As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 19 million adults and 6 million children in the US who suffer from asthma. It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs. Some of the symptoms include episodes of wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. These episodes might occur multiple times per month, per week, or on a daily basis. They can be triggered by various environmental factors such as the quality of air, pollution in your locality, exposure to dust etc. Many doctors or respiratory therapists have recommended installing a humidifier or an air purifier at home to prevent the symptoms. Both of these serve to relieve allergies, asthma, and other respiratory ailments. However, there’s a difference between a humidifier and an air purifier. Let’s take a look.
What does an air purifier do?
An air purifier cleanses the air around it. Most air purifiers either use a HEPA filter and/or an activated carbon filter.
What does a humidifier do?
Unlike an air purifier, a humidifier only adds humidity to the air around it. Some of the humidifiers simply boil water into steam and release vibrating water droplets into the air with the help of ultrasonic technology. Others evaporate the water using a fan and a wick.
Which one to choose?
To choose the right humidifier for yourself, consult your doctor or respiratory therapist to see which one they recommend. The warm mist humidifiers are quieter than cool mist humidifiers because cool mist units rely on fans to evaporate the water.
Choosing the right air purifier can be a little more painstaking as there are several models available in the market. Firstly, you should determine what provokes your asthma. This will help you to figure out if you need a purifier with a HEPA filter or an activated carbon filter, or both. Select the right size based on the room where you intend to place it. And finally, follow the instructions to get the best out of it. And if you purchase both, the humidifier and the air purifier, then make sure that you don’t place them too close to each other as the humidifier can damage the filter of the air purifier.