Can I put essential oils in air purifier? Can you run an air purifier and essential oil diffuser at the same time?

By removing harmful air pollutants and cleaning your indoor air quality, air purifiers are the most effective and safest method to eliminate odors and smells from your home. While using an air purifier, you may also be wondering if adding aromatherapy at the same time with essential oils can double the effect, i.e., enjoy a nice smell while knowing your air is clean and fresh. We often hear that inhaling essential oils can help relieve stress, boost mood, and improve focus. So what’s the harm in incorporating your favorite perfume into your device? Just wait a minute; here is some wise advice before you take any action.

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Can I put essential oils in air purifier?

No, you should not put essential oils into an air purifier unless your air purifier is designed to be used with essential oils. These types of air purifiers often have sponges to store essential oils. For most air purifiers, adding essential oils will be likely to do more harm than good.

The vast majority of air purifiers work by forcing air through a filter. All of the components are designed to remain dry, especially the filters, in order to preserve their air purification capability. Because essential oils are in liquid form, getting any of these components wet might be harmful. This is especially true when it comes to HEPA filters.

These filters are extremely effective at eliminating as many dangerous airborne particles as possible. They can remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, germs, and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns from the air. However, if the fibers in the filters become wet, they will be damaged and will no longer be able to catch those harmful particles. In addition, the dampness from the essential oils may result in the release of all that terrible material into your house.

Can I put essential oils to my air purifier filters?

You should not use oils or fragrances on the filters of your air purifiers; otherwise, they can destroy your filters. The HEPA filter is quite complicatedly structured to let fresh air go through without contaminants, and the essential oils can disrupt this structure.

Again, we recommend you check your manual to see whether an air purifier is designed to be used with essential oils or not.

How do I add essential oil to my air purifier, if my air purifier is designed to use it?

As mentioned, if your air purifier has a sponge that is designed to use essential oils, you can add essential oils to your air purifier easily by following the below steps:

• Apply 15 to 20 drops of your favorite essential oil directly to your air purifier sponge. It makes no difference if the side of the sponge is dripping. As the oils interact with the water, the scent will softly but gradually release.
• Distribute your essential oil widely to cover the surface of your air purifier sponge instead of limiting it to a specific spot. Instead, add a few more drops if you want a stronger scent. 
• Be careful not to let the oil leak into other parts of your air purifier. Otherwise, it can damage the device.

If you own a water-based air purifier, add 5-8 drops of essential oils into its water container. The oils will combine with the water as it spins, releasing the aroma slowly. However, water-based air purifiers do not clean the air as effectively as standard air purifiers.

Can a diffuser function as an air purifier?

Not at all! Diffusers do not have filters to remove particles from the air and cannot clean the air like an air purifier.

Is an air purifier better than a diffuser?

Not really. They serve two totally different purposes. Air purifiers are more focused on improving health than diffusers. They can remove allergens that cause asthma attacks as well as infectious airborne particles. Air purifiers can also help with odors in the air rather than masking them with new scents.

List of the best air purifiers

A diffuser, on the other hand, is just intended to add scents to the air. They have limited function but are less expensive and small enough to use anywhere in the house.

Can you run an air purifier and essential oil diffuser at the same time?

Yes, it’s possible to run both an air purifier and an essential oil diffuser at the same time. Because the two devices serve different purposes, using one may have an impact on the other in some instances. However, if you still want to use a diffuser as your air purifier cannot work directly with essential oils, especially when you have already used an air purifier in the bathroom, make sure these devices aren’t too close together. If you mainly use your air purifier to eliminate smells, you should switch it off while the diffuser is running.

Some types of air purifiers are sensitive to smells. These air purifiers have layers of charcoal or activated carbon filters to eliminate scents from the air. Hence, they will filter all the scents from your diffuser. Moreover, essential oils will be locked within, polluting them rather than allowing their scent to travel through open areas for aromatherapy benefits.

What air purifiers can be used with essential oils?

As we mentioned, there are some models of air purifiers that are designed to use essential oils, and you should only add essential oils to the sponge that comes with that air purifier (again, not the filters!). Here we recommend the top choices if you want a 2-in-1 system that cleans and aromatizes your room at the same time.

The best of these air purifiers is the Levoit LV-H128 or Levoit Core Mini. Levoit is a well-known company that manufactures unique air purifiers to let people enjoy healthier lifestyles.

Another option is the Levoit Core 300S, a non-ozone air purifier. The attractive design of the gadget is intended to match your home and business décor. It’s also small enough to put on your desk at work.

Essential oils can also be used with water-based air purifiers (also known as air revitalizers or air washers). This type of air purifier draws air via intake vents. This air is then swirled within the water basin, and fresher air is returned to the room. At the same time, it adds a bit of extra moisture to the “new” air. However, since water-based air purifiers do not have filters, they are not capable of catching nearly as many dangerous, tiny particles, such as mold spores, as other types of air purifiers.