It’s that time of the year again when the air becomes harmful and people hunt for masks and air purifiers to keep their surroundings clean and healthy to breathe. Air purifiers used to be a luxury before, but these days, everyone ought to keep one handy, especially during the winter season when the breeze slows down and the harmful fumes of the smoke settle in the air making it hazardous to breathe.
The prices of air purifiers start from around Rs 8,000 and go up to Rs 1 lakh depending on your needs. People need to understand that not all air purifiers will be right for their room, conditions and more. Buyers need to read through all the specifications of the product and we are helping you out with details that determine if you are buying the right air purifier or not.
What You Should Keep In Mind While Buying Air Purifier
Size of the room: Measure the size of your room (in Sq.mt.) before choosing the air purifier. This detail will allow you to buy the right model,
What to avoid: Don’t buy purifiers that have Ionizers or are UV light-based models. These air purifiers release ozone as a byproduct which is not healthy.
Meets industry standards: Air purifiers need to clear the available industry standards. There are two standards- AHAM (American) and China certification, taken seriously. Most models selling in India don’t have these certifications but you do have different standards in place. Brands like Xiaomi have adopted the Chinese GB/T 18801 Air Purifier standard.
Filter used: The quality and type of filter determine the effectiveness of an air purifier. Specific filters target different components of air. The most commonly available filter type is HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air). It can filter most (up to 99.9%) airborne particles of small sizes of up to 0.3 microns. For general usage, HEPA filters get the job done.
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Some brands provide ultrafine particle filters along with the HEPA filter to target particles even finer than 0.3 microns (Divide a hair strand into 240 pieces and the width of one such piece is equivalent to 0.3 microns). Note that HEPA filters do not remove odour.
To target odour, you will have to opt for an activated carbon filter along with the regular HEPA filter combination. There are several types of activated carbon filters. Some of them are light mesh-like which prevents cooking odours. On the other hand, some filters offer activated carbon pellets which can remove gaseous and chemical odours.
Types of filters available: Air purifier filters do not kill airborne germs and bacteria in general. You can look out for filters with antibacterial coating. However, avoid UV light-based models.
How Air Purifiers Perform
The performance of a particular air purifier model is rated by its coverage area, Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) and Air Changes Per Hour (ACH). While brands will boast about the CADR and coverage of a particular air purifier model, they will choose to remain silent on the ACH. This is something you should ask and find out before buying an air purifier.
Supporting Cost For Air Purifiers
Cost of replacement filters and their lifespan. Filters usually cost in the range of between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500 with a lifespan of around six months. Also, do not forget to enquire about the availability of filters. Considering electricity costs, try to hunt for an air purifier with energy star ratings. Noise levels should be around 35 decibels when the fan is running at top speed. Do not opt for models with above 55 decibels rating which is not ideal while you are sleeping.
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