Does an Air Purifier Reduce Humidity?
Humidity refers to the amount of moisture in the air.
When humidity is high, it can cause health problems and uncomfortable conditions for our bodies.
An air purifier helps to reduce indoor pollution in various ways, but can it dry out the air?
A good question to ask is: Does an air purifier reduce humidity?
Simply said, an air purifier does not reduce the humidity level in the room. An air purifier can remove only polluted air and can not naturally change the moisture in the air.
We will talk about the functions of an air purifier.
Then we will see if an air purifier can reduce humidity.
We will also discuss some frequently asked questions about this topic.
Let’s find out!
Do Air Purifiers Make the Air Dry?
No, air purifiers cannot make the air dry. The primary purpose of an air purifier is to remove polluted air and eliminate odors.
And they cannot change the moisture level in the air.
When you are thinking about getting an air purifier for your home, it is essential to know that an air purifier cannot dehumidify the air.
An air purifier can only remove polluted particles such as cigarette smoke, mold spores, and pet dander.
Cleaner, fresher air is what you get when using an air purifier!
It will help you to breathe easier and have better lung health.
An air purifier, however, does not make the air in the room drier.
Here’s how an air purifier works.
First, the air purifier machine will draw air into a filter, where it is cleaned.
A fan inside the air purifier creates a flow of pressurized air, sending polluted air through various filters.
The pollutants in the air are trapped by the filter, which can be a carbon filter, HEPA filter (High-Efficiency Particulate Air), etc.
Now, as you know, some impurities are trapped by the filter, but it does not dry out the air.
In fact, the best air purifier out there cannot filter moisture.
Here is another way of making this point clearer.
HEPA filter, the most commonly used material in an air purifier, can filter out particles that are 0.3 micrometers or larger.
On the other hand, moisture molecules is only 0.27 nanometers (nm), which is much smaller than HEPA filter!
You can see that humidity and the water molecule are much smaller than the size of a HEPA filter.
So it is clear that air purifiers cannot remove moisture from the air.
To make the air dry, you need to use a dehumidifier.
A dehumidifier is more effective than an air purifier for removing excess moisture in the air.
Dehumidifiers draw in air from the room and pass it over a refrigerant coil.
Then moisture present in the air condenses on the coils, leaving dryer air behind.
As we said earlier, an air purifier cannot remove water vapor.
So it is clear that humidity levels cannot be decreased with an air purifier.
You need to use a dehumidifier if you want to reduce moisture in the air.
Also read: Does a Dehumidifier Help with Damp?
Can Air Purifiers Dry Out Your Throat?
No, air purifiers do not dry out your throat. Dry throat is a symptom of dry air.
Dry air means that there is less moisture in the air than usual.
When you breathe dry, indoor air for a long time, your respiratory system may react to it and produce symptoms such as sore throat, chapped lips, etc.
Air purifiers will decrease the amount of pollutants in the air, such as pollen and dust that can cause allergies or worsen sinus issues.
As we mentioned earlier, an air purifier does not make the air dry.
Air purifiers, even those with a HEPA filter, cannot remove moisture from the air.
To combat this problem, you need to add a humidifier in the room.
A humidifier is another machine that will increase the level of humidity in the air, which means more moisture.
If you think that the lack of moisture or dry air is causing your symptoms, then add a humidifier to the room.
Also read: Does Humidifier Filter Air?
Do Air Purifiers Help with Dry Air?
Like we have mentioned earlier, an air purifier will not fix the problem of dry air.
An air purifier will not help with dry air because it cannot add moisture to the air.
Simply put, dry air is caused by a lack of moisture and not because of the presence of pollutants.
An air purifier does not add moisture to the air, so it does not fix the problem of dry air.
To fix this problem, you need a humidifier, which is another type of machine in your home or office for controlling humidity.
This is what a humidifier does:
A humidifier increases the level of humidity by adding moisture to the air through vaporization.
Suppose your home or office is dry because the heating and cooling systems draw moisture from the air.
In that case, you need to add a humidifier to make the environment more comfortable.
Air purifiers do not fix a dry air problem.
Dry air is caused by a lack of moisture and not due to pollutants.
You should combine your air purifiers with a humidifier in this case.
The combination of humidifiers and air purifiers is a good solution for dry air problems.
A humidifier adds moisture to the air, which will lessen your allergies or sinus problems.
In contrast, an air purifier can reduce pollutants that can worsen allergies or sinus issues.
This way, you will have clean air with a comfortable level of humidity.
Also read: Can an Air Purifier Be Used With an Air Conditioner?
Is It OK to Leave an Air Purifier On All Night?
We know now that air purifiers are great for eliminating dust, pollen, and other pollutants in your home.
But is it OK to keep your air purifier on all night?
This is the question we will talk about next.
In short, yes, it is OK to leave an air purifier on all night.
An air purifier is a machine that does its job quietly in the background, so there are no reasons for which you should turn it off at night.
Besides, air purifiers are made to be run 24/7 anyhow. It will not hurt your machine if you leave it on all night.
But, what about the noise? Is an air purifier noisy, and will it keep you awake at night?
Air purifiers may not be completely silent, but they are usually quiet enough to not disturb your sleep.
Some models even have a sleep mode that will decrease noise when you need to go to bed.
It is also safe because air purifiers do not heat the room. They will not make your electric bill skyrocket because of high electricity consumption.
Another reason why you want to leave the air purifier on all night is that it will take some time to truly clean the air in your room.
This is especially true for those who have large rooms and homes.
Depending on how much space you will clean with the purifier, it will take some time to filter the air.
To do that quicker, you want your machine running all night to completely clean the room you are sleeping in.
It will take a little time, but it is still better than nothing.
Some people even go to the point of saying sleeping with an air purifier is a good idea because it helps them sleep better.
Conclusion: So Does Air Purifier Remove Humidity?
To summarise what we have talked about in this article:
Air purifiers can remove pollutants from the air, but they do not remove humidity.
An air purifier does not make the air dryer. It just cleans the air by removing pollutants.
Air purifiers are great for improving your indoor air quality, but you will need other appliances to control humidity.
You should combine your air purifier with a humidifier if you want to solve the problem of dry air in your home.
It is OK to keep your air purifier on all night because it will not hurt the machine. Other people consider this an excellent way to sleep better at night.
Final Words
So there you have it!
An air purifier is an excellent appliance for cleaning the air in your home.
But if you really want to control humidity, you will need another machine.
I hope this article can help you decide which appliance is the best for your needs.
Are you going to buy an air purifier or a humidifier?
Let us know in the comments!
As always, thank you for reading.
And if you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends and family so they can also enjoy some fresh air in their homes!
