Car air purifier essentials

A car air purifier can be of help in protecting your health and well being from the harmful pollutants that get into your car interior from the environment you drive in, as well as from the cigarette smoke when somebody smokes in your car. A more sophisticated car air cleaner may also capture some gaseous odors, and help if you have problems (headaches, eye irritation and so on) with the new car fumes. Though none of the car air cleaners can capture carbon monoxide.

A car air purifier works by removing particles of air pollutants, such as dust, pollen, smoke, and bacteria, from the air you breath. Those with an activated carbon filter can also capture some gaseous (non-particle) odors. Unlike a car air freshener that just covers up the odors by distracting your nose with stronger and more pleasant fragrances, a car air cleaner actually tries to make your air healthier.

An auto air purifier uses one or more of a few different air purification methods.

One of the most common versions is an air ionizer that emits negative ions in the air. The negative ions, besides being good for your health even on their own, also react with the particles of pollutants floating in the air. The neutralized particles are supposed to precipitate on the floor. It can also have a fan to help the flow of output ions. One advantage of such a car air ionizer is that it practically does not need maintenance, (such as cleaning the filter). A car air purifier or air ionizer like this can also use a fan to help the flow the ionized air to purify the air in a larger space.

A car air purifier that uses electrostatic precipitation is not particularly effective against non-particle (gaseous) pollutants, such as many odors. It is bad against the new car fumes. To capture some of the gases, you could use an auto air purifier with an activated carbon filter. Though even they cannot capture such an important gaseous pollutant as carbon monoxide.

The ineffectiveness of car air purifier for carbon monoxide is important to keep in mind when dealing with cigarette smoke, since carbon monoxide is among the most harmful components of the cigarette smoke (for example, it increases the risk of heart attacks). Even if your auto air cleaner removes the smoke, it is still important to have enough ventilation to get rid of the carbon monoxide.

The car air purifier are typically quite compact in size. They are plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. Some of them can also work as a room air purifier, using a supplied power adapter.

Finally, certain car air purifiers have an extra feature of a car air freshener, releasing a pleasant fragrance of your choice.

Car air freshener tips. Before you buy or use one
What should you know about a car air freshener to see if it is the right solution for you. What an air freshener does and does not, and how it compares to a car air purifier.