So, you want to buy an airpurifier in India? (1/2)

Buying an airpurifier in India

With air pollution "in the air", there is a surge in the number of people looking for an air purifier.  As always, there are way too many choices at all the different price ranges and narrowing down on one can be downright harrowing. In this digest, we will provide an overview so that you can make an informed choice.

At the minimum, the air purifier should be able to take out the particulate matters (Dust etc.). For a start a air purifier should at least remove particles over 0.3 microns. For comparison, the human hair measures 40 microns thick.  Our body naturally removes particles that are 10 micros or over. The finer particles are the challenge since they can bypass the nasal hair and mucous and penetrate into the upper lung) and potentially the blood stream

If you want an air purifier, the first thing is to try and be clear on why you want one. Your choice - the price points, brands etc. will depend on that. So, what's your reason?

1. Removal of particulate matter above a certain size (Most common need)
2. Removal of various other allergens, then be open to other filters.
3. Odor/gas removal (E.g. Formaldehyde - when you have recently renovated/painted)
4. Ability to kill microbes. However, ensure adequate ventilation etc. for some of the by-products such as Ozone to get dissipated. E.g. Ionization is supposed to kill of a range of bacteria and viruses.

You can consider the air purifier world to be in two groups. The HEPA filters and the non-HEPA filters (which purifies with other techniques). Yes, there are more ways to look at this, but we believe the above method makes your choice a little easier.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of excellent articles that gives a good idea of how to choose an air filter. We have curated a few articles from China since people there have been facing pollution issues for a while and there is good content available on what people there have done.

• http://www.purelivingchina.com/2010/12/how-to-choose-an-air-filter-purifier-in-china/
• http://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/air-purifier-buying-guide-which-one-should-you-choose-1257612

Here is the link to part 2 of this guide