When it comes to air purification, ionizers are a popular choice. But how long should you leave an ionizer on for optimal results? Depending on the size of the room, the ozone generator must operate for at least 3 to 10 hours in order to effectively remove most contaminants. Ionizers come in many different forms. Some don't have a fan and rely on air currents to carry particles through them.
This has the advantage of being very quiet, but it takes a long time to purify all the air in a room. Others use a fan to speed up the process. Ionizers can also be combined with other air purification technologies, such as a HEPA filter to capture more particles or a carbon filter to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odors and other gaseous contaminants. In some cases, the filter is charged, so it acts as a collector plate in an electrostatic purifier. In many hybrid units, the ionization function is optional and can be deactivated independently of the other functions of the purifier.
Ionizers work by adding negative ions to your space, which attract and trap positively charged ions that carry allergens and bacteria. They help improve indoor air quality. Ionizers make numerous claims about how effectively they clean room air, prevent allergy symptoms, provide “freshness” or eliminate odors. Both the ionizer and the HEPA filter work together to remove particles floating in the air. Ozone is very harmful, so you should install an ionizer that complies with the UL 2998 standard, which basically states that this product does not produce ozone.
Instead, you can use an air purifier with several filtration stages to reduce the use of the ionization method and take advantage of filters that effectively remove viruses and pathogens and neutralize mold, gases, allergens, pet dander and all types of fine particles. Air ionizers and their connection to negative ions can bring great benefits to the respiratory system and to general health. Since conflicting data related to the ionizer persist, I usually keep the ionizer option turned off. In addition, there are air purifiers called “electrostatic air purifiers” or “electrostatic precipitators”, which work in a similar way to ionizers (we'll explain these differences when relevant).To sum up, if you want your ionizer to be effective in removing contaminants from your space, you should leave it on for at least 3-10 hours depending on the size of your room. This will ensure that all particles are removed from your space and that you are breathing clean air.
