These days, air purifiers have become the most efficient means to clean indoor air. (Photo: Pixabay) With the rise in pollution levels, air purifiers have become a necessity today. Amid all the construction work, the foul air emanating from vehicles and factories, along with the aerosol transmission of coronavirus, an air purifier helps us to breathe easy. If you are contemplating buying one, Anshul K Sharma — the vice president of research & development, Log 9 Materials — suggests you keep four important factors in mind.
The best way to judge the efficacy of an air purifier is through the amount of time it takes to purify the air. (Representational image)
Purpose
“Air purifiers also help with allergies, smoke removal, and chemical fume removal in factories, along with the removal of odour and pet hair, which can induce allergy,” says Sharma. Such factors can help determine the kind of air purifier you need with specific filters suitable for your usage.
Size of the room
Bigger the space, bigger will be the air purifier. “The best way to judge the efficacy of an air purifier is by measuring the time it takes to purify air,” he adds.
“ACH rate of the air purifier should be considered. It refers to the number of times an air purifier can filter the entire volume of air in the space every hour.”
Features and design
Make sure your purifier has HEPA filters. They help remove certain allergens like dust and pollen, and pet hair. The same, however, won’t help with the removal of fumes, smell, harmful gases, bacteria or viruses. “In this case, carbon filters prove effective. Additionally, the presence of UV technology in an air purifier would prove effective in inactivating microbes and viruses such as COVID-19,” Sharma explains.
The design holds equal importance because some air purifiers have 360-degree air projection vents, while some others have fan-like structures to give out purified air in the room. This is what determines how far it can go in cleaning the air.
Maintenance
“The HEPA and carbon filters need to be replaced once or twice every year depending on usage and placement. UV lamps used in air purifiers have a working life of around 9,000 – 11,000 hours,” says Sharma.
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