When we were growing up, air purifiers or even the concept of air purification wasn’t a thing. Today, air pollution is a grim reality! Deteriorating quality of air is a serious cause of concern and has also made air purifiers an increasingly popular product. To combat the problem of indoor air pollution, you can find a handful of brands selling various types of air purifiers.

If you have allergies, you know that it is no less than a torture to sleep in a dusty room and wake with sneezing, nasal congestion, cough and itchy, red or watery eyes. You would pay anything to have a device that would purify the air around you so that you can sleep better. A good air purifier can transform your living space.

In order to breathe better, especially if you have allergies, it is important to improve the quality of indoor air by reducing the number of pollutants and irritants. The main culprits of indoor pollution include dust particles, pollen, pet dander, fumes from cooking, and cigarette smoke; and an efficient air purifier should be able to destroy all of these pollutants.

Many common household products such as paints, cleaning products, building material, glues and office equipment such as printers and copiers release VOCs and toxic gases into the air. Thus, it is crucial to minimize the contact with such harmful chemicals which are emitted by these products; air purification will eliminate these contaminants and help purify the air.

Most purifiers are portable and most have HEPA filters which are better at removing 99.97% of all airborne particles greater than or equal to 0.3 microns in diameter. HEPA filters prevent the re-circulation of pollutants back into the air that you breathe. With that said, all purifiers are unique and different in their own ways.

When choosing an air purifier, it is important to choose the one that does what it is meant to do rather than spending money on ones with fancy add-ons. Choose the one that keeps things simple. Go for simplicity – a no-nonsense air purifier which has no connectivity options, no apps, and no advanced control is your best bet.

In the Indian market, air purifiers with sensors or indicators, are most common as they claim to show the real air quality readings – this is just a myth! While it is true that the quality of indoor air does drastically improve upon installing an air purifier, but at the same time a sensor does not set a realistic benchmark. Most sensors can only read PM 2.5, which constitutes only 25% of indoor air, but neglect other prominent pollutants which constitute almost 75% of indoor air pollution.

Also, most filters just eliminate PM 2.5 pollutants and show the readings for the same, but the right air purifier should not only reduce PM 2.5 but also other toxins like the gases, chemical fumes and infectious substances. You may also consider the life of the filters and cost of replacement. Another important factor is availability of these replacement filters after a couple of years. Ideally they should be costing around 15 to 20 % of the equipment (including GST) and should be available for the entire life of the product. Fundamentally an air purifier should be able to reduce your medication and sick days.

Hence, these may be the benchmark for the performance and quality and not just the digits reflecting on your purifier. Moreover some air purifier manufacturers use AQI monitors on air purifiers, the accuracy and range are doubtful. Finally, an air purifier should do what it is meant to do efficiently!