If the air is stinky, you notice yourself coughing more often, or you wake up with itchy eyes, your air quality might be to blame. Fortunately, you can easily improve your air quality (and health) by purchasing an air purifier. Air purifiers improve air quality by removing a room’s harmful contaminants, and they’re essential for a variety of situations.

Here are five reasons you need an air purifier:

Common Allergies and Respiratory Conditions

Air purifiers are especially useful for people with allergies or other respiratory conditions. Two of the most common allergens are dust and pollen, which air purifiers can easily remove from the air. Even for people without allergies, these allergens can be an irritant–in fact, people can develop Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) due to poor air quality. Sick Building Syndrome can cause headaches, dizziness, and other flu-like symptoms, and the longer a person remains in the building, the worse their symptoms become.
Asthma can also be exacerbated by poor air quality, as can certain autoimmune conditions. While an air purifier won’t cure these conditions, it can help manage their severity by decreasing additional irritants. And since over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, it’s likely a guest will appreciate the gesture.

Pets

We all love our pets, but that doesn’t mean we love the dander they leave behind. Along with dust and pollen, dander, or tiny specks of animal skin, ranks high on the list of major irritants and potential allergies. Plus, unlike animal hair, dander can be difficult to vacuum. If you worry your pets have been aggravating your sinuses, fear not: a new air purifier might be all you need to keep Fido. However, make sure your purifier doesn’t emit ozone, as that can prove hazardous to your pet. Additionally, your air purifier should come with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter and run 24 hours in order to reap the most benefits.

Outside Pollutants

Cigarette smoke, mold spores, and chemicals–these are just a few of the smells and substances threatening to enter your home. Once inside, small particles can attach to your walls and furniture, lingering even after the original source is gone. Not only can these pollutants cause your home to smell, but they can also lead to health problems.

Smoke from industrial waste and cars has been linked to everything from bronchitis to cancer. Similarly, mold spores caused by water damage can easily enter your home and body; the worst type is black mold, which can produce mycotoxins and serious allergic reactions. However, a purifier with an ionic generator can emit negatively charged ions that connect to toxins, causing them to quickly vanish. Thus, an air purifier can easily remove these odors from your home, protecting not just your nose, but also your lungs and general health.

Other Bad Smells

As bad as cigarettes and messy pets can smell, there are far worse scents that can enter your home. From burnt or expired food to normal bodily functions, these smells can linger in the air. Some air purifiers simply remove these odors, while others use aromatherapy to replace them. Either way, an air purifier ensures that your home stays fresh and clean-smelling, regardless of the smell.

Pregnant Women, Children, and Older Relatives

Allergy sufferers aren’t the only ones susceptible to air contaminants; pregnant women, children, and the elderly are also at an increased risk. In pregnant women, the fetus can be harmed by inhaled microbes, such as Toxoplasma gondii, which many air purifiers can filter out. Similarly, children and the elderly are vulnerable to air pollutants due to developing or weakened immune systems. Fortunately, air purifiers can provide a cure for those currently affected, as well as protection so they won’t be affected again.

Even if you don’t personally fit into one of these categories, your guests or loved ones might. Besides, although you might not be especially vulnerable to air pollutants, that doesn’t mean you’re immune entirely. Air purifiers can help protect us from pollutants we didn’t even know were there, drastically improving our health in ways we couldn’t predict.

Air purifiers help ensure that the air is fragrant, allergen-free, and safe to inhale. There are plenty of inexpensive, high-quality purifiers to meet your needs–as well as those of your guests and loved ones. Whether you have pets, allergies, or just hate bad smells (who doesn’t?) an air purifier is right for you. Check out our best air purifiers on FindReviews.