Is An Air Scrubber Worth It? [Features & Key Benefits of Air Scrubbers]

Air quality is a very important subject all over the world. While outdoor air quality is a matter beyond individual control, cleaning your indoor air is your responsibility.

There are a number of devices and appliances that can be employed to make the indoor air cleaner and healthier and one of them is the air scrubber.

An air scrubber is an appliance of choice if contaminants and litter are making your indoor air uncomfortable. An air scrubber is an improvement on the regular air purifier and is deployed for whole-house and industrial air purification.

One important thing to note is that air scrubbers are typically attached to your HVAC ductwork, so the air is cleaned on a continuous basis as it is pulled out of, and released into, your home.

This also means every part of your house is cleaned as well. Considering all these and the high cost of the device, can we say an air scrubber is worth it?

Top 5 Best Air Scrubbers from Popular Brands

Key Benefits and Features of Air Scrubbers

Air Scrubbers gained increased popularity during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic as many believed it could be effective in removing the airborne virus from our homes.

While there is no scientific evidence that air scrubbers can protect from COVID infections, the logic lies in the fact that the COVID-19 virus is airborne for a while before it lands on surfaces.

This results in the assumption that the appliance may remove the virus from indoor air and surfaces along with other contaminants.

There are several features and benefits of an air scrubber and let us take a look at them;

1. Air Scrubbers are whole-house appliances

Unlike an air purifier that is installed to clean single rooms most of the time, an air scrubber often has the capacity to clean the air in entire homes. They are not installed for any particular room but attached to the ductwork to clean up air circulating in every part of the house.

2. They are industrial in design

Air Scrubbers are designed to function as industrial appliances. This is why they have such high capacity and coverage.

But this also means that they are very effective and durable. You most likely will only need one for an entire house or even a small industrial setting for effective air cleaning.

3. Air Scrubbers enhance your home’s value

Having an air scrubber installed in your home is a plus. If you’re going to sell your home, indoor air quality is an important value consideration for many people and it will certainly be worth it. Your home’s value significantly increases with an air scrubber installed.

4. They are energy-efficient

Energy efficiency is another important benefit of an air scrubber. This is because you’ll need just one air scrubber for an entire home where several air purifiers would ordinarily be deployed to take care of each room in the house. This can help cut down on initial and maintenance costs.

5. Reduces Asthma/Allergies

By helping to rid your home of dust, particles and other contaminants, air scrubbers help to expel allergens and irritants that may lead to allergies or even asthma. This makes it a very useful appliance for vulnerable people and those with severe allergies.

When Do You Really Need an Air Scrubber?

Your Buffalo or Western New York home will benefit a lot from an air cleaning device. However, you should know what exactly your home needs.

If you only need to clean the air in specific rooms and areas, an air purifier should do. However, if whole-house air cleaning is what you desire, an air scrubber is your best bet.

They are more efficient, have better coverage and durability, and can help clean, purify and get rid of allergens and irritants.

How Long Does an Air Scrubber Last?

A typical air scrubber will last for about 5 years. Higher quality brands can last as long as 10 years while lower quality brands may not even offer as much as 5 years in lifespan.

Leading brands will almost always include warranty information on their packaging or product details on online stores. This is a good indication of how long the unit will last.

Note that air scrubbers with filters will require a lot more attention. Filters will require cleaning or replacement quite often.

You should also know that the lifespan of your air scrubber is largely determined by several factors. Certain things will tell whether your air scrubber will last for 10 years or just 3 years. They include;

1. Maintenance

No one can deny the importance of maintenance in any home appliance. If you want your air scrubber to last long, you must consistently carry out frequent cleaning and maintenance. Where dust and plaque gathers, they should be removed to prevent blockage.

2. Climatic conditions

The air quality in the area where your home also plays a huge role in how effective your air scrubber is and how long it’ll last.

While indoor air is typically more polluted than outdoor air, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, some regions may experience seasonal air pollution which can put a lot of pressure on your air scrubber, especially where there is ventilation.

3. Installation

The quality of installation is also a factor that determines the lifespan of your air scrubber. If the installation goes wrong, things can go awry.

Contact a professional to carry out the installation to avoid leaks that will see a continued repetition of the process. This can wear down your unit and cause it to pack up more quickly.

4. Usage/Operation

It is not wise to lea your air scrubber running for more than 30 hours at a time. This may put too much pressure on the appliance.

Like every other electrical device, it is important to give your air scrubber some time off in order to recover. Maybe a 6-12 hour break after every session.

5. Filter Quality

The quality of the air scrubber’s filter is another very crucial factor to take into consideration.

A poor filter may allow particles to pass through, causing the air to remain polluted continually as the unit continues to work to clean the air. This makes the unit run longer than recommended and can cause a strain on its efficiency.

Are Air Scrubbers Safe?

Largely, air scrubbers are safe to use. In fact, air scrubbers, especially those with high-quality HEPA filters naturally cleanse your indoor air to make your home safe and healthy.

However, if there are air scrubbers that generate ozone, that’s where you need to be careful as ozone can pose a danger to human and animal health.

Asides from concerns about ozone, an air scrubber is generally safe to use and very efficient too.

Are Air Scrubbers Effective?

Air Scrubbers are regarded as one of the most effective home filtration systems out there.

This appliance is capable of removing as much as 90% of airborne microorganisms and as much as 99% of microorganisms on surfaces.

By attaching to your home’s HVAC ductwork system, air scrubbers work both ways cleaning the air as they go into your home and pulling in air for purification as well.

How To Select the Suitable Air Scrubber Suitable for You?

There are three main types of scrubbers you can choose from, based on your needs. They are:

1. Wet Scrubbers

This is one of the most common among the different types of scrubbers. It is a wet model because it uses contained water to trap contaminants when polluted gases go through such water.

While water is a common liquid used, many manufacturers design air scrubbers that use other liquid forms, including charged and non-charged liquids.

Depending on the type of gas or pollutants common in the space, home or industrial setting, specific liquids which bind more easily to contaminate gases can be looked out for in air scrubbers.

Also, wet air scrubbers are best suited for environments where particulate is often wet and sticky. But beyond that, a wet scrubber is able to remove different forms of pollutants, including dust, vapor, gases and so on.

There is also the argument that wet scrubbers are better in very humid conditions. With other types, humidity may cause clogging, but wet scrubbers are designed for situations like that.

Finally, if you often have a lot of combustible dust such as grain flours or powdered milk in your home or industrial space, a wet scrubber is ideal.

2. Dry Scrubbers

While a wet scrubber uses scrubbing liquids to collect and get rid of pollutants (both wet and dry), a dry scrubber uses a filter medium or what may be called a dry dust/pollutant collector.

The wet reaction in a dry scrubber does not produce steam, but using a dry reaction- dry sorbent or filter- pollutants are removed from the air before it is released back into the room.

Sometimes, the dry sorbent used is an alkaline slurry used to remove acid from gases. This is regular and can be used by anyone who doesn’t have concerns about vaporized pollutants or excess humidity.

Few Popular Dry Scrubbers:

3. Electrostatic Precipitators

This is the third type of air scrubber and it uses charged energy to expel contaminants like dust from the air. A plate precipitator is a good example.

Here, the metal sheet is charged specifically to remove dust and pollutants as they run parallel with pipes through which gases pass.

Again, this type of air scrubber is suitable for removing fine coarse particulate matter, but not so effective at removing vapor or toxic gases.

Top Rated Air Scrubbers from Leading Brands

Final Words:

An air scrubber is one of the easier ways to improve indoor air quality, prevent the buildup of mold, prevent asthma and reduce the incidence of allergen spread in an environment.

Whether it’s your home or business environment, picking the right air scrubber and engaging in proper maintenance are some of the crucial factors to ensuring you enjoy the best air quality, and for a long time too.

So, if you have to ask again whether an air scrubber is worth it, the simple answer is Yes.