What ifs of an air purifier
Toxic air pollution has become a part of our life now. Despite of so many rules and regulations to control pollution, it only seems like the situation is slipping from our hands. Worldwide, ambient air pollution is estimated to cause about 16% of the lung cancer deaths, 25% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) deaths, about 17% of ischaemic heart disease and stroke, and about 26% of respiratory infection deaths. Serious pollutants can cause certain types of cancers and other long-term health complications. India suffers most pollution related deaths. The results show that 23,26,771 premature pollution-related deaths occur in India every year—maximum in the world.
In times like these when most of our time is spent outdoors breathing in this toxic air, all one can dream of is some freshness once back home. The walls we use to shelter and protect us from the elements also trap airborne chemicals, gases, odour and particles. It has been found that our dwellings may contain air that is 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. Indoor air quality is a critical concern that requires immediate action from homeowners.
In families with elderly people and kids, fresh air is of absolute importance as both these age groups are much prone to respiratory problems in comparison to young adults. As for kids, their organs are still in a developing stage and in older people the chances of catching an infection or an allergy are higher than usual. In such a tense situation clean air has not only become important but also a necessity.
Here I am going to tell you “What is the importance of an Air Purifier?
“Its a man made solution to a man made problem”
It is the best way to clean your air indoors, which can be polluted and full of triggering particles like pollen and dust. It also helps maintain a healthy environment by removing pet dander, mold spores, ragweed and more.
Many people prefer keeping air purifying plants inside their homes, as good as this idea feels, plants alone cannot get rid of the huge amount of polluted air we breathe in every day. There is an app that measures the air quality in daily cigarettes, it follows a basic formula: one cigarette per day is equivalent of a PM2.5 level 22 g/m3. Not to scare you but according to an app, breathing in Delhi is equal to smoking 33.2 cigarettes a day. Even if we keep an entire room full of plants, it won’t help until we get some extra help. This is where an air purifier becomes absolutely essential for us.
People sometimes worry about being used to the air purifier in such a way that the air outside may not suit them anymore, it's a myth. It took us centuries long journey of evolution to reach a respiratory system strong enough to heal on its own and get rid of most of the pollutants that try to enter it. An air purifier is something that purifies the air around you so that your respiratory system gets enough time to heal.
An air purifier has fringe benefits in addition to all above mentioned advantages for instance it can also be used for protecting the general well-being of the occupants of a space, it can be of great use to the hospitals in preventing post operative infections by removing airborne bacteria from operating room. It even helps to extend the shelf life of perishable dairy products by removing airborne mold during processing operations.
The concept of an air purifier is rather new to the Asian subcontinent but so was the concept of a water filter and look where that has reached today. We are accustomed to the habit of being inspired by the west when it comes to new technology, but the concept of air purifiers just like water filter needs to developed in the South Asian market as pollution here has reached its highest.
In a nut shell, an Air purifier is in times today an essential appliance for your wellbeing.
Whenever we introduce ourselves to any new device or appliance it’s always best to know how to use it to its fullest without depreciating it, same goes for an air purifier because not only is it new in your life it’s also a pristine concept in India.
I am going to share some steps to help you maintain a healthy atmosphere under your roof whilst increasing the life and efficiency of your air purifier.
- To start with the basics, an air purifier doesn’t need to be working 24x7 to give best results, it’s more efficient if used at the right time.
- People usually complain about the air being stale after using the air purifier all day, every day, so home ventilation is the key to keep the house and its occupants healthy and comfortable. It is a vital component in maintaining proper indoor air quality and eliminating contaminants.
- In my opinion, during winter one should keep the windows and doors open for ventilation during day time, as the sunlight breaks the carbon molecule making making the air more breathable and forgoing the air from being stale, as suggested by doctors throughout the world.
- I suggest everyone to keep a window open when leaving for work in the morning and once back, shut the doors and windows like you do with an air conditioner and turn the Air purifier on. Even if you are at home, its best to follow this practice.
- In Summer, Its best to use your air purifier the whole time when your AC is working, but keep in mind about giving your machine some rest from time to time basis.
- In time of rain or breezy weather, keep the doors and windows open for continuous ventilation of clean and fresh air.
- I am fond of greenery therefore I keep a bunch of indoor plants most of which are useful for purifying air. In case you have such plants at home, please do not depend entirely on them, an air purifier is an additional benefit to bring in freshness & clean air that plants alone cannot.
- Following this process will give your home appropriate ventilation and clean air giving you the best experience of the air which you are breathing.
Hope these steps from my personal experience help you as much as they help me every day.
The market is full of fancy air purifiers with hundreds of functions like app control, air quality display, touch panel, and what not. Now as tempting as these features are, the real power of an air purifier lies in its filter. Air purifiers use a system of internal fans to pull the air in your home through a series of filters that remove harmful airborne particles like dust, pollen, bacteria etc and then circulate the purified air back into the room. So all these fancy features didn’t seem appealing to me.
After spending a good amount of time researching about air purifiers the best I found were the Blueair air purifiers. It is a Swedish company which I researched that has one of the best air purifier filters and as I said earlier, that’s what I was looking for.
I went to the market and checked different air purifiers and their filters & once I checked the Blueair Purifier filters, I could see and feel the difference. The filters were class built. Unlike other purifiers with thin and small filters, blueair filters were sturdy. With HEPA filter on one side and carbon on another and a bed of activated carbon granules inside and everything was in perfect place.
I bought the purifier, one for each room and the difference was so loud and clear. It felt like heaven. Many of my friends who visited me frequently noticed the change in breathable air whenever they entered my home. A few of them already had air purifiers but probably fell for the fancy features and not quality. I suggested the brand to so many people and not even one was unhappy with the purchase.
When the time for changing the filter came my search began again & I started looking for pocket friendly options with no compromise on quality. I found the VMTC smoke stop air purifier filter that has been made with activated carbon, since I was new to the brand I ordered filter for just one room, to my surprise the quality turned out to be excellent, the built quality was really good. and their prices were exaggerated in no way. I ordered more instantly and now I own one of the best air purifier with reasonable filter replacement cost. The breathing experience is same & the filter was delivered in no time. The filters even fit perfectly.