What’s an Air Scrubber? Do I Need One?

What’s an Air Scrubber? Do I Need One?

June 27, 2022 by Timberline

There are several tasks that people typically complete when cleaning their homes or businesses: vacuuming carpets and rugs, sweeping or mopping floors, dusting, wiping countertops, etc. All of them are essential to maintaining a clean living or working area. It’s much less common for people to consider cleaning the air where they live or work.

That’s unfortunate since indoor air quality is vital to your health and well-being. And it surprises many people to learn that the air inside your home may be much dirtier than the outside air! That’s due, in part, to the fact that outdoor air is continually being circulated and refreshed by changing temperatures and weather patterns. Indoor air does get moved by your HVAC unit, but not as much or as often as outdoor air.

One newer device that can clean indoor air is what’s called an air scrubber. As the name implies, these systems vigorously sanitize the air, removing airborne contaminants, germs, viruses, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and odors.

The Inner Workings of Air Scrubbers

There are whole-house and portable versions of air scrubbers. They accomplish the same task, but with differences in the technology.

Whole-house air scrubbers attach to the duct work of your HVAC system. They contain titanium-oxide-coated rods surrounding an ultraviolet (UV) light. These two components combine to alter the DNA of germs, viruses, and similar particles, rendering them harmless.

Some air scrubbers create negatively charged ions that attract positively charged particles. This actually enables them to pull harmful particles off surfaces and into the device, thereby helping to decontaminate those surfaces along with your indoor air.

Portable air scrubbers use a series of three or four filters to remove particles and odors from the air in the room where you place them. The first filter removes larger particles like lint and animal hair as air passes through the…