Cleaning the Air We Share

https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality

By now we are all familiar with the CDC and EPA recommendations on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Wear a face mask. Wash your hands frequently, and use hand sanitizer. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces. Maintain a physical distance of at least six feet.

But as more becomes known about the virus which causes COVID-19 and the way it is spread through the air, there is an increasing focus on the need to incorporate mitigation strategies that can help enhance the overall cleanliness of the air as an added safeguard to help reduce the risk of exposure.

Air Purifiers

Air purification has never been more important than it is today with the threat of COVID-19 coupled with the upcoming flu season. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)¹, COVID-19 may be transmitted through the air, especially in indoor settings with poor ventilation. As a matter of fact, scientific evidence has been growing that the “virus could stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhaled — particularly in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation” according to an article in the New York Times.²

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)³ air purifiers equipped with the proper filtration system can help filter viruses and bacteria, allergens, VOCs and odors from the air – and “portable air cleaners may be particularly helpful when additional ventilation with outdoor air is not possible without compromising indoor comfort (temperature or humidity), or when outdoor air pollution is high.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)⁴ suggest a layered strategy is recommended to reduce exposures to SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. Along with the aforementioned recommendations to wear a face mask, improve hand hygiene, improve cleaning and disinfecting, and maintaining a physical distance of six feet, the CDC recommends to “consider portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) fan/filtration systems to help enhance air cleaning (especially in higher risk areas such as a nurse’s office or areas frequently inhabited by persons with higher likelihood of COVID-19 and/or increased risk of getting COVID-19).”

Choosing the Right Air Purifier for Your Facility

There are many air purifiers available in the market today and not all of them are created equal. When choosing an air purifier for your facility, there are a few key factors to keep in mind.

Size of the Space – It is important to choose an air purifier that will be able to filter all of the air inside the room and will have a high enough Air Changes per Hour (ACH) to make a difference. The ACH measures how many times the air is cycled through the air purifier in an hour. The higher the ACH, the more contaminants are being filtered out of the air. Most air purifiers also have an optimal square footage range. Be sure to choose an air purifier that is rated for the square footage of the room it will be placed in.
Filter Type – Air purifiers come with a variety of different filters. Below are some common filter types. Make sure the air purifier you choose is able to filter out the intended particles/pollutants.
- Pre-Filter – Captures large particles such as dust, before they reach the main filter
- Active Carbon Filter – Absorbs odors, pollutants and VOCs from the air
- HEPA Filter – Captures 99.97% of airborne particles including viruses, bacteria, mold, pollen, and other allergens
Sound Level – It is important to check the decibel level of an air purifier to make sure the air purifier does not disrupt workflow or classroom learning.
Wall-Mounted vs. Portable – Will the unit be a permanent fixture in the space or is portability important?

We’ve Got Fellowes^® AeraMax Professional Units Designed for Virtually Any Room:


AeraMax Pro AM 3 PC PureView Professional Air Purifier cleans spaces of 300 to 700 square feet WAXIE #57AMX9573001	AeraMax Pro AM 3S PC PureView Professional Air Purifier unit for rooms up to 700 square feet WAXIE #57AMX9573201	AeraMax Pro AM 4 PC PureView Professional Air Purifier cleans spaces of 600 to 1400 WAXIE #57AMX9573101

With the Fellowes^® AeraMax Professional line of commercial-grade air purifiers, you’ll experience next level cleaning, effectively and efficiently providing a safer, healthier environment for your occupants. That’s because these workhorse air purifiers REMOVE up to 99.97 percent of airborne pollutants—like odors and germs—from indoor spaces. They use a comprehensive hospital-like four-stage filtration system that traps odors, bacteria, germs and other harmful pollutants like volatile organic compounds, providing cleaned, fresh air.

In fact, these purifiers are the only solution proven in independent testing to capture the airborne flu virus and have been demonstrated to be 99.99% effective against coronavirus!

* Fellowes^® AeraMax Pro air purifiers were demonstrated through independent laboratory testing to be effective in reducing aerosolized airborne concentration of Human Coronavirus 229E in a test chamber, reaching 99.99% airborne reduction within 1 hour of operation.