When you think of restaurants, what comes to mind?
Heavily trafficked dining rooms, bustling kitchens, and packed barstools are probably fairly high on the list.
Individuals looking to dine out are looking for an experience: the ambiance of a place that’s not their living room, cocktails they’ve never heard of, and food they didn’t want to cook at home. A place to escape from the troubles of the world, even for just a few hours.
Nowadays especially though, we all have to consider the dangers that can go along with eating out. With so many individuals coming and going in one space, it’s the perfect situation for transmitting viruses or allowing moisture to collect and create safe havens for molds. You can clean and disinfect as much as possible, but that doesn’t deal with one of the main culprits in keeping a restaurant safe for patrons.
I’m talking about air quality.
With Covid-19 variants on the uptick, many are now looking at how to keep restaurants as clean and safe as possible. While maintaining a clean and well-kept HVAC system helps, that won’t filter out small particles like viruses. It also won’t take care of other environmental particles like toxins and mold- both of which can affect not only customer health but staffs’ as well.
To help ensure clean air, investing in an air purifier for restaurants (or purifiers) is an excellent step to take.
AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH
Pollutants in the air have the ability to cause a range of side effects from a single exposure or long-term exposure. They can also trigger health issues in those with preexisting conditions or in those who are just sensitive to exposure to the particles.¹
In a space as busy and populated as a restaurant, the list of potential particles in the air is long which increases the likelihood of poor air quality side effects.
Between viruses, molds, toxins, and bacteria, these reactions can range from:²’³’⁴
IRRITATING:
Brain fog
Coughing
Fungal Infections (like Athlete’s Foot)
Fatigue
Congestion
Runny Nose
TO MORE SEVERE:
Respiratory Issues
Digestive Issues
Neurological Problems
Immunosuppression
Chronic Fatigue
Joint Pain
Striving towards better air quality and installing purifiers for restaurants (or purifiers) helps ensure that your customers are safe.
WHY A PURIFIER FOR RESTAURANTS?
Virus particles, mold spores, and toxins are all invisible to the naked eye. And these are just a few examples of particulates floating around in the air.⁵ All of them have the potential to cause adverse health effects to those who are exposed.
Air purifiers work by utilizing fans that pull surrounding air in and sending it through a series of filters. Depending on the air purifier you go with, these machines have the ability to filter out particles as small as 0.007 microns in size.
To put it into perspective, the human eye can only see particles that are larger than 50-60 microns. A micron is a thousandth of a millimeter.⁶
That’s pretty small! It’s also what makes air purifiers solid air-cleansing tools.
Depending on the size and scope of the purifiers, these machines can ensure the air quality in a restaurant is top-notch, and as contaminate-free as possible. The more particles they remove, the cleaner the inside air is. But, that means you have to find purifiers that work for the area of the restaurant and ones that actually filter the particles.
Also keep in mind that you want a purifier that removes pollutants all of the time, not sometimes.
To save time from the busy world that is the restaurant industry, here are our top picks for purifiers for restaurants that will actually do the job and do it well. Depending on budget and scope, you can pick the ones that work best for your situation.
TOP 3 PURIFIERS FOR RESTAURANTS
INTELLIPURE’S ULTRAFINE WHOLE HOME AIR PURIFIER:
Depending on the size of the restaurant, this pick may be the best for the space. The system essentially converts the central A/C system into a massive purifier. As the lungs of a building, that’s a pretty awesome way to help clean the air throughout the entire space.
This system captures and removes 99.99% of ultra-fine particles including mold, bacteria, and viruses. It can also help out with odors and gasses, which can often pop up with those everyday kitchen mishaps.
The filters also last up to three years, leading to less frequent upkeep.
You can take a look at side-by-side comparisons to see how well Intellipure’s models perform against other purifiers.
INTELLIPURE 950P COMMERCIAL AIR PURIFIER:
For larger restaurants, this system may work better to ensure cleaner air. This mobile machine also filters out 99.99% of particles, all the way down to the size of 0.007 microns. Intellipure's patented DFS technology traps tiny particles like bacteria, mold, and viruses while simultaneously preventing microbial growth inside the system.
They equipped the purifier with a turbo mode to help accommodate those lunch and dinner rushes and made it mobile to allow movement to wherever it's needed most.
The machine was also designed with energy in mind, utilizing high CFM with low energy consumption. Lower consumption means lower energy costs for restaurants that choose to use this purification option. Combined with its quick filter access and it's a great addition to the fast-paced realm of the restaurant industry.
INTELLIPURE COMPACT AIR PURIFIER:
These portable purifiers can be used in a spaced-out series around a restaurant or to help out in areas with poor air circulation. Or, for smaller restaurants, it can be used per room as an added purification system. Good for spaces 500 sq feet and below, these machines similarly filter out 99.99% of airborne particles and can even be mounted onto a wall.
The revolutionary technology pushes the air through a 6-stage VOC adsorption filter to remove not only particles but also gases and odors. The DFS technology additionally actively reduces the bioburden and stops microorganism growth within the machine.
As an added bonus, they’re ultra-quiet so they won't interfere with guests' dining experience.
AIR PURIFIERS FOR RESTAURANTS: A WIN-WIN
Considering an air purifier is an excellent first step towards creating a safer environment for guests who may be feeling leery about dining out after the Covid-19 pandemic. But while the Coronavirus acted as the spark for indoor air quality awareness, that doesn't mean it shouldn't have been on our radar from the start. Viruses aren't the only potential particle floating around highly trafficked areas, like restaurants. There is a slew of potential particulate matter, including mold spores. Investing in these purification machines is a fantastic step towards eliminating these in restaurants.
When in doubt about which one to use, contact an air-quality professional to make sure you’re going with the best option.
We’re learning more and more how much air quality matters, both for health and to help prevent the spread of mold. Equip your restaurant with the cleaning tools it needs so you, your customers, and your staff can enjoy a healthy environment with clean air.
WHAT ARE MYCOTOXINS?
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by microfungi that are capable of causing disease and death in humans and other animals. Because of their pharmacological activity, some mycotoxins or mycotoxin derivatives have found use as antibiotics, growth promotants, and other kinds of drugs; still others have been implicated as chemical warfare agents.
