July 21st, 2021 by Sarah Miles

You may have noticed that household products, such as fans, air purifiers, and heaters, increasingly offer an ‘ioniser’ function. But what exactly is that and what are their benefits? In order to really understand what an ioniser does, we need to explain what positive and negative ions are.

Positive and negative ions

Positive and negative ions occur in nature and are all around us. An ion is a charged particle that, as the names suggest, can be positively or negatively charged. Don’t be fooled by the name, however, as it is the positive ions that we don’t really want and the negative ions that we do!

Positive ions are much more common in our environments and they can make the air feel stuffy or ‘charged’. Think of how static the air feels just before a storm: these are positive ions. They occur naturally in the atmosphere but can also be given off by device screens (and don’t we all have too many of those in our homes?) and vehicle fumes. Studies show that positive ions can actually have a negative effect on health: producing fatigue, increasing hypertension, and lowering general mood.

You don’t need to be a scientist to work out that negative ions do the opposite. If you imagine the charged atmosphere before a storm, think about the fresh, clear air afterwards. Those are negative ions. As well as storms, negative ions are naturally found near bodies of water, such as waterfalls, in mountains, around plants, and in the UV rays of the sun. It’s no coincidence that all these things tend to make us feel good.

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How do ionisers work?

Ionisers pass an electrical charge to molecules in the air, creating negative ions. The ions then stick to particles in the air, causing them to clump together and making them heavier. They then become too heavy to float in the air and they settle on surfaces, where they can be dusted, wiped, or vacuumed away, thus removing them from the atmosphere. Some have an electrostatic collector plate that attracts the particles to it rather than surfaces in the room.

What are the benefits of an ioniser?

There are a couple of benefits of an ioniser. Firstly, they help remove pollutants from the air. This can include dust, pollen, pet dander, and even mould, bacteria, and viruses. They are, therefore, particularly useful for people with allergies and anyone who has underlying health conditions who could be a risk from common illnesses, such as colds and viruses. Even if you don’t have these things, you can see how reducing these particles in the air is a good thing for anyone.

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We’ve already mentioned that positive ions can lower mood, well negative ions are widely thought to boost it. As well as creating fresher air, negative ions are believed to improve mood, reduce the symptoms of depression, aid cognitive performance, regulate sleep patterns, reduce stress, and even increase metabolism. You may have heard about Himalayan salt lamps and the general benefits that they bring? This is thought to be due to the negative ions they produce.

Fans with a built-in ioniser, such as the MYLEK Oscillating Cyclops Tower Fan, therefore offer something above the standard fan so as well as cooling the air (as you would expect a fan to do), it can offer all the benefits of negative ions as well.