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Have you ever thought about the quality of the air you or your loved ones breathe in when inside dorms or hostels in the learning environment? Most people tend to ignore this simple but critical aspect of life around the dorms.
The first consideration when getting an air purifier for a dorm should be its ability to run for long hours. It should also have cartridges with capacities that can collect more particulate matter than the purifiers used at home. Another point to consider is the noise levels of the purifier. Some purifiers are too noisy and may disturb anyone who is trying to rest or sleep.
A good air purifier for a dorm should make minimal or no noise while running and remove irritants like dust, mildew spores, and pollen from the air. It should also protect the people in a dorm from gases, fumes, and other types of smog.
An air purifier must be potent enough to sufficiently clear the air in a room. It must also be quiet enough with very low lighting capacity on the LED indicator. High indicator lights can sometimes disturb sensitive people as they sleep. It should be affordable enough too to allow you to install several within the home.
Importance of having the right air purifier in a dorm
It is critical to think of the best ways to ensure that learners have the best quality of life in their sleeping areas throughout the day. Dorm rooms are most likely to experience more congestion than the home environment.
Dorm rooms are some of the finest places for mold growth and other forms of debris. The common thing about most dormitories is the lack of proper ventilation, leading to poor air quality that may also be attributable to the idea of common bathrooms.
Furthermore, you are frequently visited by other students and friends of students. These visitors also bring along certain tiny debris that might create serious health problems. Technically, the high levels of human traffic around the dorm areas are likely to generate high volumes of debris.
Dorms are ideal breeding grounds for bacterial pathogens and serve as home to various allergens especially if there is poor ventilation in a crowded room. An air purifier comes in handy in eliminating the particles that may lower the air quality in your dormitories.
Air quality is key in ensuring that the students maintain good health. One of the best ways to maintain the best air quality around the dorms would be to install air purifiers to help rid the atmosphere of particulate matter that may affect their respiratory systems. Okay, so now you know why its important to have an air purifier in a dorm, but what to do about the humidity and ventilation?
Considerations for Humidity in a Dorm
In dorms with an adjoining washroom, the enclosed environment normally has a higher moisture content than outdoors. The students may not have the energy or time to keep the dorms ventilated properly daily. As a result, resident students need a device that could assist by reducing the moisture in their rooms while not interfering with their daily routines.
Due to such conditions, an air purifier with a powerful filter would be the most potent installation one can undertake to enhance and sustain the conditions around the dormitory.
As per the EPA, the quality of air in dorm rooms and other confined places is as contaminated as bacterial Petri dishes. The majority of dorms lack a routine cleaning program, and the occasional housekeeping is insufficient.
Dust mites, fungal spores, mold spores, and other contaminants thrive in these environments as time goes by. College learners’ immune systems are weakened by their hectic schedules, poor nutrition, and insufficient sleep. In other words, college learners are more vulnerable to respiratory infections than the general public.
Which air purifier is best for small dorm rooms?
The first point to keep in mind when purchasing an air purifier for a small room is the noise levels and the rate at which it cleans the air. You do not need a large purifier in a small dorm because it may overdo the job.
Medium-range air purifiers are appropriate for three to five people’s households. Dorm rooms are typically tiny, with each room accommodating two to three students. Because students do not have much money to spend on such frills, they can only afford conventional or battery-run air purifiers.
Dust mites, dirt, mildew, and pathogens, for instance, are easily traceable in dorms. As a result, all you need is an air purifier with a basic H-13 HEPA filter. It may also have an optional UV air sanitizer lamp. Second, the size of the area it should serve has a significant impact on your decision.
In most cases, college dorms range in size from 180 to 300 square feet. As a result, any air purifier that can handle this coverage level is sufficient for you. You do not need a high-end device that costs a lot of money.
A good one that I gave to my daughter to use in her dorm was the Brondell Horizon O2+. Perfect size for a dorm and only ~$140
- 5-STAGE FILTRATION: The Horizon’s composite filter combines 4 filtration layers plus an optional ionization feature to create a 5-stage filtration system. Includes pre-filter, HEPA, granulated carbon, and cold catalyst layers with optional on-demand ionization.
- GRANULATED CARBON LAYER: Granulated carbon is great at reducing odors, harmful gases, VOCs, and decomposing formaldehyde. The unique honeycomb structure is designed for maximum coverage and powerful odor elimination.
- INTELLIGENT ION: The on-demand intelligent ion feature emits negatively charged ions to reduce dust. Plus, it is CARB certified, so you can have peace of mind knowing it won’t emit a harmful amount of ozone.
- POWERFUL AND COMPACT: A perfect solution for clean air in bedrooms, kitchens, offices, and any room up to 560 sf. The Horizon is lightweight and has a built-in handle making it easy to move from room to room.
- ULTIMATE CONVENIENCE: Choose between three air speeds or set a timer for your desired duration. Plus, the convenient sleep mode powers down the fan speed to its lowest level and limits the amount of light on the control panel.
There are different air purifiers with this capacity as it is not much of a difference from the size of most living rooms. Therefore, you can easily pick one that will work perfectly for you. The only thing you need to focus on the most is the cartridge or filter that the device uses.
Points to note
There are numerous air purifier models available on the market. Each kind of purifier is best suited to a particular setting. The big high-end air purifiers, for example, are appropriate for workplaces and commercial settings.
People drawn from different walks of life will be drawn together, and they may have different approaches to handling their living environs. In that regard, there is likely to be a challenge with air quality. Irrespective of the challenges, one primary goal of the institution’s administration is the overall health of its learners.
Finally, the overall quality of the air purifier’s design and build decides whether or not it will last the full four college years. College dorms are bustling environments with frequent visits and opportunities for indoor sports.
