Smoking can injure health, not only for those who smoke but also for the people surrounding them. It’s just a fact, and everybody knows about it, even the ones who smoke.
But second-hand smoke is not only that the smokers exhale. It is also released from a cigar or a cigarette when burning.
The good thing is that air purifiers can help deal with second-hand smoke effectively. It is a unit designed to indicate any pollutants suspended in the air, and smoke is one of them. But what type of air purifier is best suited to deal with smoke?
We are about to learn about it, so scroll down to read further.
Yes, air purifiers can help deal with smoke. Air cleaners can get rid of smoke and other pollutants and odors from the air up to a good extent and keep your indoor air clean.
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Do Air Purifiers Clear Out Smoke?
If anyone at your home smokes a cigarette or cigar and you are irritated by the tobacco smell, then you have good news. You can use an air purifier to eliminate the smoke and the bad smell that results from it.
The primary function of an air purifier is to clean out air from the room. First, it passes the air through its filters and removes particles or pollutants. After that, it releases the air back out of the room.
Many know these air purifiers can prevent pollen, mold, and mildew. But these units can also help reduce smoke from your room and its odors. Moreover, it can also capture most of the chemical components that result from smoke.
But not all air purifiers are designed to tackle smoke and the associated pollutants effectively. Therefore, you will need a special air purifier with HEPA and activated carbon filters.
When running those tests, HEPA filters have fibers scientists originally designed to keep themselves safe from nuclear reactions.
Therefore, these fibers are capable of capturing numerous small particles. True HEPA filters are designed to capture particles as small as 0.3 microns. As a result, these filters can remove up to 99.97 percent of pollutants from the air.
What Type of Air Purifier Is Best for Smoke?
As I have mentioned above, the best air purifier to handle smoke is the one that comes with a HEPA filtration system.
However, it would help if you also kept in mind that certain types of smoke contain much smaller particles and can pass through the HEPA filter. These smoke particles are as small as 0.001 microns, and filters that can only filter up to 0.3 microns are not fine enough to capture them.
HEPA filters are effective against particles as small as 0.3 microns up to 10 microns in size. But again, air purifiers with HEPA filters stand the best chance against smoke than any other air purifier unit.
Therefore, you can consider PECO air purifiers if you want a more effective air purifier. This technology deals with dangerous particles, including volatile organic compounds in smoke.
These air purifiers have multi-stage filtration processes. The first stage of the filtration princess is the mechanical filtration stage, and the particles get stuck in the filter. The second stage focuses on removing gasses, and a carbon-activated filter is active in this process. Finally, with the help of a chemical reaction, it can destroy odors and smoke.
But this process takes time, which is why these air purifiers for smoke take much longer to filter out any odors or pollutants than other HEPA filters. So one of the best options that you can go for is the Medify MA-40.
This unit is designed to handle smoke and can also deal with dander, odors, and other pollutants. Another good option is the Levoit Air Purifier, specially designed for smokers.
Things You Need to Know About Smoke and Your Health
Smoking can lead to disability and disease, harming almost all organs in your body. Over 16 million Americans live with at least one disease caused by smoking.
About 30 people live with a smoking-related illness for every person who dies from smoking. It can cause cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, and other obstructive pulmonary diseases.
These include chronic bronchitis and emphysema. In addition, people who smoke become much more susceptible to eye diseases, tuberculosis, issues with the immune system, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Moreover, second-hand smoke has been the cause of more than 41,000 deaths among non-smoking adults, along with 400 deaths among infants every year.
Second-hand smoke also tends to cause heart attacks, lung cancer, and other issues among adults. Children exposed to second-hand smoke have to deal with an increased risk associated with infant death syndrome, middle ear disease, acute respiratory infections, severe asthma, slow lung growth, and respiratory symptoms.
There are various negative effects that your body has to deal with smoking. I have listed some of these down for you to consider.
Mood stimulation
Smoking can temporarily put you in a good mood, but it causes dependence, and there are always withdrawal side effects. These include irritability and anxiety.
Early menopause
Female smokers might enter early menopause due to smoking compared to non-smokers, increasing hot flashes.
Irritability and anxiety
You might be on the edge if you missed your cigarette. It is because your body has withdrawn from nicotine, which causes anxiety and irritability.
Poor vision
Future vision problems can also occur due to smoking. Some eye problems that can occur due to smoking are macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma.
Smelly hair
The odor caused by the smoke of tobacco can cause smelly hair. This odor can stick to your clothes. The odor can also stick to you just because of the presence of second-hand smoke around you.
A dull sense of taste and smell
Smoking can dull your sense of taste and smell, significantly reducing your appetite. You won’t be able to identify different aromas and fragrances too.
Unhealthy teeth
Brownish and yellowish stains will start on your teeth, which are signs resulting from long-term smoking. Smoking can also increase the risk of inflammations and infections that can cause bone or tooth loss.
Lung cancer
Smoking can take a serious toll on your lungs. You become more prone to developing this type of cancer because it is the most common cause of death due to smoking.
Bronchitis
People who smoke have a higher rate of bronchitis, which can also be caused due to passive smoking. Tuberculosis is another problem; you might also have to deal with worse pneumonia if you smoke a lot.
Blood vessel constriction
Construction in blood vessels occurs due to smoking, tightening, or restricting the blood flow in your veins. It results in higher blood pressure, heart attack, or stroke.
Persistent cough
Might you have heard about “smoker’s cough”? This persistent cough occurs due to damage to the air passages, disturbing.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a more common problem among smokers. Almost 70 to 80 percent of cases of this disease are caused by smoking. As a result, your asthma symptoms can significantly worsen too.
Heart disease
Smoking directly causes heart diseases. Those regularly exposed to smoke are more prone to these heart attacks.
Appetite loss
Smoking can drastically suppress your appetite, and it can also decrease your sense of taste. As a result, you will feel that eating is much less enjoyable. But if you stop smoking, you will fully regain your senses.
High cholesterol
Tobacco smoke can significantly reduce your good cholesterol or HDL and increase your LDL or bad cholesterol. It also raises overall cholesterol and triglycerides or fats in your body.
Yellow fingers
Handling your tobacco products can stain your fingernails and fingers and turn them yellow. This will be more evident among long-term chain smokers.
Immune system
Smoking can drastically lower your immune system and ability to fight any infection. Therefore, smokers have more respiratory tract infections than people who do not smoke.
Cervical cancer
Among women who smoke, the risk of developing cervical cancer significantly increases. Again, this problem is more common among females.
Infertility
Men and women who are smokers are more prone to examining long or short-term infertility problems than people who do not smoke.
Wrinkly skin
There are different substances in cigarettes, and they can cause dry skin and result in premature aging. In addition, due to reduced blood flow, your skin doesn’t get enough nutrition.
Erectile dysfunction
Erection requires proper blood flow, but smoking constricts your blood vessels, making the entire erection process much more difficult.
Pregnancy and newborn issues
Smoking while you are pregnant can seriously increase the risk of miscarriage. It can also cause ear infections, asthma, or death in newborns. In addition, your baby in your womb is at risk of oxygen and nutrition deprivation.
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes can progress far more rapidly among people who smoke; as with smoking, the amount of insulin resistance within your body.
Cancer connections
Any smoking-related cancers can occur throughout her body. Therefore, people who smoke are more prone to developing cancers. It also increases any chances of blood cancer like leukemia.
Blood clotting
Due to smoking, blood clotting can increase across the body. There is an increased chance of heart damage and stroke with blood clotting.
FAQs
Do HEPA filters work for a smoke?
HEPA filters work for smoke, but they are ineffective as some particles in the smoke are as small as 0.001 microns.
These HEPA filters can capture particles up to 0.3 microns in size. Therefore, you need to use air purifiers equipped with PECO technology and carbon-activated filters to deal with smoke effectively.
What can absorb smoke?
You can also use simple remedies to absorb and remove the smoke outside air purifiers. You can use vinegar for this purpose as vinegar can dissolve nicotine.
Baking soda is another, along with activated carbon, to deal with smoke. Moreover, coffee grounds are highly effective in dealing with cigarette smells.
Does a wet towel filter smoke?
A wet cloth can reduce smoke inhalation by absorbing some particles from the smoke. The purpose is to reduce smoke inhalation as smoke is colloid.
Solid particles in the smoke will stick to the wet towel, eliminating the smoke’s odor.
How can I smoke without it smelling like smoke?
You need to make sure that you smoke outside. The smoke will release out into the open air, and none of it will stick to your hair or clothes.
Air purifiers are highly effective in eradicating smoke and smells from your room. You can also open the windows of your room or touch a wet towel under your door. Keep your air vents closed and use air fresheners and candles.
Conclusion
Air purifiers are pretty helpful in dealing with smoke from cigars and cigarettes. There are various other ways to eliminate the smell and smoke from your room, but none is more effective than an air purifier.
However, it would help to ensure that you only go for PECO air purifier work. This unit comes with carbon-activated HEPA filters.
