Post-run massages, foam rollers, and other recovery routines get plenty of attention when we talk about taking care of our bodies. But what about the air in the spaces where all that recovery actually happens?
It’s probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about running and recovery, but indoor air quality matters, especially in spaces where we spend a lot of time exercising. Air purifiers can help reduce airborne particles like dust, pollen, and pet dander, making them a potentially useful addition to a home gym, workout room, or recovery space.
We’ve actually had an air purifier in our house for a few years now. You know, COVID happened and suddenly we all became amateur indoor-air-quality experts. It has stuck around long after the pandemic, and adding one to my garage gym seemed like a pretty logical next step.
In my case, I’ve converted the garage into a home gym. Sorry, cars. There’s a bench press, treadmill, stationary bike, weights and enough other equipment that it has become a whole scene. It’s definitely not a professional gym, but I’m pretty proud of it.
The downside? It’s still a garage.
Garages can be dusty, musty and generally not the cleanest places to spend an hour sweating. So adding an air purifier to the mix seemed like a pretty reasonable idea. If I’m going to spend a decent amount of time running on the treadmill or lifting weights out there, I might as well try to improve the air I’m breathing while I’m doing it.
I’ve been using the PuroAir HEPA 400 Air Purifier, which use a multi-stage filtration system designed to capture airborne particles, for the past few weeks. The lineup includes larger options designed for spaces up to 2,000 square feet, as well as smaller models for spaces up to 550 square feet.
So, Does It Work?
This is where reviewing an air purifier gets a little tricky. I can tell you how a pair of running shoes feels after 50 miles. I can tell you whether a massage feels good after a long run. With an air purifier, there isn’t exactly a finish line where I can say, “Yep, that’s 37% cleaner air.”
There isn’t necessarily an immediate, noticeable change when you turn one on. And that’s kind of the point. It’s quietly doing its job (as low as 31db) in the background.
The PuroAir has been running in my garage gym, and I’ve been happy with it. I haven’t noticed any negative odors or other issues, and knowing that it’s filtering the air in a space that gets pretty dusty and grimy is reassuring.
There’s plenty of simplicity amongst the tech and the buttons on it are simple an understandable. You can add timers, speeds, and has a child lock for active little fingers. The air quality can also be meaured and the fan speed auto adjusted to maintain optimal air quality. That’s pretty cool.
I’m not going to pretend I can personally verify every air-quality claim made by the manufacturer. What I can say is that adding an air purifier to my garage gym makes sense. If I’m going to spend hours in there running, lifting and generally making the place smell like a garage gym, I’d rather have something working to filter the air than nothing at all. Perhaps its a bit placebo effect, but it feels better out there.
Three Layers of Defense
The PuroAir uses a three-stage filtration system, with each layer handling a different type of stuff floating around in the air.
- Pre-Filter: The first layer catches the bigger stuff you’d expect to find in a garage or home gym, including dust, hair, pollen, carpet fibers and other larger debris.
- PuroAir High Performance HEPA Filter: The main filtration layer is a HEPA filter designed to capture up to 99.9% of air pollutants, including allergens, pet dander and dust.
- Activated Carbon Filter: The final layer uses activated carbon to help filter odors, smoke, gases and VOCs. This is probably the part I appreciate most in a garage gym, because there are plenty of opportunities for a space like that to develop its own particular… aroma.
That three-stage approach is pretty easy to understand: big stuff first, smaller airborne particles next, and odors and gases last. It’s not the most exciting piece of fitness equipment I’ve reviewed, but the filtration system makes sense for a space that gets as much use—and abuse—as my garage gym.
The Bottom Line
An air purifier probably isn’t going to replace your post-run massage or suddenly make your legs feel fresh after a hard workout. But it may be worth thinking about the environment where your recovery and training actually take place.
For me, the garage gym was an obvious candidate. It’s dusty, it’s not particularly well ventilated, and it was never designed to be a fitness studio. The PuroAir gives me one less thing to worry about while I’m getting my treadmill miles and workouts in.
Sometimes improving your running environment isn’t about buying another piece of gear that makes you run faster. Sometimes it’s just about making the room you’re running in a little nicer.
