Things you should keep in mind before buying an air purifier

The air inside our room is also considered to be polluted and sometimes it can be more dangerous than the air outside. Recent technological advancements have created the possibility of taking control of indoor air pollution, the most prominent being air purifiers.

Currently, there are a lot of companies which makes air purifiers. But one has to check the quality and its efficiency in handling indoor pollutants.

There are many companies which treat air purifiers as gizmos with additional features such as sensors, wi-fi etc. and they do not have a serious effect on the performance of air purifiers, said Shuvendu Mazumdar, national manager, Sharp air purifier business.

The basic purpose of an air purifier is to reduce the toxins from entering the body. Less toxin means lesser inflammation resulting in reduced sick days.

Here are some important factors that you should keep in mind while choosing to buy an air purifier:

The first and foremost thing to keep in mind when buying an air purifier is its efficiency.

CADR (clean air delivery rate) is the standard to determine the efficiency of air purifiers. CADR is the volume of clean air that a machine can deliver in a set amount of time. The higher the CADR number, the faster the rate at which the room air purifier removes indoor air pollutants. CADR is independently tested and certified by US-based Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). Many air purifiers have a CADR number, but may not be verified by AHAM. For best results, look for the AHAM verified symbol. With the CADR standard, it’s easy to tell which room air purifier works best.

To get the best results the air purifier must be used for the full year.

Shifting an air purifier from one room to other doesn’t really help and it is advised to reduce exposure form pollutants at a place where we spend the maximum duration of time.

An air purifier is useful only in an air-conditioned space.

The only kind you should be buying has a washable pre-filter, a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter and an activated carbon filter. Air purifiers with five stage or even seven stage filtration technologies may have side effects.

While air purifiers claim to have HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air), the quality, grade, size, folds and life are not clear in most cases.

Verification of claims – as the air purifiers are intangible, performance certificates or field tests can be an added advantage before buying an air purifier.

Currently, there is no specific standardisation process by the government to check the quality of air purifiers in the market. However, there are two standards- AHAM (American) and China certification. Most air purifiers that are available in India do not have any of these certifications. Both the certifications ensure a minimum quality and performance standard for an air purifier model.