Do You Need an Air Purifier for Your Dorm Room?

If you’re college-bound (or you know someone who is), you’ve probably got a list of all of the dorm room must-haves: cleaning products, over-the-door shoe storage, shower shoes, and one of those flimsy laundry baskets that will likely snap within minutes. Have you added an air purifier to the list? You should! 

In this blog, let’s talk about why an air purifier for the dorm room is an important part of staying healthy during these very stressful years.

The Germs That Lurk in Dormitories

Even though dorms aren’t really public areas, they’re still crawling with bacteria. For instance, research in which dorm room surfaces were swabbed found that the doorknobs, sheets, and desks in men’s dorms are exceedingly filthy, with over 1,500,000 CFU (that’s colony-forming units, which is how we measure bacteria).

Surprisingly, these were far dirtier than even the bathroom door handle!

The messiest surface for the ladies was the desk, at 8,500 CFU. (Yes, as much as you might not want to hear it, the boys were way germier in the dorm rooms.)

 

 

If you need a point of reference, consider this: The average toilet seat has 200,000 CFU. In other words, your dorm room might be dirtier than a toilet seat. Yikes.

Now, combine the germs we know are in the door rooms with the bacteria in lecture halls, bathrooms, restaurants, libraries, and other common stops on campus. At every corner, college students are encountering airborne invaders! 

What’s the Big Deal?

You probably don’t need us to tell you that germs can make you sick. But how, exactly?

We’re talking about bacteria that can cause pneumonia, strep, and staph infections like meningitis. This is about more than the common cold. Some of these health complications can be deadly, if not treated properly.

In college, your immune defenses are already down. Students notoriously undersleep. You experience heightened stress. Your diet might be thrown off. And you’re crammed in dorms and classrooms with a bunch of other people, meaning viruses can easily spread. Your body is already working overtime to keep you healthy — filthy air certainly isn’t helping matters.

Breathing in dirty air can hurt your lung health. It can impair your cognitive function. And it can lead to airborne illnesses that could put you behind in your studies and even leave lasting damage.

So, what can you do about it? (Besides sleep more. Seriously. Go to bed.)

 

 

How an Air Purifier for the Dorm Room Can Help You

Yes, regularly cleaning your dorm room will help. (But did you know that some of your favorite cleaning products might be toxic?)

There’s so much happening in the air you breathe that you’ll likely never even notice it… until it makes you sick. These particles might be invisible to you, but they can still have a big impact on your health. It takes special technology to stand up to them, and that’s where an air purification system comes into play.

An air purifier uses a number of filters to stop particles big and small in their tracks. For instance, Sans uses a pre-filter, a medical-grade HEPA 13 filter, an activated carbon filter, and pulses of UV-C. From dust and dander to VOCs, these nasty airborne particles don’t stand a chance against Sans.

Here’s how it works. In a nutshell, Sans runs as needed. So, it monitors your air quality in real-time (and will tell you where it stands on the display screen). If it senses that the air could use some cleaning, it kicks into gear! 

The first line of defense is the pre-filter, which focuses on bigger particles, like hair and dander. The bulk of the job happens with the medical-grade HEPA 13 filter. The activated carbon filter is responsible for attacking chemicals floating around as gases, as well as eliminating any smells. And the UV-C light helps ensure that none of these germs are released back into the air you’re breathing. 

Despite all the work Sans does, you won’t even know it's there. It’s what we like to call “meditation quiet,” so it won’t interrupt your sleep or your studies.

 

When it’s time to change the filter, it’ll alert you! Changing the filter as needed is important so that the air purifier can continue to run optimally. Always opt for air purifiers in your dorm room that utilize a replaceable filter, not a washable one. Washable filters are hard to clean, and you have to manually handle a dirty, disgusting filter. Yuck!

And it’s that simple — easy as pie. With minimal involvement from you, your dorm will be cleaner than ever. You might sleep better. Your allergies might ease up. Heck, that strange odor whose source you can’t identify (we’re not judging you) might even go away.

Try a Mini Air Purifier, Perfect for Small Spaces

“But I barely have enough room in here as is,” you’re saying. We hear you. That’s why we created the Sans mini air purifier for dorm rooms, apartments, offices, and other small spaces.

It offers coverage of about 490 square feet and utilizes our SmartPure™ technology, which includes auto mode and the smart screen. Sans mini is available in two colors — White and Midnight — so it’ll fit in regardless of what your dorm room aesthetic is. Don’t be fooled by its size. It still packs the same technology and layers of filtration as the full-size air purifier.

Plug it in and let it do its thing. That’s it!

If you’re a college student, you’ve already got enough on your plate. Let an air purifier help with some of the heavy lifting involved in keeping your dorm room a safe and healthy place to live. Shop with Sans and enjoy crystal clear air.