An air purifier has many uses and is very effective against tobacco smoke, for example. Allergy sufferers also demonstrably benefit from such a device, as it can also significantly reduce a buildup of dust. But is the air purifier just as effective against kitchen odors? After all, garlic, onions and other food can spread very intense odors.

Learn everything about the effect of an air purifier on kitchen odors and what else you can do against smells in the kitchen in the following sections.

What are the kitchen odors?

Anyone who likes to cook often knows the problem:

• Ingredients such as garlic and onions refine every dish, but leave behind a foul-smelling cocktail in the kitchen that stubbornly lingers for several days.
• However, not only various cooking ingredients can cause unpleasant odors in the kitchen: a garbage bag or dishes that remain dirty in the dishwasher for several days can also lead to an annoying odor.
• The same applies to fruit and vegetables that are already overripe. For this reason, odor filters have long been available for the refrigerator to neutralize odors.
• Also a strong cheese leaves in the air a remaining impression. Especially if it is baked in the oven (for example, in a casserole).
• And if something ever burns in the pan, on the stovetop or in the oven, the smoke is in the kitchen.
• Perhaps you have already thought about the purchase of an air purifier and wonder whether this helps against unpleasant odors in the kitchen. Since this can cost well 100 dollars and more, you should inform yourself a little about such devices before buying.

Is an air purifier effective against kitchen odors?

An air purifier can definitely help you eliminate the bad odors in the kitchen. Smoke in the kitchen as well as the coarsest odors are largely eliminated within hours. However, until you can no longer smell anything, you should have some patience and days may pass.

• More effective are the extractor fans, because only they can handle even larger air masses. However, if you do not have one, an air purifier is also a significant improvement. It is best to put it into operation while cooking.

But how does an air purifier actually work? This a machine with a sophisticated filter system. The air purifier sucks in the polluted air and passes it through the filter system accordingly. The process is similar to a vacuum cleaner. The result is purified air that is 99.9 percent free of pollutants. At the same time, odors are neutralized.

What should you pay attention to when buying?

If you want to use an air purifier in your kitchen, you must already consider some basic things when buying. After all, very different devices are available in the market today, so that the choice is not easy.

• Air purifiers are first distinguished by the type of filters installed. It is best to choose an air purifier that, in addition to an efficient HEPA filter, also has an activated carbon filter. Through adsorption, such a filter is able to neutralize annoying kitchen odors. Substances responsible for the odors are deposited on the surface. However, if the filter is saturated, this no longer works and you should replace it with a new one.
• However, it is not only the combination of HEPA and activated carbon filters that is crucial: it is imperative that you select the performance of the device according to the size of your room!
• Once you have decided to buy an air purifier, it is important to find the right location. It is essential that it is placed freely in the room, so that it works properly.
• Of course, the room purifier must also visually fit your room. Therefore, choose a variant that matches your interior style both in terms of color and design.

Why are activated carbon filters against kitchen odors worth the cost?

Activated carbon filters are filters that - as the name suggests - contain activated carbon. This is a porous carbon that has a large internal surface area due to its numerous pores. By inner surface area is meant the totality of the surfaces within the pores. Due to the large internal surface area, adsorption occurs in activated carbon, among other things.

This means that the substances from the air that are responsible for the odors accumulate on this surface. This works well until the surface is full of these substances. Then the filter is saturated and must be replaced. To delay this point as much as possible, activated carbon filters are often combined with coarse filters. They free the air from coarse foreign particles that would otherwise settle on the activated carbon filter and saturate it all too quickly.

Which kitchen air purifiers are the best?

The Winix PlasmaWave 5500-2 air purifier is the best air purifier for kitchen odors and food smells. According to the manufacturer, it should cost around 250 dollars; however, it is now already available on Amazon for around 200 dollars. The highlight of this model is that it not only removes 99.97 percent of airborne allergens, it is also features an App mode so you may not even bother controlling it much.

Dyson air purifiers, some of which are not only available with app control, but also with an integrated fan, have also proven to be quite useful in everyday use. What we like about the Dyson Pure Cool Tower air purifier is that it has two activated carbon and two HEPA filters.

Airpura F600 Is also a good air purifier for kitchen that removes musty and heavy odors.

More tips against kitchen odors

In the long term, an air purifier can combat kitchen odors, but of course it does not eliminate their cause. So it's best to prevent unpleasant odors from developing in the first place.

• So, if you're cooking with smelly ingredients, be sure to close the kitchen door so that the clouds of odors don't spread to the other rooms.
• It also helps if you open the kitchen window while cooking and roasting.
• Under no circumstances should you do without an extractor hood in your kitchen, as it is much more powerful than an air purifier.
• It can also be helpful if you cover pots and pans with a lid the entire time you are cooking.
• Furthermore, never leave food residue longer than necessary, so it's best to wash it off immediately after cooking.
• A common trigger for unpleasant odors in the kitchen is often a full garbage can - so take odorous garbage directly to the garbage garbage can.

Conclusion

In summary, an air purifier helps against kitchen odors. It is, if an exhaust hood is out of the question, a good alternative. The odors are largely gone within a short time and neutralized after several hours. Since we are talking about larger air masses, you should invest in a model with sufficient power and good CADR rating.