Car Air Purifiers: Before You BuyBefore buying an auto air purifier, careful evaluation of your interior environment is needed. New automobiles are universally toxic. Older automobiles can range from moldy, filthy, chemical death traps, to relatively clean. What is your usual driving environment, urban rush hour or big sky back road? Again for emphasis: the small cigarette lighter plug in ionizing air cleaners without fans cannot cleanse air. They should be considered an adjunct device, for overnight ozone treatments only. I have a couple of these "air purifier" toys, they are inexpensive, but produce dangerous ozone in the cab. Size Does MatterHow big is your vehicle, in cubic feet? Each passenger place amounts to about 25 cubic feet of air, cargo space can be zero to near 200 cubic feet. Compact vehicles are 110 cu. ft., add 20 cu. ft. for a wagon. Mid-sized autos average 120 to 150 cubes. A full sized 4-place wagon has about 160 cubic feet to purify. 18 wheeler sleepers can be 500 to 1000 cu. ft. or more. RV's with 120 volt AC and 18 wheelers with unused inverter sockets should consider full sized household air purifiers. One size fits all automotive air cleaners are mostly inadequate for the larger vehicles.
Blowin' in the WindFor the typical vehicle this means at least 20 cfm. Only a few purifiers can provide this, they all have fans. Decide how much space you can spare for the air cleaner in your car. In my Ford Ranger pickup, without cab extension, the extra space is all taken. The seat-back air purifier style is the least space consuming.
Got VOC?
The automobile has the highest volatile chemical levels of any domestic environment. Chemical removal requires carbon or photocatalytic capability. Very small filters and "cigar" ionizers lack this. Ions and OzoneAlthough the air inside is often depleted of negative ions, I have yet to find a 12 volt ionizer without ozone emissions. Ionic purifiers for automotive applications are sold with marketing which is often misleading. If you buy these, I suggest using web vendors who are upfront about the ozone their products emit. Avoid vendors using "natural" analogies; thunderstorm, super oxygenated molecules, nature's, activated oxygen, and mountain air. No ozone emission can be considered "safe", and citation of .05 parts per million guidelines is inappropriate for emitters running in your face, in a confined space. Negative ion output varies widely among car air ionizers: 1,000,000 ions per cubic centimeter at roughly one foot is good. Many produce less.
Aromatherapy?
Perhaps no other living area is as conducive to the false notion that cosmetic smells are an improvement. Car air fresheners are just what we do not need in terms of health. Sure, some real nasty odor levels can build up, but blinding our nose with possibly toxic perfumes is not the answer. Maintenance
An air purifier should be easy to maintain, without frequent air filter changes. But don't expect these small filters to have lives measured in years. If new filters are needed every 4-6 months, that is the norm. Bigger models, recommended here, may have longer filter and carbon life. PowerAn auto air purifier runs off your automotive 12 volt battery, conveniently plugging into the car's cigarette lighter. For overnight use while the vehicle is parked, a power draw of three watts or less is recommended. Batteries in good condition have 450 watt hours and up, so overnight use of a plug in purifier should be ok. 120 volt AC converters allow larger air cleaners to be used indoors, as small room air purifiers.
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