Many people spend almost 90% of their time in closed spaces such as offices, shops, restaurants; some people hardly ever leave their own home. The quality of indoor air can be 5 times more toxic than the outdoors air, which can have a big impact on your health. Experts have identified about 8,000 chemicals that contaminate the indoor air, the most important pollutants being CO2, cigarette smoke, radon, asbestos and biogenic particles, odors and humidity.
All these toxic agents in your home can affect your health; they may aggravate your existing conditions such as asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems, causing headaches, eyes and skin irritation, sore throat, colds and flu, memory loss, dizziness, fatigue and depression. More dangerously, the long-term effects of exposure to toxic particles in the air may include heart disease, sterility, reproductive dysfunctions and more.
Air quality monitors are really useful in any home as they show you the CO2, humidity and temperature levels. If you feel humidity in your house all the time you should consider getting a
dehumidifier that’ll extract the excess moisture in the air. Similarly, a
ceiling fan would be a good idea if you want to vent the air in your house a little more with just the push of a button. This is good for indoors, but it’d be great to improve the air quality in your car too. To this end you can use a
car air purifier that removes odors, pet hair and other particles in just a few seconds.
Price
For the most part, air quality monitors with the standard features are affordably priced, unless you’re looking for a high-end product that can be used in large spaces or industrial areas. A good air quality monitor starts at around $30 and can go up to $500 for one made of durable materials that’ll be with you for a long time.
There are also cheap air quality monitors on the market, but we advise you to ignore them as they don’t give accurate readings and are made of poor quality materials. They’ll also likely end up costing you more in the end, too, given their tendency to break down early.
Features
Air quality monitors are user-friendly devices that help anyone measure the levels of carbon dioxide inside their home. They can also measure the temperature and humidity levels. These devices have multiple other built-in features that make them function properly. Check out the most important ones you may want to consider before making a purchase:
- Multi-use — Air quality monitors should be used for multiple purposes such as measuring temperature, humidity, toxic particles and CO2 levels
- Accurate — They should give highly accurate readings and alert you when something is wrong
- Display — Air quality monitors should have an easy to read LCD where it displays all the readings
- Mounting technique — These devices can be placed on your desktop, on a shelf or wall mounted
If the air quality monitor you’re looking to purchase is made of good materials and looks durable, you certainly won’t have to worry about it breaking down any time soon. Read on to learn about the construction and design aspects of an air quality monitor.
Construction and Design
Air quality monitors are usually made of plastic and can be placed on your desktop or mounted on the wall. Before getting one decide where you want to place it and choose the one that fits. The style isn’t really an issue when purchasing such a device because it isn’t that important. What is important about it is to be accurate, to include multiple readings such as humidity, temperature, dew point and if it works on batteries and, if so, whether it has a good battery life. Most of the air quality monitors come in circular or rectangular designs and are usually featured in white or black to easily blend into home or office decor.
Performance and Ease of Use
No matter what air quality monitor you will pick, be sure that it’s multi-functional and can also read the humidity and temperature levels, in addition to the CO2 levels. They’re really easy to mount and to install, but if you have troubles with them you can look at the user’s manual they come with.
There are multiple types of air quality monitors on the market. Some measure the toxic particles in the air, others monitor the CO2, humidity and temperature levels. Additionally, there are also devices that record anything that happens in your house, while also monitoring the air quality.
Features
Gain Express has been around the market for almost 15 years and ever since it’s been manufacturing and trading different electronic products and testing instrument. It always tries to improve its range of products so that they’ll meet all the expectations of its customers. Apart from air quality monitors, Gain Express also sells health and fitness products, leak detectors, data loggers and even dental loupes. If you’re a jeweler you may also go ahead and check out its range of dedicated tools and equipment as they’re practical and easy to use.
The Gain Express Indoor Air Quality Monitor is designed for home and industrial using and measures fast and accurately the CO2 level, the temperatures of the air, the humidity, the wet bulb and dew point. Whenever the CO2 level exceeds the normal limit, this device will alarm you visually and audibly. After the alarm is turned on, it’ll only stop when the CO2 goes back to normal or if you stop it. It’s suitable to be used in schools, building, hotels, hospitals, homes and in any other place where CO2 is generated.
Features
Extech specializes in test and measurement tools that are used in a large array of domains such as electrical contracting, marine and aviation maintenance, workplace safety, industrial process and automation, disaster and water damage remediation and restoration and many more. This brand sells a large selection of test equipment and dedicated accessories that are suitable for multiple applications and come at convenient prices. Its air quality monitors are convenient, practical and multi-functional.
The Extech Portable Indoor Air Quality Monitor works with 4 AA batteries or a DC adapter, which is not, however, included in the package. It starts reading the measurements when it’s turned on and updates them every second. After 20 minutes of inactivity, it turns down automatically in order to save the battery power. It features an interface jack with which you can connect it to a computer. Additionally, it calculates TWA and STEL statistics. It’s portable, lightweight and easy to use by anyone, in any domain of activity.
Features
CO2Meter manufactures gas detection tools and monitoring devices for homes and other domains. Its products are used in multiple fields of work such as agriculture, science, safety, beverage and pharmaceuticals. It continuously improves its products by adding new features in order to satisfy the needs of its customers. It sells multiple air quality monitors that are fixed, wall-mountable, or portable and other devices such as data-loggers and CO2 sensors.
The CO2Meter Desktop Indoor Air Quality Monitor reads the CO2, humidity and temperature levels in your house and office. Additionally, if you have a greenhouse you can use it there also. It’s not made with moving parts, so it’s built to last and be a useful part of your household for years to come. It turns on instantly after you plug it in a wall socket. It alerts you through its alarm when the CO2 levels are dangerous for your health. The measurements are displayed clearly and are easy to read.
Air quality monitors are a must-have, especially if you have children. With the help of this technology you’ll be able to have a pretty good picture about the air in your house, and you’ll also be able to test and see which efforts are effective at improving the air quality in your home. Hopefully our review of some of the best air quality monitors around has helped you figure out your next move in keeping your home as safe as possible, but if you still haven’t found the right one, you’ll be glad to know that there are plenty more of these special instruments from the brands we reviewed, so keep looking!
