Air purifiers for colds & viruses

Keep yourself and your family healthy by choosing an air purifier that can eliminate colds and viruses from the air your home.

Colds & Viruses

Bacteria and viruses are living organisms known to cause diseases like the common cold or influenza. According to the California Environmental Protection Agency, they can also make some diseases, like asthma, worse. 

Airborne viruses and bacteria

Traveling through the air, airborne bacteria and viruses cause diseases and aggravate allergies or asthma symptoms. When someone sneezes or coughs, tiny water or mucous droplets filled with viruses or bacteria scatter, easily entering the air. It is the inhaling of these viruses or bacteria that helps to spread coughs, colds, influenza and tuberculosis and other infectious agents. 

How are colds and flu usually spread?

Crowded conditions with poor air circulation, like public transportation and offices, can make it easy for airborne organisms to spread. Some bacteria and viruses thrive and circulate through poorly maintained building ventilation systems, as is the case with Legionnaires’ disease. When indoors, viruses survive and thrive in damp, humid air. More often than not, humans are the main source of infectious diseases in the home and workplace. A great way to reduce the spread of disease through indoor air is to be aware of and practice healthy habits. Simple precautions like coughing or sneezing into the bend of your elbow can help reduce the spread of airborne viruses and bacteria. 

Effects of bacteria and viruses

When bacteria and viruses are in the air you breathe, your health is at risk. Airborne infections are contracted when you inhale infected water droplets or dust particles in the air after someone coughs or sneezes. Bacterial infections (caused by bacteria) can result in strep throat, tuberculosis and other infections. Viral infections (caused by viruses) can lead to anything from chicken pox to the common cold. When it comes to how long bacteria and viruses can live outside the body, it depends on what type of surface they are on. Bacteria and viruses need moisture to survive, so moisture in the air and on surfaces in your home and office can affect how long they live outside the body. Under the right conditions, some cold viruses can survive up to seven days on indoor surfaces. Regular hand washing, avoiding contact with your nose and eyes, and maintaining a clean home can help. 

Maintaining a healthy home and office

Effective ventilation may also help keep bacteria, viruses and other pollutants out of the air you breathe. Research shows that airflow and ventilation can dramatically impact how diseases spread indoors. The more stagnant your air is, the more likely diseases are to spread. After a cough or sneeze, some viruses stay suspended in the air for hours. After landing on a surface a virus can live another 24 hours. Even without a cough or sneeze, germs can travel up to six feet away. 

Keeping your space ventilated help eliminate moist, damp conditions where bacteria and viruses thrive. Controlling moisture indoors can limit the spread of infectious diseases, as well as helping to eliminate mold, dust mite, and cockroach growth.