| If your student has chosen to live on campus in a | | | | expected and unexpected pollutants in the air. |
| dorm room, healthy air quality in their room | | | | This continual coverage assures that your student |
| depends on taking proactive steps to make it the | | | | will always walk into a room that is comfortable |
| best it can possibly be. Dorm rooms can often be | | | | to be in because airborne pollutants have not |
| old, dusty, and have antiquated heating and air | | | | been allowed to build up while they were away. |
| systems, all of which can keep airborne particles | | | | 3. Low Maintenance - To expect your college |
| ready to be inhaled or ingested. This is definitely | | | | student to perform regular maintenance on an air |
| not good for anyone, particularly those who | | | | cleaner is probably not realistic. An effective unit |
| suffer from allergies, asthma or other chronic | | | | should be able to take care of your student and |
| respiratory conditions. | | | | itself without constant management. Avoid those |
| Dormitories that are new or newly renovated are | | | | cleaners that require washing, charging, spraying, |
| often full of paint smells, fumes from adhesives | | | | or frequent filter replacement. They drive up the |
| used when installing new tile or linoleum. And even | | | | cost, and even if your student is willing to do the |
| though every attempt is made to control dust | | | | maintenance, it will add considerably to the |
| from new construction or renovation, it | | | | amount of time when the filter is not filtering the |
| sometimes takes months for the dust to literally | | | | air. |
| settle. Those can be perfectly miserable months if | | | | 4. Long Lasting Filter - Opt for a unit that has a |
| your student has any sensitivity to these | | | | filter life of 5 years. This will take most students |
| pollutants. And a roommate that uses products | | | | through their college career and beyond. This |
| that are fragrance-rich or insists on burning | | | | means if you buy right, you'll only need to buy |
| incense can add in an unpleasant way to the mix | | | | once, and that in itself saves time and money. |
| of irritants in the air. | | | | 5. Flexible Placement - Dorm rooms are not the |
| Bottom line is that in a dorm room you have | | | | most spacious places in the world, so choosing a |
| very little control over air quality unless you filter | | | | cleaner that only needs 6 inches clearance from |
| the air. A portable dorm room air purifier is your | | | | any surface is a good idea. It should also be able |
| first and best defense, and it needs to have the | | | | to operate high or low in the room to be the |
| following 6 features if it is to be effective. | | | | most accommodating. |
| 1. Light Weight - It should be light enough to carry | | | | 6. HEPA Filtration - With the Swine Flu, and other |
| easily from one side of the room to the other or | | | | viruses so easily able to spread through the air, it |
| across campus in case of a room change. Wheels | | | | makes good sense to select a purifier with a high |
| should be an option to further facilitate portability. | | | | efficiency particle arresting (shortened to HEPA) |
| 2. On Duty 24 Hours - A purifier with a split | | | | filter that can eliminate airborne bacteria and |
| capacitor motor insures that it can operate safely | | | | viruses as small as .3 microns. |
| 24 hours a day and keep up with both the | | | | |