Can I Use Essential Oil In An Air Purifier? (Explained)

As a massive fan of essential oils, I’ve tried to incorporate them into my surroundings every chance I get.

So this caused me to wonder, can I use essential oils in an air purifier?

In this article, I will be answering this question and also you will find the best devices to use for introducing essential oils into the atmosphere.

Let’s get into it.

Can I Use Essential Oil in An Air Purifier?

No, You can not put essential oils into an air purifier. There is no place to add essential oils, and it can cause damage to the machine. Air cleaners are not designed to handle oils or perfumes. However, diffusers and air revitalizers were created to diffuse essential oils.

Although, air purifiers are designed to clean the air and rid the atmosphere of pollutants.Using an air purifier to introduce fragrance to your surroundings isn’t a good idea. 

In fact, your purifier may seek to remove unwanted smells from the atmosphere.

These machines contain special filters, like an activated carbon filter, to eliminate smell-inducing particles from the air.

As a result, it may also target scents generated by essential oils.

Therefore, using an air purifier to add fragrance from essential oils into the environment is counterintuitive.  

Additionally, the machine does not contain any suitable opening through which you can add essential oils.

Again, this is because air purifiers were not designed to help fragrance the air but instead to clean it.

Sure, some essential oils do a great job cleaning the air. However, adding them to an air purifier is an absolute no-no. 

Can I Use Essential Oil In An Air Revitalizer?

If you’re looking to introduce essential oil particles in the air, I’d recommend using an air revitalizer to assist you. 

Air revitalizers, also known as humidifiers, are experts at adding humidity to arid atmospheres. 

Unlike air purifiers (which are aimed at removing airborne particles), a humidifier will add water particles to the air. 

If you own an air revitalizer, you must already be familiar with their brilliant efficiency.

Most humidifiers can introduce a healthy amount of moisture into the air within mere minutes.They contain a special water reservoir to help them with this job. 

Air purifiers, on the other hand, do not contain any such compartment.

But because humidifiers do, you can easily take advantage of this feature and add a few drops of essential oil into it!

Once the essential oil mixes in with the water, the revitalizer will start heating the solution and release it as steam. The best part is that this steam will carry the essential oil particles with it, too.

You’ll be able to smell the fragrance once the steam and oil mix begins to dissipate through your living space.  

Air revitalizers on their own do nothing to clean the air. Their job is to reduce dryness in the air by introducing humidity.

However, adding essential oils into the mix can give a simple air revitalizer an all-new cleaning edge, which brings me to this next point… 

Can Essential Oils Clean Air?

Yes, some essential oils are excellent for cleaning the air.

That being said, it is essential that you select the right essential oil, or else the surrounding air quality won’t improve.  

Essential oils naturally exist within certain plants, including their fruits and bark. They help protect the plant from parasites, bacteria, mold, and the like.

In fact, these oils contain chemical components that are strong enough to fight off most germs. This includes pathogens that are a threat to human health.

As a result, health and wellness experts recommend using essential oils to keep harmful pathogens and molds at bay.

This extends to the air environment, which could use a little help from essential oils in fighting pollution and stale air. 

What Essential Oil Is Good For Air Purification?

Some essential oils work better than others for air purification purposes.

Popular options include eucalyptus, lemongrass, and tea tree.

There are many more options, too like oil blends, but these three are amongst those which are most commonly available and employed.

Eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, and geranium essential oils are known for their ability to fight bacteria. Cinnamon, clove, May Chang, thyme, tea tree, and rosemary oil are better known for their strong antifungal traits. 

However, some oils require extra precautions and care. Clove essential oil is not suitable for use around children under the age of 2 because of its high potency.

Rosemary oil should be kept away from children below the age of 6. 

Pregnant or breastfeeding women should ideally stay clear of essential oils altogether unless recommended by a qualified expert.

You should also check with an expert to see if a certain oil is safe for your pet if you have one. 

Essential Oil Blends To Purify Air

Below are some of my favorite essential oil blends to purify the air:

• 2 drops each of lavender, lemon, and peppermint oil blended with 1 drop of tea tree oil. This blend is excellent for combatting all kinds of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses. 
• 5 drops tea tree and lavender oil, each with 2 drops of lemon oil. I’d recommend using this combo when you want an extra-strong punch that smells great and cleans the air. 
• 2 drops of rosemary oil with 5 drops of peppermint oil will freshen up your room in no time. 

Go ahead and use these to purify the air and achieve stunning results in no time! 

Can Essential Oils Kill Bacteria In The Air?

Yes, essential oils certainly can rid the air of bacteria.

However, you need to use the right kind of oil as some essential oils are better at combatting fungi as opposed to bacteria. 

Research tells us that essential oils work by inhibiting the growth of bacterial colonies, hence preventing them from multiplying and spreading.

As a result, the bacterial colony will remain stunted in size and eventually die out completely. 

Lemongrass, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil are championed for their antibacterial properties, so I’d advise starting out with them.

Other popular options include thyme and chamomile essential oil.

If you’d like, you can also use these oils in combination with other ones to create a multi-purpose blend. 

Once you’ve decided which oils to use, go ahead and pop them inside your diffuser or air revitalizer. Then, sit back and watch as it works its magic! 

Diffuser vs. Air Purifier vs. Revitalizers

In essence, air purifiers help clean the air, and diffusers make it smell nice by lacing the air with fragrance from essential oils.

Revitalizers (also known as humidifiers) rehydrate the air by adding moisture to it. They are used to introduce humidity into dry environments. 

You can use essential oils with a diffuser and a revitalizer (humidifier).

However, humidifiers were not designed with the intent of dissipating essential oil particles in the air.

Still, you can use them for this purpose if you’re out of options.I’d recommend using a diffuser for essential oils if you have one.

Diffusers were designed with essential oils in mind, which is why they contain machinery that ensures the oils are thoroughly blended and evenly distributed throughout the air. 

A purifier, on the other hand, cannot be used with essential oils. Its job is to purify the air using special filters embedded within its system.

If you’d rather clean the air with essential oils, use a diffuser or revitalizer (humidifier) instead.

Related Article: Air Purifier Vs Diffuser

Can I Use An Air Purifier And Diffuser At The Same Time?

I wouldn’t suggest using an air purifier and diffuser at the same time. Both these devices are programmed for opposite functions.

Where air purifiers remove foreign particles from the air, diffusers only serve to add them.

An air purifier will detect the essential oil particles in the air and try to eliminate them.

Unfortunately, we haven’t yet developed technology that’s smart enough to tell the difference between good smell and bad smell…air purifiers just do their best to remove all smell. 

This includes unwanted kitchen odors and the awful smell left behind by your cat’s litter box.

What it doesn’t do is allow essential oil scents to linger in the air for too long.Of course, if you’re absolutely adamant about running both devices at the same time, you can.

However, doing so will only reduce the effectiveness of both devices.

The Effects of Evaporating Essential Oils On Indoor Air Quality

Using evaporated essential oils in regulated amounts can improve indoor air quality, according to expert research.

However, using too much oil can have an adverse effect. It can take a toll on your health as well as the indoor air quality. 

Essential oils can help bust bacteria, certain viruses, and other harmful pathogens present within the air.

In fact, essential oils can remove these germs from virtually any surface or medium.

However, they should be used in the right way.

Evaporating pure, undiluted essential oils can have a harsh impact on the air quality. When you expose undiluted oils to heat, they begin to evaporate remarkably fast.

As a result, they can saturate the air with more essential oil particles that are good for our health.

This is why experts recommend diluting essential oils into a carrier oil (or water, in some cases) before using them.

Popular carrier oils include sweet almond and apricot kernel oil. Such oils help soften the harsh intensity carried by raw essential oils. 

Inhaling pure and undiluted essential oils may damage our lungs or the respiratory system’s mucosal lining.

Of course, this won’t happen if you accidentally inhale too much essence just once.

However, if you are constantly exposed to high essential oil concentrations, things can get ugly…

So, it’s best to burn your oil in moderate amounts. If your diffuser calls for it, be sure to dilute the essential oils within a suitable carrier oil.

This will ensure these airborne essential oil particles do not harm your health nor deplete the air quality. 

Final Thoughts: Can Essential Oils Go In An Air Purifiers?

To quickly answer the question Can I Use Essential Oil In An Air Purifier?

Essential oils cannot go in air purifiers. Purifiers just weren’t designed to accommodate essential oils.

Instead, they work by inhaling polluted indoor air, filtering it, and expelling clean air. 

On the other hand, diffusers were created for the sole purpose of diffusing essential oils into the environment. You can also use an air revitalizer (humidifier) for this purpose.

However, it may not be as effective as a diffuser. 

If you’re aiming to purify the air with essential oils, be sure to use ones that are known for their antifungal and antibacterial properties. Tea tree, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and lavender are amongst the more popular options.

For an extra-powerful punch, try blending these oils together in appropriate quantities. For reference, you can use the unique, essential oil blend recipes I’ve listed above! 

Looking For Air Purifier Guides?

If you’re looking for more air purifier resources, consider checking out our other posts on air purifiers.

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