Every parent wants to protect their child. Since children breathe more than adults, it’s important to keep the air in your home clean and safe. Unfortunately, homes are proven to have a higher concentration of airborne toxins than outdoor spaces. This means that the safest place for your child, your home, can also be the most dangerous.
Dangers of Purifiers
Many families choose to use air purifiers to protect their children. While this is a good plan to protect vulnerable infants and toddlers from the toxins and irritants in your home, not every air purifier is safe for children. Very few air purifiers still use exposed fans to circulate air, and it would be very difficult for a child to access any dangerous, moving parts. There are unseen dangers, however, that parents must be wary of.
Chief among these is ozone. Many air purifiers use ozone as an extra step in filtration to remove particles too small for a filter. Such devices are not for everyone, though. Ozone is a proven irritant, and although some adults find the benefits outweigh the risks, the risk is increased for small children.
What to Look For
When shopping for an air purifier, be sure that there are no mechanical risks for children, such as exposed fans. Make sure the air purifier does not emit ozone as an “odor eliminator,” either. Apart from these two safety measures, all other criteria should be similar to the standards for adult air purifiers. For example, it’s important to find a purifier that uses good filters. Multi-stage filtration is better than a single filter. Always look for comments from previous buyers, as well, as these can tell you how well the purifier works in the wild.
We’ve scoured a list of the best air purifiers on the market suited to homes with small children. Along with pertinent features, we’ve considered previous customer feedback to give a complete picture of each product’s performance. And, to keep things simple we are suggesting a single purifier.
What we recommend…
#1 RabbitAir BioGS 2.0
This purifier is one of our most recommended machines you can buy. It’s great for pet owners, smokers, and yes… parents.
The first thing any parent should consider, or check on, is that the purifier is on the CARB list of approved air purifiers. This list provided by the State of California lists purifiers that emit a very safe level of Ozone. And of course; you’ll find the BioGS 2.0 in the list.
The second thing to consider… how easy is it for little fingers to get stuck, cut, pinched in the intake or exhaust. We learned this on as soon as our first child started crawling. We started with a Honeywell 50250-S in his nursery, but when he moved to crawling the intake grate gave us a bit of anxiety. The thing that worries up is that the back of the plastic grate is actually a little sharp. Not a problem for pets or grownups. But, it’s a huge and easily accessible area to the fingers of a baby or toddler. The good news is that there are purifiers that shield their intake and exhaust quite well. The BioGS is one of them.
Third, if your little one like to disassemble and explore the inner working of anything they can get their hands on… this purifier is one of the best. As soon as the front panel is removed; a safety switch cuts power to the fan.
And, the final reason we like the BioGS for a child’s room. It comes in fun colors. You can choose from white, green, or blue.
#2 Alen Breathesmart
This industry-leading air purifier can handle up to 1100 square feet, making it perfect for open play areas. This also works well for bedrooms. Just make sure the to leave the door open and keep the air purifier near a larger, more open area. A HEPA filter removes 99% of particles as small as .3 microns.
The filter is also interchangeable between four different HEPA filters with different specialties, such as allergens and odor. An auto-off feature stops all systems if the unit’s front cover is removed, which is a great safety feature for families with small, inquisitive children. Quiet and lights-off modes are available to help your little ones sleep easier. The filter must be replaced every six months if used heavily, and every twelve months if used periodically.
The built-in indicator lets users know when it’s time for a fresh filter. A sixty-day money-back guarantee and a lifetime warranty add a bit of pocketbook protection. Although there is an ionizer, it only operates when turned on by the user.
A more detailed review of this product can be read here. And we review their full line of purifiers, here.
Customer Sentiment
Previous users could see the effects of the air purifier right away. Even visible dust in beams of sunlight disappeared. According to previous users, this purifier has solved problems other purifiers failed to remedy. Although there are reports that the turbo mode can be loud, the purifier does not always need to run on this setting.
Pros:
- Multiple speeds
- Quiet, lights-out mode for nighttime
- Interchangeable HEPA filter
- Sixty-day money-back guarantee
- Lifetime limited warranty
- Can handle large rooms
- Shuts down automatically (if front cover is removed)
Cons:
- Turbo mode louder than expected
- Fairly expensive
Final Thoughts
Every parent makes different choices for their children. Most, however, follow trends in safety and wellness. Thus, the majority of parents will seek out advice and read reviews before buying a product (like a purifier). We think RabbitAir and Alen make some of the best purifiers you can buy. They’re definitely worth checking out.
