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Indoor air quality isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem. A home’s layout, differing
lifestyles, homestead situations—these all contribute to different challenges that affect the quality of the air. That’s why it’s important for homeowners to assess the question:
Is one air purifier enough, or do I need both a portable air purifier in addition to an in-duct system?
The short answer: it depends! The answer depends on how you live, how your home is used, and what exactly you’re trying to solve.
The long answer: keep reading.
Understanding the Two Types of Air Purifiers
Before deciding what you need for your home, it helps to understand the differences between the two types of air purifiers.
The Best of Portable Air Purifiers
A portable air purifier is designed to clean the air in 
specific rooms or areas within the home. It continuously pulls in surrounding air, filters it, and then releases cleaner air back into the space.
Portable systems excel when certain rooms are used more often than others and where pollutants are locally generated. They’re the best choice when flexibility and mobility are important. You’ll often find them in bedrooms, home offices, nurseries, and living rooms.
However, while effective for specific rooms, portable purifiers only clean the room they’re place in, and you’ll need multiple units to cover the whole house. They also don’t address pollutants circulating through HVAC systems.
The Best of In-Duct Air Purifiers
An in-duct air purifier integrates directly into your HVAC system, treating air as it moves through your ductwork and distributing cleaner air throughout the entire home. Homes with forced-air HVAC systems, consistent odors, VOCs, and airborne particles, and allergy or asthma concerns can greatly benefit from an in-duct purifier.
In-duct purifiers are ideal when you want to improve the air quality of your whole house. If there are pollutants circulating through heating and cooling systems, in-duct purifiers are the best “set-it-and-forget-it" solutions.
However, there are still some limitations. In-duct systems clean air broadly, so they can’t target specific rooms. They depend on HVAC runtime for active purification and don’t always address localized spikes in pollution.
Why Many Homes Benefit from Both Purifiers
For many households, indoor air quality challenges exist on two levels: whole-home circulation issues and room-specific air quality needs. This is where combining portable and in-duct purification becomes especially effective.
Baseline Protection + Targeted Cleaning
An in-duct system helps ensure that air circulating through the home is consistently treated. A portable purifier then adds extra filtration where it matters most, such as a nursery or office.
Sleeping vs. Living Areas
Even in well-filtered homes, bedrooms often benefit from additional purification due to long hours spent sleeping, reduced airflow overnight, and sensitivity to allergens or dry air. Improved air quality can lead to improved sleeping conditions.
Homes with Pets
Pet dander and odors often originate in specific areas, but HVAC systems distribute them throughout the house. A dual approach helps control both the source and the spread.
Seasonal Air Quality Changes
Winter illnesses, summer wildfire smoke, allergy seasons, and various home projects all create fluctuating air quality conditions. Portable units offer flexibility while in-duct systems maintain consistent coverage.
Scenarios: Do You Need One or Both?
Let’s walk through some scenarios.
You may only need a portable air purifier if:
- You live in a smaller home or apartment
- Air quality concerns are limited to one or two rooms
- You want flexibility or a renter-friendly solution
- HVAC usage is minimal
You may only need an in-duct purifier if:
- You want whole-house coverage with minimal upkeep
- Air quality issues are evenly distributed
- You rely heavily on central heating and cooling
- You prefer an integrated solution
You may benefit from both if:
- You want comprehensive, layered protection
- Certain rooms require higher air quality
- You have allergies, asthma, pets, or children
- You work from home or spend long hours indoors
- You want consistent air cleaning plus room-level optimization
Developing a Layered Air Quality Strategy
AirHealth designs and develops air purification solutions that work independently or together, depending on what scenario you fit in.
Our SKYE is a portable air purifier built for targeted, room-specific air cleaning for places you spend the most time.
HAVEN is an in-duct system designed to improve air quality throughout the entire house as air moves through your HVAC system.
HAVEN Plus offers enhanced whole-home purification for households seeking a higher level of coverage.
Using both a portable device alongside an in-duct system allows homeowners to address both circulating air and localized air quality concerns. This strategy is the ideal solution for optimizing air quality in well-sealed homes.
While you don’t always need both a portable and an in-duct purifier, combining the two creates a smarter, more flexible approach to indoor air quality. In-duct purification establishes a clean-air foundation throughout your home while the portable purification fine- tunes that air in the spaces that matter the most.
Understanding how a SKYE portable air purifier and a HAVEN in-duct system work independently or together is the key to hitting your indoor air quality goals.