Allergy sufferers aim at living in a healthier environment away from harmful pollutants that worsen their symptoms. It’s well known that both air purifiers and dehumidifiers can improve several health conditions, including respiratory infections, allergies, and chronic chest conditions like COPD and asthma.
In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of each of these two devices, their subtypes, and whether it’s a good idea to use them both in the same room. So without any further ado, let’s jump right into it.
The Short Answer
Yes! Whether you go for a separate device option or a combo air purifier dehumidifier, these two devices work in tandem to provide better air quality, thus helping to relieve allergy symptoms and control asthma attacks.
Air Purifiers vs. Air Dehumidifiers
Before we get into more details regarding how these devices complement each other, we should explain how each of them functions independently. This way, it’s easier to find out if you actually need both or just one of them!
Air Purifiers
Air purifiers trap particles and air pollutants and reproduce fresh air. They have nothing to do with the humidity levels, but as they eliminate viruses, bacteria, and various allergens, they improve indoor air quality, which, in turn, helps with controlling a variety of health conditions.
Types of Air Purifiers
1. HEPA Purifiers
This is the most popular type of air purifier because it’s extremely efficient in removing even the tiniest air particles including, dust, pollen, mold spores, and many others.
2. Carbon Filter Purifiers
Carbon Filters trap gases and toxic volatile substances rather than actual particulate matter. You can use them if you want to keep your house smelling fresh and you’re having difficulties with getting rid of unpleasant odors.
3. UV Light Purifiers
As you may already know, UV rays can destroy DNA, so it’s no surprise that UV purifiers are mainly used to control bacteria, viruses, fungi, and mold spread.
4. Ionizer Air Purifiers
These devices capture the wanted air pollutants and trap them in specific compartments. They’re not popular for home use because they require professional use. Nonetheless, they can remove small particles reaching 0.01 microns, whereas HEPA filters can only remove particles bigger than 0.3 microns.
Benefits of Air Purifiers
- Improves respiratory conditions
- Eliminates allergens, dust, and airborne contaminants
- Removes bad odors caused by smoke
Air Dehumidifiers
As the name implies, these devices are designed for controlling moisture issues. A dehumidifier absorbs excess moisture from the air. As a result, mold particles survive for shorter durations; thus, the spread of molds significantly decreases.
Another problem that dehumidifiers help with is musty odors. Humid environments and damp units usually have bad odors because the excessive moisture traps sweat, pet dander, unwanted air pollutants, and of course, mold spores; imagine how a mixture of all these would smell like!
Types of Dehumidifiers
The most common types of dehumidifiers are:
1. Desiccant Dehumidifiers
These humidifiers are similar to silica gels that are frequently found inside packages containing electronic devices. They absorb water vapor from the surrounding, hence, decreasing moisture levels.
2. Air Conditioners
Air conditioners can reduce humidity levels while cooling air. As air passes through the cold evaporator coils, the conditioner converts moist air into water that typically drips through the external unit.
Surprisingly, they’re good for preventing mold growth as they control indoor humidity. Although cold air is not good for people with asthma as it can possibly trigger an asthma attack, using air conditioners can help with other health issues related to bacterial growth in excess humidity.
3. Ionic Membrane Dehumidifiers
These devices have a complicated mechanism that involves several processes. The short story is, they’re more energy-efficient than other dehumidifiers. Accordingly, they’re usually used in storage compartments to protect machines and goods from high humidity.
4. Thermostatic Dehumidifiers
Thermostatic dehumidifiers are quite basic, which is why they’re less efficient than the other types. This technology depends on water condensation, and it’s commonly used for manufacturing portable dehumidifiers.
5. Refrigeration Dehumidifiers
Refrigeration dehumidifiers absorb humid air and pass it through hot coils, triggering water evaporation, as well as cold coils, triggering condensation. They’re quite similar to air conditioners except that they release the hot, dry air indoors and cold, humid air outdoors.
Benefits of Dehumidifiers
- Eliminates musty odors
- Inhibits the spread of dust mites and molds
- Controls respiratory conditions caused by high humidity
What Happens When I Use an Air Purifier and a Dehumidifier Combo?
Simply speaking, you’ll get the best of both worlds. However, there are some essentials that you should pay attention to while deciding if you should use both devices.
Humidity Levels
Unless you live in a humid climate, using a dehumidifier is as good as useless. As a matter of fact, air purifiers are just as effective when it comes to inhibiting mold growth and removing bad odors. So, as long as the cause of such issues isn’t the humidity, you’re better off without using a dehumidifier.
Energy Costs
Some dehumidifiers consume so much power, so expect a higher electric bill if you decide to use both devices at the same time. Moreover, keep in mind that as energy consumption increases, it’s necessary to use surge protectors to avoid damaging other devices.
Device Options
While using air purifiers and dehumidifiers separately gives some diversity to choose the best of both, combo devices will save you much cash in the long run. It’s an option that you should look into before deciding to go the other way around.
Bottom Line
Using air purifiers together with dehumidifiers ensures living in balanced humidity, in addition to reducing respiratory issues, including allergy and asthma symptoms.
What’s important is to pick appropriate devices because what works for your home wouldn’t necessarily work for your workplace, and certainly isn’t the best option for a hospital or a factory, so choose wisely and always refer to the user manual to stay on the safe side.
