Dipping air quality right ahead of the winter season has made air purifiers a necessity these days 
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Dipping air quality right ahead of the winter season has made air purifiers a necessity these days Wish there was a quick remedy to fix air quality? There isn't much that you can do immediately. However, you can clean the indoor air of PM2.5, virus and bacteria and more. The dipping air quality right ahead of the winter season has made air purifiers a necessity these days. So here are some of our best picks.
Ajay Khanna, Vice President Wellness, Amway India, says, "It is known that air pollution can pose a major threat to health, and with the onset of winters, the pollution gets worse with the majority of people breathing air over the WHO safe limit. Therefore, there is a growing need for air purification solutions to stay healthy."
With many options across price points and performance claims, choosing an efficient air purifier can be tedious. These are a few things that you should keep in mind-room size, clean air delivery rate (CADR), air changes per hour (ACH) and the type of filter and cost of the replacement filter. The CADR should ideally be two-thirds of the room size. So, for a room measuring 300-350 sqft, a CADR of 200-250 cubic metres an hour (m3/h) is preferable. Higher the CADR, the better is the air filtration capacity of the purifier. The type of filter is yet another important factor - a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter can filter up to 99.9 per cent airborne particles of up to 0.3 microns in size; activated carbon in combination with a HEPA filter can remove odours, too. The cost of the filter is also known as operating cost as depending upon the usage, it needs replacement anywhere between six months to a year or two.
Xiaomi Mi 2c: Rs 6,499
Xiaomi has introduced a new air purifier. The Mi Air Purifier 2C features dual filtration technology, which includes a primary filter that takes care of the large particles and a HEPA filter that eliminates up to 99.97 per cent of small particles (up to 0.3 micron). It has a high CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) of 310 cubic metres per hour, allowing clean air circulation. Unlike the 2s, this one does not have an OLED display but can be controlled using the Mi Home app.
Xiaomi Mi 2S: Rs 8,999
Feature-rich and aggressively priced, Xiaomi disrupted the air purifier market with the launch of the Mi 2 in 2016. The third-generation Mi 2S continues to have the same design and smart functionality along with the circular display - a compact, squarish tower design that does not occupy much space. A little less than 1000 holes are spread across the three sides to draw the impure air, pass it through the 360-degree three-layer circular air filter and push the clean air from the top. The 360 degree cylindrical 3-layer filter has an outer layer that removes large airborne particles such as hair and dust; the middle layer uses H11-grade filter action technology that removes micron-sized particles and catches harmful bacteria and lastly the inner layer made of highly activated carbon, for effectively removing formaldehyde and other harmful substances and odours. This one has a circular OLED display that shows real-time PM 2.5 level along with temperature, humidity level, Wi-Fi status and mode. The 2S has a clean air delivery rate of 310 cubic metres per hour. It can be paired with the Mi Home App and controlled from anywhere. It also supports voice commands and is both Alexa and Google Assistant compatible.
Philips AC1215/20: Rs 9,999
The Philips AC1215/20 air purifier is equipped with Vitashield Intelligent purification system with auto mode and allergen mode that automatically senses air quality and removes 99.97% airborne pollutants as small as 0.003 microns, With a CADR of 270 m3/hour, it can purifiers a standard room in just 12 minutes and is recommended for rooms of 226-333 sq ft. It features a four-stage filtration process through pre-filter, activated carbon filter and double-layered H13 Grade True HEPA Filter. The four-colour air quality indicator gives real-time air quality feedback. Philips claims to remove 99.90 per cent bacteria and viruses, tested to remove airborne H1N1 virus, 99.99 per cent pollen and house dust mites.
Honeywell AirTouch I8: Rs 13,999
The AirTouch I8 isn't the latest model from the company but continues to sell well. Retailing for Rs 13,999, it comes across as a good air purifier considering it features a three-layer filtration process - the company's HiSiv filter, HEPA filter and a washable pre-filter - that eliminates large dust particles, bacteria, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds. It claims to offer PM2.5 removal efficiency of more than 90 per cent. It has a touch panel for operations. It is designed to work in a room with 36sq m coverage area and has a CADR of 300m3/hour. Has a washable pre-filter that removes larger dust particles, pet hair/dander, soil, etc.
Kent Alps+: Rs 18,240
Kent's Alps+ air purifier is a good looking rectangular air purifier that comes with real-time air purity monitor. The PM 2.5 level is displayed (using colours and numbers) on the digital screen. It comes with three layers of filters -- the primary filter removes large particles, the specially treated carbon filter removes odour and the third antibacterial HEPA filter removes bacteria and PM 2.5 pollutants. It works well in a coverage area of up to 43 sq/m.
Dr Aeroguard HPA 500: Rs 19,990
Coming from Eureka Forbes, it features a 9-stage filtration process. The pre-filter removes large particles such as dust, hair, pet danders and fibres. The company claims to have a lung filter onboard that is designed to remove dust particles holding harmful dust that settles in lungs. The HEPA filter is a composite one capable of removing up to 99.97 per cent of micro-particles, such as particulate matter (PM 2.5 and 10), fine dust, pollen and mould spores. There is also an H1N1 filter with HEPA that prevents H1N1 swine flu. This is clubbed with an activated carbon filter that binds gases and odours of natural and chemical origin. And the anti-bacterial filter inhibits the growth of micro-organisms and prevents their breeding on filters. It also features photo catalyst TiO2 filter that breaks down all organic molecules and destroys micro-organisms, UV technology for destroying viruses and bacteria in the air and ioniser for neutralizes particulate matter and maintains freshness levels in the room.
Atlanta Healthcare Universal 450: Rs 21,560
The Atlanta Healthcare Universal 450 comes with a built-in humidifier. It comes with a 'seven-stage' air purification process including pre-filter, anti-bacterial filter, H13 grade HEPA filter, activated carbon, photo catalyst, UV light and ionizer to keep indoor air free from dust (PM2.5 and PM10), gases, smoke, odours, allergens and airborne infections. It has a CADR of 225m3/h along with an air quality sensor and filter change indicator.
Blueair Sense+: Rs 31,999
If you are looking at a high-end air purifier, consider the Blueair Sense+. The company claims it to capture 99.97 per cent of airborne particles, down to the size of 0.1 micron (the average cross-section of a human hair is 50 microns). In a room size of approximately 194 sq. ft, it can purify the air five times in an hour. This one comes with two filters, each comprising a particle filter and an activated carbon filter for removing heavy gaseous pollutants. It can be controlled via a mobile app and has a built-in motion sensor so that you can swipe your palm to change the fan speed.
Dyson Pure Hot+Cool: Rs 54,900
A multipurpose marvel that cleans the dirty air, streams back the clean and cool air (but can't replace your air conditioner) and keeps your room warm in winter. To begin with, the air passes through a 360-degree glass HEPA filter that captures 99.95 per cent of fine particles. Then the clean air flows from the front and rear of its bladeless fan. The heating bit is thermostatically controlled, which means it shuts off after reaching a pre-set temperature and resumes heating when the temperature falls. Dyson has also introduced the PTC (positive temperature coefficient) technology, commonly used in aircraft heating systems, for quickly and evenly heating the indoor space.
Amway Atmosphere Mini: Rs 60,000
Claiming to have been equipped with better than HEPA grade filter, Amway Atmosphere Mini can remove particles as small as 0.0024 microns with a single pass efficiency of 99.99 per cent. It comes with 3 in 1 filter which includes a pre-filter layer to capture larger, airborne fibres and hair, a particulate filter to captures smaller particles such as PM2.5, PM 0.1, common bacteria & virus and the carbon filter layer to remove household odours and gasses. It has a CADR of 220 m3/ hours and can be controlled using the companion app - Atmosphere Connect.
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