Should You Buy an Air Purifier for Covid-19?
They can help, but there are some things you need to know
--
Over the summer, the owners of Boedecker Cellars in Oregon could leave their doors open to let fresh air circulate while socially distanced customers enjoyed glasses of the company’s prize pinot noir. But now winter is coming.
“We wanted to make sure that every table in here had coverage,” says co-owner Athena Pappas. So she and her partner, Stewart Boedecker, decided to buy portable air purifiers (some call them air cleaners), which continually cycle air through filters that catch tiny particles, including viruses. These can reduce the indoor transmission of diseases like Covid-19 by lowering the amount of virus floating in the air on tiny droplets called aerosols.
The couple measured the size of their venue and calculated that they would need eight air purifiers, based on the square footage covered by each. The business has continued to avoid any links to Covid-19 cases, and Pappas says customers seem to appreciate the devices. The state of Oregon has just lifted a two-week restriction on indoor dining, and Pappas hopes her customers continue to feel protected now that they are returning.
“Our number one goal is safety over money right now,” she says.
Across the United States, from school buildings to bars famous for their drag queen shows, staff are installing air purifiers in an effort to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and reassure people that indoor spaces are still safe to visit. Homeowners are also turning to them to protect their families. (This year’s massive wildfires have also increased demand.)
As a result, manufacturers say they’ve never been busier. Austin Air Systems in Buffalo, New York, has ramped up production to nearly 2,000 purifiers per day, says Michael Domon, vice president of sales at the firm, which supplies schools, banks, call centers, and even the Department of Defense. “Everything I produce, every single day, I ship out the very next day.”
Across the United States, from school buildings to bars famous for their drag queen shows, staff are installing air purifiers in an effort to reduce…
