Air Cleaner Recommendation Tool

Purpose of this Tool

This tool helps you determine how many portable air cleaners you need and at what fan speed to run them, based on the size of your room or the number of people in it. The goal is to achieve the recommended cleaner airflow levels that can reduce the risk of spreading airborne microbes like SARS-CoV-2 in poorly ventilated indoor spaces.

This is a non-profit service provided for the public good, with no commissions or sales on products or services.

Choosing the Right Air Cleaners

Choosing the right air cleaner(s) depends on how much noise you can tolerate, given the existing noise levels in your room, and the space available to fit multiple units. For example, in quieter rooms where additional noise is less desirable, using multiple air cleaners running at lower, quieter speeds may be better than a single unit running at a higher, noisier speed. Having multiple units spaced around the room can also help distribute the filtered air more evenly.

The tool focuses on air cleaners using high-efficiency HEPA 13 filters, however, it may also include units with less efficient filters if reliable data on their clean air delivery rate (CADR Smoke) is available. Units with electronic features like ionization, plasma, UV light, or photocatalytic oxidation are generally excluded or clearly identified.

Limitations and Caveats

While the tool aims to provide accurate recommendations, no guarantees can be made regarding the claims made by manufacturers about their products' features or performance. Additionally, reliable estimates of annual filter replacement costs may vary depending on the specific filter and the environment it's used in. It's important to note that improving indoor air quality through better ventilation and filtration can reduce the risk of virus transmission but cannot eliminate it entirely. Using well-fitted masks, maintaining hand hygiene and physical distance, and limiting time spent in poorly ventilated areas are also essential components of risk reduction.

The full dataset can be accessed at here. Github repository here.

Direct link to the tool (allowing results to be shared) is filters.cleanairstars.com

Contact and follow Cleanairstars for feedback and updates.

Country

Please select a Country.

Acceptable Noise Level

Please select Max Acceptable Noise.

Clean air delivery target more info

Note: Minimum total of 160L/sec (576m3/hr) will be recommended as per WHO more info

Select L/person/second or 6 Air Changes per Hour (ACH)

Room Volume (Width x Length x Height) in m or feet

Please enter your room volume as a single number (eg 200).

m3 or cubic feet

Please select m3 or cubic feet.

Number of occupants (see examples)

Please enter the rated occupant capacity for the space.

Advanced

Maximum units Allowed

Scheduling ability

Please select a scheduling requirement.

Include DIY devices?

Please select a DIY filters.

Electricity Tariff

Filter replacement schedule

Please select filter replacement schedule.

Assumed device lifetime

Please select Assumed device lifetime.