Air Purifiers Should I Avoid If I Have Asthma?

Any air purifier can be good for you if you have asthma

However, an ionizer is one particular air purifier I recommend avoiding. 

These air purifiers release negatively charged ions into the air, which bind with the particles and cause them to fall.

From there, it’s up to you to vacuum or sweeps up the particles on the ground. 

This means that while the particles aren’t floating around the air, they are still in the room, and you aren’t entirely safe. 

On top of that, these air purifiers produce ozone as a by-product of the purification process.

Ozone can be hazardous when you inhale large amounts. 

And if you have asthma, you are even more at risk of an adverse reaction to ozone. 

So, avoiding air purifiers with ionizers is best if you want to keep your lungs safe.

That said, tons of air purifiers on the market have ionizers. 

And if you can’t avoid getting one of these models, the least you can do is get one with an ionizer you can switch off. 

That way, you can leave the ionizer off and still reap all the benefits of using an air purifier.

What Are the Other Benefits of Using an Air Purifier?

One of the reasons I always recommend air purifiers to my friends is because they can do a lot of good for people with asthma. 

But the thing about air purifiers is that the benefits don’t end there. Below are a couple more reasons you may want to consider using an air purifier at home.

No More Allergies

When I got my air purifier, one of the most significant changes I noticed was a massive reduction in my allergies. 

I suffer from pretty bad allergies, so when spring comes along, or I’m in a dusty room, my eyes get red, my nose gets stuffy, and I start sneezing. 

And when I’m at home, it seems like these symptoms are aggravated, which can be incredibly frustrating.

Remember, air purifiers can capture a lot of particles. 

And the reason I suffer from allergies is because of particles like dust floating around the air. 

So because I keep my air purifier on at all times, I don’t worry about dust or allergies.

Cleaner House

Another advantage of air purifiers is that they can make your house cleaner for longer. 

Now, air purifiers won’t clean your house. 

That is not what they are designed to do. 

However, they can capture dust in the air before it even has a chance to land and settles on different surfaces.

So, whenever you vacuum or sweep up the dust, you can rest assured that it will stay that way for a long. 

It can be annoying and time-consuming to sweep or vacuum your house constantly. 

And if this is a problem for you, an air purifier could be just what you need to help you out.

Dust gathering on different surfaces isn’t just an eyesore: it’s a hazard for people with asthma or dust allergies. 

So, an air purifier could be a valuable appliance in your home that can make a huge difference.

Do Air Purifiers Help With Asthma: Conclusion

If you have asthma, you understand how hard it can be – especially during the allergy season. 

And while there isn’t a cure for asthma, there are measures you can take to ensure that you aren’t at high risk of an asthma attack, especially at home.

To do this, you can use an air purifier. 

An air purifier can remove many environmental triggers and reduce the chances of an asthma attack. 

Consider getting an air purifier to be safer and healthier in your home.

You won’t regret it.