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Air Purifiers
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Frequently asked questions
What does CADR actually measure, and how do I use it to size a purifier?
CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) measures how many cubic feet of air per minute a purifier can effectively clean of a specific pollutant, usually reported separately for dust, smoke, and pollen. A common sizing rule is matching CADR to roughly two-thirds of your room's square footage for smoke-level filtration performance -- a bigger room or a preference for faster air changes calls for a higher-CADR unit.
Does True HEPA actually filter smoke and wildfire particulates, or just dust?
True HEPA filters remove particles down to 0.3 microns at 99.97% efficiency, which covers the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) found in wildfire smoke, not just larger dust particles. Smoke odor itself comes from gases that a HEPA filter doesn't capture, though, which is why purifiers paired with an activated-carbon layer handle smoke smell better than HEPA alone.
How often do you really need to replace an air purifier's filter?
Most True HEPA filters need replacement roughly every 6-12 months under typical use, sooner in high-pollution, high-pet-hair, or heavy-smoke-exposure homes. Most units have a filter-life indicator light, but that's an estimate based on runtime, not an actual measurement of remaining filter capacity, so periodic visual inspection is worth doing too.
Is a built-in AQI monitor accurate enough to trust, or just a rough indicator?
Built-in consumer AQI sensors are generally good at showing relative trends -- worse versus better, and reacting to real events like cooking or opening a window -- but aren't lab-grade precise compared to a dedicated outdoor air-quality monitoring station. Treat the number as a useful directional signal for when to run the purifier on a higher setting, not an exact scientific reading.
Do air purifiers help with pet odors, or just allergens and dust?
A HEPA filter alone captures pet dander and hair particles well but does little for odor, since smell comes from airborne gases and VOCs that pass through a HEPA filter untouched. An activated-carbon filter stage, present in most purifiers marketed for pet owners, is what actually adsorbs odor molecules -- check that a unit has a real carbon layer, not just a HEPA filter, if odor is your main concern.