Planning to buy an air purifier? Here are some of the best picks

The year 2020 hasn't been good for your lungs. The fear of COVID-19 pandemic infecting lungs is far from over and now the rising air pollution levels are causing respiratory issues, watery eyes, irritable skin, and can even impact our heart and digestive system. If you are planning to invest in an air purifier, here are certain things to keep in mind.

Firstly, air purifier works only if you stay indoor all the time. If you have to keep switching between indoors and outdoors, investing in one is not the best idea as per doctors. Secondly, the air purifier should be purchased basis the size of the room it is capable to clean. Having a smaller air purifier for a bigger room size is not the best approach. Along with the room size, consider clean air delivery rate (CADR), air changes per hour (ACH) and the type of filter in the purifier, and lastly the cost of the replacement filter. The CADR should ideally be two-thirds of the room size. So, for a room measuring 300-350 sq.ft, a CADR of 200-250 cubic metres an hour (m3/h) is preferable. Higher the CADR, better the air filtration capacity of the air 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. Some manufacturers are using UV-C in air purifiers too but the jury is not yet out on how effective are they in deactivating COVID-19 virus.

• Xiaomi Mi 2S: Rs 8,999

Mi 2S air purifier

Disrupting the air purifier market with the mid-range offering, this Mi 2S is one of the completing propositions. The Mi 2S has a squarish design with a circular display at the front and doesn't occupy much space. With a little less than 1,000 holes spread across the three sides helps in drawing impure air, which passes through the 360-degree three-layer circular air filter, and the clean air is pushed out from the top. The 360 degrees 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, removes formaldehyde and other harmful substances and odours. The 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, and also supports voice commands--both Alexa and Google Assistant compatible. There is also a Xiaomi Mi 2c for Rs 6,499, with dual filtration technology including 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) and high CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) of 310m3/h allowing clean air circulation for a 21m2 room in just 10 minutes.

• Philips AC1215/20 Air purifier: Rs 9,499

Philips AC1215/20 air purifier

Introduced a couple of years ago, this Philips AC1215/20 air purifier is one of the popular models on Amazon India. It is equipped with Vitashield Intelligent purification system with auto mode and allergen mode, which the company claims automatically senses air quality and removes 99.97 per cent airborne pollutants as small as 0.003 microns. With a CADR of 270 m3/hour, it can purify a standard room in just 12 minutes and is recommended for rooms of 226-333 sq ft. The four-stage filtration process onboard includes pre-filter, activated carbon filter and double-layered H13 Grade True HEPA Filter. This one doesn't have a digital display but there is a four-colour air quality indicator that gives real-time air quality feedback.

• Dr Aeroguard HPA 500: Rs 19,990

HPA 500 air purifier

Coming from Eureka Forbes, HPA 500 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 holding harmful particles that settle 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 gasses 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 NEST 550 HEPA Pure: Rs 39,990

NEST 550 HEPA air purifier

If you don't want to get a regular looking air purifier, the NEST 550 HEPA is worth considering. Designed as a part of decor lighting, this is a composite air purification equipment and works to clean air along with sterilising and disinfecting. Can easily fit in any apartment, bedroom, dining room, hotel, guest room, reception, living area, to name a few. Atlanta Healthcare claims that it can fully improve the living environment of people, improve the quality of life while creating a clean space without occupying floor space.

• Dyson Pure Hot+Cool: Rs 55,900

Dyson Pure Hot+Cool air purifier

This is a multipurpose marvel that cleans the dirty air while it streams back clean and cool air (but can't replace your air conditioner) and can keep 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. Amazon Alexa enabled, Dyson claims it to be certified asthma and allergy friendly by Allergy Standards Limited.

Also read: LG unveils Puricare Wearable Air Purifier mask with two H13 HEPA filters

Also read: Using air purifiers can be tricky: Dr Sandeep Nayar