Air purifiers are electrical home appliances that purify and clean the indoor air in your home. The best air purifier does so by using specialized filtration processes for removing microscopic pollutants and contaminants from the indoor air. With high levels of air pollution and an increase in air-borne diseases, air purifiers are becoming must-have home appliances. The current article provides different considerations in buying air purifiers, types of air purifiers, and the best air purifiers in the Indian market.
You should check if the air purifier meets the regulatory compliances and standards prescribed by the government or other regulatory agencies.
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Best 5 Air Purifiers in India
Buyers Guide – Air Purifier
Air purifiers come in different shapes and sizes. It generally becomes difficult for the average customer to decide the best air purifiers for their home due to many technical features.
You should consider the following factors before buying an air purifier:
ACH and CADR Ratings
It is important to check ratings like ACH (Air Changes Per Hour) and CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) for the air purifier. ACH ratings signify the number of times the air purifier can replace dirty air in a room with fresh and purified air on an hourly basis. Hence, an ACH rating of 4x means that the air purifier can remove the dirty air in the room and replace it with clean air 4 times per hour.
Higher the ACH ratings, the better is the air purifier. CADR rating helps you understand how well an air purifier can clean the air in a given room size. It gives you an objective and honest way to assess the effectiveness of the air purifier and how large an area it can handle.
Size of Purifier
The size of the purifier is an important consideration before buying them. You should calculate the total area of your room or space where you want to use the air purifier. Depending on the area, you should purchase an air purifier designed to clean the air in that area. It is always recommended to buy air purifiers that are designed to work in a larger area than the actual area of your room. This helps you to get the best performance from your air purifier.
Type of Filtration
The filtration system is the most important component of an air purifier as it cleans the air indoors by removing impurities from the air. You should consider the type of filtration system being used in the air purifier.
HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration is considered to be the best filtration type. HEPA filtration can remove 99.70% of all microscopic particles from the air measuring as small as 0.3 microns.
Maintenance Cost
To ensure the best performance from your air purifier, you need to maintain it regularly. Air purifiers that use HEPA or carbon filtration systems will need regular filter replacements and this can increase the maintenance cost.
You should also inquire with the dealer about their charges for a home visit and servicing the air purifier which will provide you a fair idea of its maintenance cost over the years. It is also important to check that the spare parts of the purifier are easily available in the market before making the purchase decision.
Noise Level
Air purifiers can be noisy. Purifiers that use HEPA or Carbon filtration systems, come with a fan mechanism to draw external air into the unit. These fans can produce noise which depends on their size and speed. Most air purifiers come with different fan speeds.
If you are considering using the purifier in your bedroom or living area, the noise level is an important consideration for you. Ionic air purifiers don’t use filters which means they are usually noiseless in their operation as there are no fans installed inside the unit.
Energy Consumption
Like all other electrical appliances in your home, air purifiers also work on electrical energy. You should consider that in order to get the best results, air purifiers should be running continuously. This will help it to clean and purify the indoor air optimally.
Since the air purifiers will be required to run continuously, you should consider buying an energy-efficient purifier. You can check the Energy Star ratings which represent the energy efficiency of an electrical appliance. The higher the star ratings, the more energy-efficient is the air purifier. This will help you to reduce your energy consumption and electricity bills.
Manufacturer Credibility
Due to ever-growing air pollution, air purifiers have become a popular and important home appliance. Hence, many companies have started manufacturing air purifiers, considering their high demand. However, it is always recommended to buy air purifiers only from reputed and credible manufacturers. You should buy from manufacturers who have experience in manufacturing them and have a good track record.
Warranty
Before you purchase an air purifier, you should check the manufacturer’s warranty being offered on it. This will save you the trouble to get it repaired in the long run. It is important to go through the finer details of the warranty being offered like the parts covered, duration of the warranty, warranty extension terms, etc. Manufacturers who offer a warranty on their products are also an indication of the quality of their products. Hence, you should always buy air purifiers with a warranty as it is a long-term investment and not something which you will like to keep replacing regularly.
What is Air Quality Index (AQI)?
The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It provides an idea of how clean or polluted air is. what kind of health issues can be caused by such air quality? AQI is calculated for 5 major air pollutants-ground-level ozone, particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide, Sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
The AQI index ranges from 0-500. When the AQI is in the range of 0-50, it means good air quality. 51-100 represents moderate air quality, 101-150 signifies unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups. AQI of 151-200 denotes unhealthy air, 201-300 denotes very unhealthy air quality, and 301-500 signifies hazardous air quality which can cause many health issues.
What is Particulate Matter (PM)?
Particulate Matter (PM) which is also known as particle pollution, is a mixture of minuscule particles and liquid droplets. It is made up of a number of components like organic chemicals, metals, soil, or dust particles.
The size of PM can cause different health issues and PM less than 10 micrometers can pass through the human throat and nose and enter the lungs causing damage. PM2.5 denotes PM having a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometers and they can be detected only through an electron microscope.
These fine PM2.5 come from different sources like industries, motor vehicles, wood burning, airplanes, forest fires, volcanic eruptions, dust storms, etc.
Due to their extremely small size, PM2.5 particles stay in the air for longer and can enter into the human lungs and even the circulatory system. Children and people suffering from lung and/or heart diseases are more vulnerable to this dangerous PM2.5.
Types of Air PurifierS
Air purifiers use a different type of filtration system for purifying and cleaning the indoor air. The most commonly used type of filters in air purifiers are discussed below:
HEPA Filtration
- HEPA purifiers have become the most popular and sought-after air purifiers.
- These purifiers have been known to purify the air up to 99.70% by removing the most microscopic impure particles from the air.
- Before buying HEPA purifiers, you should ensure that you are buying a true HEPA purifier.
- Many brands are labeling their purifiers as “HEPA-type” or “HEPA-like” purifiers that cannot remove microscopic dirt particles from the air.
- They can only capture and remove particles sized 2-5 microns and this leads to a decrease in efficiency of almost 600% from the true HEPA air purifiers.
- Though HEPA purifiers are very efficient, they are also costlier to maintain as they require regular filter replacements.
Ionic Filtration
- These air purifiers use the ionic filtration system for purifying the air.
- They do not have filters and fan mechanisms but emit charged ions in the room to attract dirt and contaminant particles.
- This technology causes the contaminant particles and impurities to fall down on the floor.
- They can remove dust, pollen mold spores, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and volatile organic compounds.
- These air purifiers are noiseless and do not require any filter replacement and are thus cost-effective in the long run.
- The drawback of using iconic purifiers is that the impurities remain on the room’s floor unless they are collected using an electrostatic plate.
Carbon Filtration
- Carbon filtration is a unique way of purifying the air. These filters use a special type of activated carbon consisting of millions of absorbent pores.
- The air purifier uses a bed of activated carbon to remove contaminants and impurities from the air by using a chemical adsorption technique.
- The carbon filtration system can remove impurities like smoke, chlorine, sediments, pesticides, herbicides, volatile organic compounds, etc.
- Purifiers working on carbon filtration systems are used to remove particles causing bad odor and not for removing particles and contaminants which cause health problems.
- This is a major limiting factor of these air purifiers. These air purifiers are low-cost in maintenance and provide clean and fresh odor.
UV light Filtration
- Air purifiers using UV light filters do not use any physical filter for removing impurities from the air.
- It emits invisible ultraviolet light rays which help to remove the pollutants from the air.
- The UV light contained inside the air purifier and not released outside into the room.
- To ensure complete safety, these air purifiers use the UV-C band of the ultraviolet spectrum, which is safe for humans and does not result in any harmful side effects.
- UV light filtration air purifiers can remove bacteria, viruses, and germs.
- It creates a sterile environment and lasts for a long time.
Ozone Air Purifier
- Some air purifiers use ozone for purifying the indoor air.
- To protect the residents from air contaminants and pollutants, these air purifiers release ozone into the room for purifying the air.
- However, there are many concerns about using ozone air purifiers.
- Experts have strongly advocated avoiding these purifiers as ozone can cause lung irritation, irritation in the eyes, and in the respiratory system.
List of Top 5 Best Air Purifiers Online in India
Below is the list of the best air purifiers in India different brands and types of air purifiers available in the Indian market. Most customers find it difficult to buy the ideal air purifiers for themselves due to a lack of technical features and specifications.
You can consider buying any of the below-mentioned air purifiers to meet your requirements:
1. Philips AeraSense Air Purifier AC2887/20 2000 Series
This air purifier from the Philips brand is a popular choice among Indian consumers. It is equipped with useful features like IPS technology, PM level indicator, etc.
Features:
- Philips Air Purifier works on the effective HEPA filtration system for purifying the indoor air.
- It comes with a real-time indoor PM 2.5 level indicator which helps you to track the indoor air quality continuously.
- Also, it can remove indoor air pollution caused by cigarette smoke, formaldehyde, and other harmful gases.
- This air purifier also boasts of the VitaShield IPS technology which provides CADR of 333 m3 per hour.
- You also get great after-sales service from a trusted brand like Philips.
2. Mi Air Purifier 2S Vertical
This brand Xiaomi is a new entrant in the Indian air purifier market. However, it has come up with an excellent offering in the form of Mi Air Purifier 2S, with features like mentioned below.
Features:
- The Xiaomi MI Air purifier is capable of handling particles sized up to 2.5 microns and provides real-time data on indoor air quality on your phone.
- It provides high air pressure which offers higher circulation.
- This enables them to pump fresh and clean air to every corner of the room.
- The purifier is also controlled from your mobile phone through the Mi Home app.
- It is capable of purifying your room’s air in 10 minutes.
3. Kent Aura Portable Room Air Purifier
The Kent Aura Portable Room Air Purifier is designed to keep the Indian household in mind. Air purifier machine loaded with useful features like child lock, 8-hour timer, and three fan speed settings.
Features:
- The Kent air purifier comes with built-in light sensors that continuously monitor indoor air quality.
- It works on the HEPA filtration system and purifies the indoor air of particle and contaminant matter up to 2.5 microns.
- It also features a carbon-activated filter which is very useful in removing harmful gases and harmful odor from the room.
- The air refiner is almost noiseless while working.
4. Honeywell Room Air Purifier 53-Watts
The Honeywell air purifier can handle particles sized up to 2.5 microns. It also can remove harmful gases, VOCs, bad odors, etc. And this air refiner machine from Honeywell comes with the below-mentioned features.
Features:
- Honeywell Air Purifier has a CADR of 250 m3 per hour which is ideal for purifying the air for areas up to 323 sq. ft.
- Its filter will last for 3000 hours.
- Considering 8 hours per day usage, the filter will last for nearly a year before it will need replacement.
- It comes with a three-stage filtration system that is capable of removing up to 99.9% of all bacteria and viruses from the air.
5. American Micronic Air Purifier 22 Watts
This air purifier from American Micronic is effective in purifying indoor air. This air purifier is cost-effective too.
Features:
- It uses a HEPA filtration system and can remove up to 99.70% of impurities from the air.
- The American Micronic air purifier can remove air particles sized up to 2.5 microns.
- It also comes with an activated carbon filter which helps to remove oil vapors and bad odor.
- The air refiner is ideal for purifying the air in small rooms sized 150-200 sq. ft.
- It has a built-in ionizer that is effective in removing smoke and other suspended particles.
Conclusion
Air purifiers are a part of today’s life to get fresh air. So, be careful about choosing the right kind of air purifier for you. Always choose the purifier that is easy-to-use for you and helps you keep your surrounding air pure.