Identify the actual function and unit
Record whether the product is a lamp, a portable air cleaner or another device, together with the exact model and specification. Electrical power and visible-light output do not by themselves state how much particulate matter a device removes. An attractive salt crystal or a claim about ions cannot fill a missing air-cleaner performance record. Do not carry therapeutic claims from a mineral advertisement into a technical comparison.
Keep CADR in its stated scope
EPA’s home-air-cleaner guide explains clean-air delivery rate, or CADR, as a particle-filtration rating and notes that it is typically measured at the highest speed. Keep the unit, relevant particle category and operating setting with the figure. EPA’s room-size chart also has an explicit ceiling-height assumption. A room-area headline without its conditions is not a universal sizing instruction.
Separate gases and source control
EPA states that the CADR rating system is for particles and that there is no widely used equivalent performance-rating system for gas removal by portable units. A particle rating therefore cannot establish removal of every odour or gas. Its guidance also warns about ozone-producing devices. Do not install ventilation, build a filter system or select a device to manage an unknown hazardous atmosphere from this article.
Make a comparable record
Compare the actual function, rating basis, intended area and maintenance information before treating two products as alternatives. Ask the manufacturer about a missing field. A lighting specification, particle-filter rating and clinical-health outcome should remain three separate claims. Follow appropriate professional advice for a real indoor-air problem; a worksheet does not diagnose its cause or certify the air as safe.
Read the drawing as text
Electrical power, visible light and particulate clean-air delivery describe different functions. A particle rating cannot automatically answer gas-removal or health questions.
Work through an example
A fictional listing A describes a decorative lamp with a power figure. Listing B gives a particle CADR with a stated unit and setting. The reader records different functions rather than ranking A against B as air cleaners. B’s particle rating is not labelled a gas-removal result or proof that every pollutant has been removed. No device or room is tested.
Illustrative example; figures, people and organisations in the worked record are fictional.
The example record
Function
- Illustrative evidence
- A: lamp / B: air cleaner
- Meaning or next step
- Do not merge categories
Light and power
- Illustrative evidence
- Own units and purpose
- Meaning or next step
- Not a particle-removal rating
CADR
- Illustrative evidence
- B’s stated unit and setting
- Meaning or next step
- Particle scope retained
Gases and health
- Illustrative evidence
- No matching evidence supplied
- Meaning or next step
- Separate questions remain
Download blank worksheet (.csv) ↗Download worked example (.csv) ↗
Keep your own record
Use the result within its scope
Use exact specifications and applicable professional guidance. No lamp, purifier or filter is endorsed; this reading method cannot establish room safety, disease prevention, gas protection or a universal suitable device.
Reference sources
Earlier articles on this subject
- How to Get the Most Out of Pink Himalayan Salt Lamp? ↗ — 2021-12-17, Maria Baldwin.
- Checklist To Keep Your Grow Room Odor Down ↗ — 2022-02-07, Maria Baldwin.