Sharp’s Unique Innovations in Home Air Purification

Sharp, already having established itself as an appliance innovator in the kitchen with its SuperSteam built-in and countertop ovens, is also enthusiastically promoting the benchmark innovations it has brought to another appliance that’s designed for nearly every room in the home – kitchen included.

The company is fielding a line of air purifiers with a proprietary approach it calls Plasmacluster Ion technology that goes beyond HEPA filtration – and that makes its purifiers another fitting product category under its “Simply Better Living” banner.

Peter Weedfald

“There’s so much education that needs to be done in America about air purifiers,” says Peter Weedfald, senior vice president, sales & marketing for Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America. “One big piece that’s important is the issue not just of longevity, but staying healthier in life. And a huge part of that lies in the lungs and respiratory system. We breathe, and are taking air into our systems, 23,000 times on average a day. And the fact is, all this uninvited bacteria, from pet dander to mildew to fungi to dust mites to airborne viruses, is trying to have a relationship with our respiratory system.

“Outside of our skin,” Weedfald continues, “breathing is the only way we ingest all these different various bacteria.” He notes astoundingly high Centers for Disease Control (CDC) statistics on the numbers of people who suffer from upper-respiratory tract system problems, asthma and COPD. Factor into those stats the number of dog and cat owners, and the percentage of the population that smokes tobacco and other substances, or that vapes, and the compromised conditions of the air that’s breathed in most U.S. homes are staggering. “The EPA says the air in your home is five times worse than the outside air,” says Weedfald – and that is complicated after new-home construction or renovation activity – bringing with it, virtually air-tight windows that are designed to hold in both heat and cold – but which also hold in bacteria.

Sharp’s system addresses the problem by combining its Plasmacluster Ion technology, which releases positively and negatively charged ions throughout a room to break down micro-organisms and odors, with True HEPA air filtering in a three-stage process.

“We have sold over 70 million Plasmacluster-Ion technology engines worldwide since 2001, and our patented air purification technology is one that only Sharp has,” he explains.

“The majority of air purifiers placed in a room out there are passive,” notes Weedfald. “But the bad elements in the air have to ‘walk by’ these machines to be effective within an X amount of feet to pull them into the HEPA filter. What we do that’s different and beyond that is about our active air purifier. The positive and negative ions sent out into the air surround airborne microbes and extract hydrogen from the proteins in bacteria, effectively killing them, and purifying the air actively throughout the room. Then, our True HEPA filter captures other types of bacteria.”

The current roster of Sharp air purifiers ranges from around $249 to $500 and includes three basic models that address different rooms’ square footage measurements, It starts with the entry-level FP-F60UW and ranges up to two combination air purifying/humidifying models. Specs provided for the FP-F60UW say that when it is run at the lowest of three manual fan speeds, it operates at the sound level of rustling leaves (26.3dB) – a feature that Sharp calls and has trademarked as LibraryQuiet operation. That model’s HEPA and active-carbon deodorizing filter lasts up to five years, according to the company.

As for Weedfald, his evangelization about the Sharp devices extends beyond his affiliation with the brand. “I have several of them in my home,” he tells Dealerscope, “and I haven’t gotten a cold once in five years.”