Do Car Air Purifier or Ionizer Really Work?

Most people never think about the air quality inside their cars, but it is a subject that deserves some attention. According to a study on the air quality inside the cabin of a vehicle, we spend about 5.5 percent of the time on average in our cars, which is a significant amount of time to seal ourselves with some bad air.

Dealing with bad air in cars: the problem with car air purifiers

Car air purifier exist and some of the work. The problem is that car air purifiers usually do not work the same way, or at the same time, the air purifiers you use at home or work. If you are expecting a similar result, you will probably be disappointed

It is important to lower your expectations at any time with car air fresheners, purifiers, Ionizers, and similar gadgets. Most of these devices are ionizers, which work through completely different mechanisms than (high-efficiency particulate air) HEPA filters that are very common in home and office environments.

The fact that ionizers do not filter particles from the air, and even large, expensive units that are designed for home use, has attracted consumer advocate groups. They work, they do what they are designed to do, but it may not suit your expectations for an air purifier.

Other types of car air purifiers work by generating ozone, which is a completely different form of a worm. These devices can certainly outperform some powerful baked-in smells, but they are usually better for professionals.

Air quality inside your car

When most people think of air pollution, they think of smog, pollen, and other external air quality problems. The next thing that usually comes to mind is indoor air quality, which usually becomes a major problem during hot or cold weather when there is a need to collect dust and other allergens inside homes and businesses, which are sealed against the elements

The fact is that indoor air pollution inside cars is also a problem, so the idea of ​​ air purifier benefits has a lot of merits. All the pollutants and allergens you find outside are present with chemicals and particles present inside your car.

For example, an analysis by the National Institutes of Health found that aromatic hydrocarbons coming from Particulate Matter and various internal components can cause health problems. One solution is to simply roll down a window, but this allows for the introduction of pollution from outside the car.

Another air quality issue is that many people have to incorporate a lingering odor from tobacco and other sources. Purifiers and ionizers generally do not help in dealing with this type of problem, but you may have luck with adsorbents or ozone generators

Types of car air filters, purifiers and ionizers

There are a few different types of air filters and purifiers that you can get for the car, including:

       1. Engine air filters - These filter the air going into your engine for combustion purposes. They have nothing to do with the air quality inside your passenger compartment.

       2. Cabin air filters - When you install heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to attract fresh air, they filter the air. They can also filter air that recalculates.

      3. Air ionizers - These are electronic devices that are usually plugged into cigarette lighter sockets. They work on the principle of ionized pollutants and because of this they stick to surfaces where you will not be able to breathe them

      4. Ozone generators - These devices actually produce ozone, which can effectively destroy the molecular structure of pollutants and bad aroma.

Air Filters in Cars

Engine air filters use filtration media that are usually paper or cloth based on trap particles and debris and prevent them from entering your engine's intake system. Unlike cabin air filters, engine air filters have nothing to do with the air inside the passenger compartment of your car

Cabin air filters are an important part of maintaining an allergen and odor-free passenger compartment. While older vehicles only run in fresh air through the axle external vent, newer vehicles use cabin air filters to trap particles and debris. There are two types of cabin air filters that can help reduce allergens and odors in your car:

• HEPA cabin air filters - These filters use a very fine mesh that is able to trap large particles, such as pet hazards and traps found in extremely small particles, such as tobacco smoke.

• Cabin air filters with activated carbon-impregnated filtration media - In most vehicles, the cabin air filter runs even when you set the HVAC controls to be rebuilt. This setting prevents new air from entering the vehicle and recalculates air already in the cabin, so it can effectively prevent the introduction of new pollutants by filtering existing pollutants.

Some vehicles, especially older vehicles, do not have cabin air filters. And some older vehicles that have cabin air filters are placed in a place where they are unable to filter the air as soon as they enter the cabin

If your vehicle has a cabin air filter, and is able to filter recycled air, then regularly installing a fresh HEPA or carbon-impregnated filter is the best way to improve the air quality index monitor inside your car.

Do Car Ionizers Work?

Air ionizers designed for automotive use are typically compact units that you can plug directly into your cigarette lighter socket. Instead of filtering the air, these devices emit ions, which are essentially just molecules that have a positive or negative charge instead of a normal neutral charge.

The basic idea behind car air organizers is that ionized particles of different allergens and odor materials will either stick to surfaces or to each other, at which point they will no longer float in the air.

Although a good air ionizer should do exactly what it is designed for, it doesn't really filter anything, and you get dust, pollen, and whatever sticks to the interior surface of your vehicle. Live, you can deal with it yourself.

The other issue is that many small, weak ionizers that plug into cigarette light are also highly anemic.

Do Ozone Generators Work For Smelly Cars?

Like organizers, ozone generators do not actually filter air purifier. They produce ozone, which interacts with various odor-causing chemical substances, often making them odorless. For some sources of bad car odor, it works quite well.

Large ozone generators, which you can sometimes find at dealerships and independent repair shops, are often capable of generating tremendous amounts of ozone and removing a lot of manufactured odors.

Certainly, there are many health risks with long-term exposure to ozone, so it is not a great idea to drive with a frequent ozone generator in the passenger compartment of your car.

Car Air Freshener and Purifier Limitations

Since every type of car air freshener and purifier comes with such steep limitations, the best way to deal with car odors is to avoid making them in the first place. If it is too late for this, it may be worth checking if your dealer can (or even recommend) ozone treatment at any of the dealers or independent stores. Substances like activated carbon, baking soda and pumice stone can also absorb some bad odors.

Car air fresheners, such as the iconic 'small green tree', can also help with smell, although they only mask things like smoke and food rather than actually removing them, so your mileage may vary.

Car air fresheners, such as the iconic 'small green tree', can also help with odor, although they only mask things like smoking and food rather than actually removing them, so your mileage may vary.

Although cabin air filters cannot do anything about the air already in your car, they will prevent new allergens from entering. And since your passenger compartment is not in a sealed environment, the introduction of allergen-free air will eventually displace most or all of the allergen-laden air.