Living in Arizona means enjoying stunning landscapes, but it also often means dealing with persistent dryness and dust. These airborne particles don’t stay outside; they easily find their way into our homes and offices, impacting indoor air quality and potentially aggravating allergies and respiratory issues. Investing in a high-quality air purifier is essential for creating a healthier, cleaner, and more comfortable indoor environment. It’s a proactive step towards reducing dust, allergens, pet dander, and other airborne irritants that thrive in our dry climate. We proudly carry two industry-leading brands known for their effectiveness and reliability: Austin Air, renowned for its robust, medical-grade filtration, and IDEAL, offering innovative German engineering for superior air purification. Take control of your indoor air quality today and discover the difference clean air can make in your Arizona home or office.

What is HEPA?

HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air.  It’s essentially a standard for air filters, defining a specific level of efficiency. To qualify as a True HEPA filter (according to the most common standard used in the United States, established by the Department of Energy), a filter must be capable of removing at least 99.97% of airborne particles that have a size of 0.3 micrometers (µm).

What is CFM?

CFM stands for Cubic Feet per Minute. It’s a way of measuring how much air moves through a space in one minute.      Here’s how it works:

Cubic Feet: This is like measuring the size of a box. Imagine a box that’s 1 foot long, 1 foot wide, and 1 foot high. That’s one cubic foot.

Per Minute: This tells us how long it takes for that box to move through the space. So, CFM tells us how many of those one-foot cubes of air pass by or are moved each minute.   

What is CADR?

CADR stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate. It’s like a report card created by AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers) that tells you how well an air purifier cleans the air. It measures how much clean air the purifier puts out in a minute. In the US, it’s usually measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). In other countries, it might be measured in cubic meters per hour (m³/h).   CADR isn’t just one number. It’s usually tested and rated for three common indoor air pollutants. These pollutants come in different sizes:

– Tobacco Smoke: These are tiny particles (0.09-1.0 microns). They’re hard to catch and can go deep into your lungs.

– Dust: These are medium-sized particles (0.5-3.0 microns). They’re a big deal in Phoenix!

– Pollen: These are larger particles (5.0-11.0 microns). They’re a problem for allergy sufferers.

The higher the CADR number, the better the air purifier is at removing those specific pollutants. For example, a dust purifier with a 200 CFM rating cleans dust faster than a dust purifier with a 100 CFM rating.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) has a rule of thumb: if your room is 120 square feet, you should look for an air purifier with a Smoke CADR of at least 80 CFM. This means that the purifier should be able to remove at least 80 cubic feet of smoke per minute.

But here’s the thing: not all air purifiers are created equal. Some may have higher CADR ratings than others, but they might not be as effective in cleaning your room.

Austin Air Disclaimer:   Austin Air does not endorse the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) as established by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) as it does not accurately measure the delivery of clean air.

The CADR is calculated by multiplying the airflow by the filtration efficiency. A unit that has a flow rate of 200 CFM and a 50% efficient filter has a CADR of 100. A unit that has a flow rate of 100 CFM and a filter efficiency of 100% will also have a CADR of 100. Both machines have the same CADR, however the second is the better air purifier.

The testing is done over such a short period of time, and it does not take into account the fact that some methods of “air purification” do not permanently remove particles, but only cause them to cling to room surfaces by static electricity. Once the electrical charge wears off and the bonds are broken, these particles will become airborne again in the environment.

In addition, much of their testing is done in very small rooms, significantly smaller than the average room in a normal home: most of the machines tested would be utterly inadequate for use in, for example, a normal bedroom. And finally, the tests are done using devices that intermittently release particles, rather than continually releasing them as would occur in normal real-world environments. 

Due to the fact that the CADR rating does not test for any of these functions, we do not find it to be a meaningful method of evaluating air cleaners. Austin Air is not AHAM/CADR-certified because we believe it is an important part of an air cleaner’s functionality that it be able to remove particles, gases and odors – not just attach them to the nearest surface – as well as perform consistently over long periods of time. 

What is decibel (dB)?
Decibels are like a special scale that measures how loud something is. Just like we use degrees to measure temperature and miles to measure distance, we use decibels to measure how loud a sound is.  
Here are some important things to know about decibels:
1. The decibel scale is a bit tricky. It’s not like a ruler where 2 is twice 1 and 3 is three times 1. It’s actually logarithmic. This means that a small increase in the decibel number means a big jump in sound intensity.  
2. A change of 10 dB is usually how our ears feel when something gets twice as loud. So, 60 dB sounds about twice as loud as 50 dB.  
3. A 3 dB increase means the sound power or intensity doubles, but it’s usually not noticeable as a huge jump in loudness.  
4. The scale starts at 0 dB, which is the softest sound a healthy ear can hear in complete silence.  
 Here are some examples of decibel levels:
• 0 dB: Threshold of hearing
• 20-30 dB: A soft whisper, rustling leaves   
• 30-40 dB: A quiet library   
• 40-50 dB: Refrigerator hum, a quiet air purifier on low
• 50-60 dB: Normal conversation   
• 60-70 dB: An air purifier on a medium-high setting, a vacuum cleaner nearby
• 70-85 dB: City traffic, a garbage disposal
• 90 dB: Lawn mower   
• 100-110 dB: A power tool, a rock concert (close)
• 120 dB: Threshold of pain, ambulance siren nearby
• 140 dB: Jet engine at takeoff
Why it Matters for Air Purifiers:
When you see a decibel rating for an air purifier, it tells you how loud it will be during operation.
Manufacturers often give decibel ratings for different fan speeds (low, medium, high).
A lower dB number means the purifier is quieter. This is especially important if you plan to use it in a bedroom, nursery, or office where noise can be a nuisance.   
Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, even a difference of 5-10 dB between two models can make a big difference in how loud they sound.
So, when comparing air purifiers, checking the decibel ratings helps you understand how much of a disturbance the sound might be in your space.

 

What is HEGA?

HEGA is short for High Efficiency Gas Absorption and is unique to Austin Air Purifiers. This Military Grade Carbon Cloth is made by weaving carbon into a cloth. This provides an extremely large surface area for the adsorption of chemicals, gases, viruses and bacteria. In fact, one square inch of HEGA carbon cloth has the same surface area for adsorption as a football-field. HEGA is featured in the Austin Air Bedroom Machine.

What is Activated Carbon?

Activated carbon is made from carbon-rich materials like coal, wood, or nutshells that have been heated or otherwise treated to increase its adsorptive power. This makes it extremely effective at adsorbing contaminants like gas molecules and odors. Activated carbon is the most common element in military gas masks for this reason.

Activated carbon is also one of the two air purifier elements recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency – the other is HEPA. 

What is Zeolite?

Zeolite is a natural mineral that has the distinct capability of adsorbing certain gas molecules. Zeolite is particularly effective in adsorbing formaldehyde, ammonia and carbon monoxide.

What is AHAM?
AHAM Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers testing is generally flawed. It calls its test CADR or Clean Air Delivery Rate  AHAM does not create realistic test conditions for particle removal. 
AHAM only tests removal of the largest 20% of particles present in indoor air. 
AHAM ignores the removal of ultra-fine particles.  AHAM doesn’t look at the way particles are eliminated.  AHAM favors air cleaners which deposit particles in the room like ionizers. 
AHAM does not measure performance for gases and odors.   Many consumers buy air cleaners for the control of gaseous pollutants and odors. 
AHAM does not measure long-term performance. The values represent performance that can be expected during the first 72 hours of use.
Most air cleaners are used for 5,000 hours before filters are replaced. The performance over this span is often drastically lower.
What is PM2.5?

What is PM2.5?
Particulate Matter, abbreviated as PM, is a term used for particles found in the air; including dust, soot, dirt, smoke, and liquid droplets. PM2.5 particles are given the 2.5 annotation to describe the size as being 2.5 micrometers or less, and are also often referred to as ‘fine particulate matter’. Typically these particles are so small they can only be seen with an electron microscope.
Of all air pollution measures, PM2.5 is believed to pose the greatest health threat. Due to its small size, it has the ability to both remain suspended in the air for long periods of time, and be absorbed deep into the bloodstream upon inhalation.

 Where does PM2.5 come from?

Particulate matter is either emitted directly from manmade or natural sources, or created by other pollutants reacting in the atmosphere.

Sources include combustion (motor, power plants, wood burning, etc.), industrial processes, and chemical reactions that occur between gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds.

How does it affect our health?
PM’s relatively microscopic size increases its potential to be lodged deep into the respiratory tracts. This can cause respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. People with heart or lung diseases, children, and older adults are more likely than most to be affected by particle pollution exposure.

Short term effects can include:

  • Irritation of the eye, throat, and nose

  • Irregular heartbeats

  • Asthma attacks

  • Coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath

Long term effects can include:

  • Respiratory illness such as bronchitis, asthma, emphysema

  • Lung tissue damage

  • Cancer

  • Heart attack

  • Stroke

  • Premature death

Environmental effects?

  • Reduced visibility

  • Damage of materials

  • Acid deposition

  • Increased Ozone levels

Due to the highly toxic nature of particulate matter, most governments have created regulations – both for their emissions and for the ambient concentration of particles.