Air purifiers typically use 1 or more filters to pull debris out, cycle the air through its system and then blow it back into the room. If they do not meet certain standards, the air purifiers are nothing more than a fan, blowing the same dirty air around the room over and over again. There are several standards and certifications that can be used to determine whether an air purifier does what it claims to do.
Germ Guardian Reviews 2019
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Product
In the following reviews for air purifiers and 1 filter from the Germ Guardian company, you will see a number of acronyms and technical terms. This is the break down of those terms:
CADR: Stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate. This is the rate at which the purifier cleans and returns the air based on lab testing. The higher this number, the faster the system works at removing certain contaminants. Most air purifiers will have a series of three numbers, typically for smoke, pollen and dust.
CARB: Stands for California Air Resources Board. To be CARB compliant, appliances must meet certain standards for energy efficiency as well as others.
AHAM: Stands for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. This Association oversees a number of tests and standards for appliances including administering the Energy Star program.
HEPA: Stands for high efficiency particular air. For a filter to be called a HEPA filter it must be able to remove 99.97% of all particles of a certain size from the room. This size is .3 micron. A single strand of human hair can be around 10 microns wide.
VOC: Stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. These are potentially hazardous to the health and can be found in household air from sources including air fresheners, furniture, newly installed carpeting and more.
Air purifiers can remove air borne particles but will not be able to remove settled dust, dander and debris. They also cannot sterilize the air without an additional element.
For the Germ Guardian models featured in this review, this element is the use of UV- C light which can kill many of the illness causing germs and bacteria that can be found in the average home.
Each of the following air purifiers are various sizes, meant to be used in different areas of the home. Each review will list the average size room that the purifier is capable of cleaning as well as relevant certification and the CADR rate where applicable. Model numbers will be included for clarity.
The Germ Guardian True HEPA Filter Air Purifier with UV-C Sanitizing Light Option (Model No. AC4825)
The AC4825 is a 3 in 1 machine because it removes particles from the air, odors and sanitizes through the use of a UV-C light. It is 22 inches tall and is capable of clearing the air in a room up to 167 square feet. The unit weighs around 7 pounds.
The Filters
The first of the three filters is the Pre-filter which traps the larger particles in the air including airborne dust, pet dander and hair and more. The more that the pre-filter catches, the longer your HEPA filter will last. The second filter is an activated charcoal filter which is meant to trap and eliminate most of the common odors found in the home including cooking odors, pet odors and tobacco odors.
The HEPA filter traps the smaller particles including germs, dust, pollen, mold spores and more. This unit has a circulation rate of 4 times per hour.
Optional UV-C Light
When activated, the UV-C light can kill germs that include influenza, staph and rhinovirus. Titanium dioxide also helps to reduce VOCs in the air.
Additional Features
This unit has 3 fan settings plus a red light indicator to let you know when it is time to change the filter. Filters should be changed every 6-8 months depending on usage and circumstances.
Ratings and Certifications
This unit has a CADR rating of 118 for dust, 125 for pollen and 108 for smoke. It is AHAM verified, Energy Star certified and CARB compliant.
Is this a recommended air purifier?
It works well in a fairly small room and is relatively quiet on the lowest speed however, it frequently has a burning odor and burned circuit boards are a known issue with this and similar units from Germ Guardian. The company is very responsive to customer questions and concerns with this matter and states that the circuit boards are housed in a non-flammable material. It is concerning and should be addressed with a better design.
- Relatively small.
- Three speeds.
- Optional UV-C light.
- Three stage filtration.
- Potential fire hazard.
The Germ Guardian True HEPA Air Filter, Air Purifier (Model No. AC 5000)
The AC 5000 is similar to the AC 4825 in many ways however, this unit is bigger with a higher CADR rating and is capable of clearing the air in a larger space.
The Filters
The AC 5000 has a 3 stage filtration system that starts with the pre-filter that cleans the largest particles from the air. Next is the charcoal activated filter which cleans odors from pets, cooking and smoking. Finally, the HEPA filter reduces particles as small as .3 micron from the air.
Optional UV-C Light
The UV-C light, which is used to sanitize the air can be turned on and off as needed.
Additional Features
The AC 5000 has three fan speeds including the fairly quiet lowest speed. It weighs just under 11 pounds and can be used to clean the air in around 180 square feet.
Ratings and Certifications
The AC 5000 has a CADR rate of 123 for dust, 128 for pollen and 116 for smoke. It is AHAM, Energy Star certified and CARB compliant.
Is this a recommended air purifier?
Slightly bigger with slightly better CADR numbers, the AC 5000 has the unfortunate issue with the burning circuit boards, the smell of burning plastic while in operation and an overall lack of durability. This is not one of the better units that Germ Guardian has to offer.
- Slightly larger and able to move more air.
- 3 fan speeds.
- Three filtration levels.
- A potential fire hazard.
- Notable burning plastic odor while in operation defeats the purpose of having an air purifier in the first place.
- Not durable with reports of units dying in as little as 45 days.
The Germ Guardian 3 in 1, True HEPA Filter Air Purifier (Model AC 525OPT)
The AC 525OPT was designed specifically for people with pets or allergies. It features “Pet Pure” which is an additional, anti-microbial agent that is added to the filter to help reduce the growth of mold, mildew and odors.
The Filters
The AC 525OPT has a three stage filtration system starting with the pre-filter. At this stage, the largest particles of dust, dander, debris and pet hair are removed from the air and locked in place. The second filter is the activated charcoal which absorbs and locs in the odors from pets, smoking and cooking. The final filter is the HEPA filter which reduces the amount of particles in the air to just .3 microns.
Filters should be changed every 6-8 months depending on usage and conditions.
Additional Features
In addition to the UV-C light which can be turned off when not needed, the AC 525OPT has 5 fan speeds with digital controls and a change filter indicator light. This unit is 28 inches tall and weighs just under 11 pounds. There is a 5 year warranty on this unit.
Ratings and Certifications
The CADR ratings on this unit are 126 for dust, 128 for pollen and 116 for smoke. It is AHAM and Energy Star certified as well as CARB compliant.
Is this a recommended air purifier?
Like most of the Germ Guardian models, this one suffers from the burning circuit board issue as well. The company claims that this does not pose a fire hazard to anyone but the problem is long noted and continuing. This model also has known issues with the filter light never working properly and it may not be as durable as one would expect. The company is fairly responsive with problems but repeated problems should not be a thing.
- Decent size for larger rooms.
- 5 air speeds with digital controls.
- Solid CADR numbers.
- Potential fire hazard.
- Faulty filter light.
- Not very durable.
The Germ Guardian Pluggable Air Purifier, Sanitizer and Room Freshener for Small Rooms (Model No. GG 1000)
The GG 1000 plugs directly into a standard outlet to help reduce the odor from bacteria, pets and cooking. It can filter 456 cubic feet of air per hour of running time.
The Filter
Instead of using the traditional, replaceable filters, the GG 1000 uses a single bulb that must be replaced about one time per year. That bulb includes the UV-C light which can be used to kill germs and viruses inluding influenza, staph and rhinovirus.
This unit weight less than a pound and has a single speed. It is 7 inches long.
Is this a recommended air purifier?
The good news is that this is one of the Germ Guardian models that does not have frequent reports of burning odors or potential fire hazards. The bad news is that it is very small and not very effective outside of its space. It may be most useful as a backup unit for a larger, more powerful air purifier but on its own, it is going to do nothing but use electricity and create additional noise in your home.
- Small and light.
- No filters to replace.
- May help reduce some germs under some circumstances.
- Too small to be effective, even in smaller rooms and enclosed areas.
- The plug frequently breaks.
- This unit is amazingly loud for its size.
The Germ Guardian 3 in 1 Desktop Air Purifier with HEPA Filter and UV-C Sanitizer (Model No. AC 4100)
The AC 4100 is meant to be used at your desk whether it is at home, a shared office or at school. It can also be used on bedside tables and other flat surfaces. It is meant to clean up to 78 square feet.
The Filters
Even though it is small, this unit has three filters including a pre-filter for larger particles of dust, pet hair and more. It also has a charcoal filter which is meant to reduce common odors from pets, smoking and cooking and then the HEPA filter which reduces nearly all of the germs, bacteria, mold spores and more from the air.
The Other Features
In addition to the 3 filters, this tabletop unit has a UV-C light which kills staph, rhinovirus and influenza germs. It has 3 operating speeds and a 1 year warranty.
Ratings and Certifications
This tabletop unit has a CADR rating of 66 for dust, 76 for pollen and 50 for smoke. It is AHAM verified and CARB compliant.
Is this a recommended air purifier?
This tabletop unit might be nice to have as extra protection during the cold and flu season especially in busy offices but it really won’t be able to move enough air to accomplish more than ancillary coverage. You are probably not going to see a lot of improvement to air quality in regards to odors either. Finally, it should be noted that unless you are planning to use this at your home office, you might be dealing with frequent complaints because despite its small size, it is pretty loud.
- Small enough to use at bedside or on an office desk.
- Three filters.
- UV-C light.
- Three fan speeds.
- Loud for its size.
- Not durable.
- May have a plastic odor while in use.
The Germ Guardian True HEPA Air Purifier Replacement Filter (Model No. FLT4825)
This replacement HEPA filter was designed to fit a wide range of the Germ Guardian air Purifiers including the AC4300BPTCA, the AC 4900 CA, the AC 4825, and others. It comes as a single filter and is also sold in packs of 2 or 4.
This is the three stage filter in one easy to install cartridge and includes the pre-filter, the activated charcoal layer and the HEPA filter. It is important to make sure that you are using the correct filter for your air purifier and that you replace it as directed. Dirty filters do more harm than good and can cause your unit to fail sooner because it is working harder. Remember, that the indicator lights may not always work correctly so checking your filter yourself is also recommended.
Is this a recommended replacement filter?
This filter is recommended for several of the Germ Guardian models and should be changed at least every 6-8 months. You may find you are changing the filter more frequently in you live in a high dust area such as a house that sits close to the road. It is important that you make sure that you are getting the actual Germ Guardian replacement filter as there are many complaints about third party vendors who are selling counterfeits with the incorrect model number. These filters are not as well made and they may not fit in the unit as directed. Germ Guardian is aware of this issue and is taking steps to stop it from happening. The company is also very responsive to fixing the issue with customers who end up buying these knock off filters.
- Fits a wide range of Germ Guardian models.
- Three stage filter system is easy to install.
- Convenient multi packs are available.
- Could potentially be a counterfeit.
Conclusion
Air purifiers are good when they work as designed but far from perfect. Even the best, most powerful unit will not pull dirt from the ground or off of shelves. Once that dust is disturbed it will add to the flying particles the air purifier is trying to remove. To get the most from your unit, start with an already clean room and then try to reduce contaminants as much as possible.
