Do you need an appliance to clean the air where you cook? That is a great question! It depends on what kind of kitchen you have. It also depends on what you want your kitchen environment to be. Wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen can be a very good thing. But, is your kitchen where you and your love enjoy a cup of coffee, or are you feeding a small army? When we spec out air purifiers we “start with 4 air changes per hour. This is good for the kitchen where we cook one main meal a day. If your kitchen turns into more of a production area where you are into canning or bake often you will want to look for 8 air changes per hour. If you are into some serious Curry, or your casseroles are more like culinary landmines, then move to 10-12 air changes. The air purifiers below are shown with ratings for 4 air changes per hour. If you would like a better idea of the CFM needed for more serious kitchens visit our CFM Calculator Page. We share more insights and information about kitchens and the right air purifiers for them in a section later on this page.
The LA2-RC2-Kitchen air purifier has everything a commercial kitchen needs. The Pre filter removes any larger particles from the air. The grease filter separates and removes grease and oil. The electrostatic filter removes smoke and small particles. The carbon filter removes odors and gasses, leaving kitchen air clean.
The LA2-RC2-Kitchen can be hung from the ceiling, mounted on the wall or mounted to a cart. With an MSRP of $2375 it is an affordable addition to any commercial kitchen.
Professional kitchens are a bit of a different animal. They are much busier and require better air purification. 8 air changes per hour is where we start spec’ing out a commercial kitchen. Most times air purification is used in conjunction with make up air. You can supplement make up air with air purification. if your municipality calls for “X” cfm per cubic feet of kitchen, you can substitute air that is purified by ambient room air purifiers for make up air. This can save you a great deal of money on utilities. Professional kitchens offer more challenges for air purifiers. We commercial ,models that are great commercial cooking Air Purifiers. To see these products, visit our commercial kitchen air purifier page.
A healthy kitchen is a happy kitchen. It makes sense that we wash the dishes, wipe down the counters keep the food stuffs safe from rodents and insects. We keep our frozen and cold food cold enough. We know the importance of carefully watching expiration dates so our food is safe to eat.
Are we making sure the air in our kitchen is clean? We don’t want pet dander falling into the food we prepare. If there is smoking in our homes, are we ensuring no 3rd hand smoke is getting into our cooking? (3rd hand smoke is when smoke or residue from smoking lands on our cooking surfaces, plates, or even on the food itself.)
There are many activities that happen outside the kitchen that can have an adverse affect on the food being prepared for our families. When you are considering a kitchen air purifier make sure you are protecting the the food prep area from harmful things in the air outside the kitchen. It is important to protect the rest of our home from undesirable elements that might come from the kitchen.
What kind of challenges should we protect our kitchens from? Well, smokers or Pets would lead the list. Homes with pests that require pesticides would be another. Homes where crafts create extra indoor air pollution Activities like woodworking, painting, spray glue or any other activities can add impurities to the air. If these activities are present in our homes, we should strive to have kitchen air purification equal to at least 8 air changes per hour.
Many lovely smells emanate from our kitchen. The smell of freshly baked bread can bring real enjoyment to a families life. However when you favorite soup smells more like old socks as it cooks, well not so much. Sometimes, especially if you live in an apartment or duplex the neighbors might not like the smell of your cooking as much as you do. You would be surprised how many air purifiers we sell just to rid the home of the neighbors cooking odor.
The right air purifier can keep everyone in your home and maybe even your neighbors happy. Some kitchens don’t have adequate ventilation and normal cooking smoke can be come a problem. The proper kitchen air cleaner can remove smoke from the air without having to open widows or doors. Lets look at some of the air quality issues in greater depth and find the right products to make a recipe for a happy and healthy kitchen.
The main air quality issues that are found in the kitchen are smoke and odors. Odors are gasses in the air. These gasses are so small no regular filter can capture them. Some of the gasses are harmless, some even represent pleasant smells. Others are repugnant and many are just plain dangerous. Most of these gasses can be removed using an activated carbon filter. One of the most dangerous however cannot be removed. This is Carbon Monoxide this gas must be vented out side. It is important to install Carbon Monoxide detectors in your home and kitchen.
The odors and gasses that can be safely removed by activated carbon are more complex gasses. these gasses pass through a carbon filter and are adsorbed into the carbon. Activated carbon is the same substance that helps odor eaters shoe inserts keep shoes from stinking. Your LakeAir Air Purifier is the odor eater for your kitchen. To learn more about how activated carbon works you can find more information in this article. If your cooking has a good deal of “aroma” or other gasses are being caused else where in the house, like pesticides, then, a Super Carbon Filter is in order for your Kitchen Air Purifier.
All LakeAir Models offer some level of activated carbon filtration. This is the best way to remove odors from the air where you cook. They also remove Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) from the air. The odor eliminator value of these filters is immense. Carbon filters cannot be washed. They must be replaced when they have adsorbed all of the odors they can.
Smoke is a regular part of cooking. Many homes and apartments have stove vents that do a good job at venting smoke to the outside. This is the best way to deal with smoke. Many times however due to the amount of smoke or the lack of the ventilation system, the smoke ends up being more than the system can handle. This results in too much smoke and over fills the kitchen and spreads through the home. This is not a safe situation and here is where a high quality air purifier can help out greatly.
All of the products shown on this page are very good at removing smoke. Many times these products are referred to as smoke eaters. A smoke eater is nothing more than an air purifier that is adept at removing smoke. The volume of smoke your kitchen produces should lead you to the right kitchen air purifier. If your kitchen is frequently plagued with smoke you should be looking for more than 10 air changes per hour. Our best home kitchen air cleaner for handling a large volume of smoke is our MAX-700.
Choosing the filtration type is an important part of selecting the best kitchen smoke and odor removal product. The two filtration technologies to choose from are Electrostatic and HEPA. There are good and bad points to both. HEPA filters clean out more impurities in one pass. These filters are disposable and easy to replace. HEPA filters cost more money than a media filter but do a better job. HEPA filters clean the air fewer times an hour. Electrostatic cells remove 3% fewer impurities compared to a HEPA system. The electrostatic tend to clean up the air 2 times more air an hour.
The Electrostatic kitchen air cleaning models move larger amounts of indoor air. Their free flow filters are 97% efficient to 0.1 microns. Electrostatic filters are great at removing some and small particles from the air. Instead of replacing expensive filters, you simply wash the electrostatic cells. The filter cells are easily removed and washable.
Regular cleaning is very important. The cleaner the filter cell, the more efficient it is. Most professional kitchens clean these filters every other month. Commercial model electrostatic filters fit in a commercial sized sink. There, they are soaked in hot soapy water, rinsed and returned to the unit after drying. Residential electrostatic cells usually fit into your dishwasher and can be quickly reinserted back into the air purifier. You can buy an extra cell to make your air purifier maintenance schedule more manageable as well.
Both technologies work really well. You need to decide what system is best for your kitchen. We offer a great comparison on our “Electrostatic vs HEPA” Page. If you need more advice, give us a call at 800-558-9436 and we will help you sort it out. Here is a brief comparison of the two technologies.
99.97% efficient to 3 micron
Disposable $ 150/year cost
Requires large blower more electric
filters go into the trash / landfill
97% efficient to .1 micron
Washable 2-3 times a year (takes 2 hours)
Radial fan less noise less electric
produce a small amount of Ozone
Smoke, cooking aromas, and oil may be eliminated from the air in a kitchen with the use of air purifiers.
Typically, they employ a variety of filters, including HEPA filters and activated carbon filters, to catch and remove these air contaminants.
It is crucial to remember that an air purifier cannot eradicate all kitchen pollutants on its own; it must be used in conjunction with correct ventilation and routine cleaning.
In addition, it is essential to choose a unit with the proper size and characteristics for the kitchen area.
Yes, certain air purifiers are intended particularly to eliminate kitchen scents, such as cooking gases and food odors.
These types of air purifiers often employ activated carbon filters, which absorb and neutralize aromas, or UV-C lamps, which destroy the bacteria and viruses that contribute to foul odors.
A kitchen air purifier should be placed either near the main source of air pollution or close to the major area of frequent use. This might be in close proximity to a stove, a sink, or some other appliance used in the cooking or preparation of meals.
When deciding where to put the air purifier, it’s also helpful to think about how big your kitchen is.
If you want your air purifier to be able to efficiently clean the air in your whole kitchen, it’s best to put it in a prominent spot.
If your are looking for more information about home air purifiers in general we suggest you visit the “Home Air Purifier” web page. If you need help right away we invite you to call customer service (800) 558-9436. You can also reach customer service via email customerservice@lakeair.com