Looking for air purifiers for your home? Know how to choose the best.

by Amili R. SEO

Though you might not agree but the truth is that the time has come for people to invest in air purifiers for home to deal with the alarming pollution levels in India. Reports specify that since 2012-13, the sale of these air filtering devices that promise to clean up in the air in homes and offices, has more than doubled. Today, all leading brands manufacture air purifiers – Philips, Eureka Forbes, Daikin, Sharp, Panasonic, Honeywell and others.

In general, they can cost anything between INR 3,000 and INR 95,000 or more. But before going out to buy one, it is necessary to understand how these devices work and the technologies to search for and the ones to avoid.

The market is full of different types of air filters that are based on different technologies to do their job. The top ones are those that remove particulate matter and allergens by employing a filter. According to industry experts, “a combination of a good HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter and a sound carbon filter is important for an efficient air purifier.”

Anyway, the reality is that not all come with pre-filters that are important, or at least that are recommended. This is a serious point especially in a country like India where the air is comprised of large particulate matter and heavy pollutants. Pre-filters are meant to pull in and filter out larger particles that could otherwise result into choking the HEPA filter. If the HEPA filter gets choked, there will be a need to replace it sooner than later and that could be a costly deal because these filters tend to be expensive.

The next category of air purifiers for home is the ionizing purifiers that create charge molecules known as ions. The majority of molecules in the air feature neutral charge, which means they have the same number of positive and negative electrons. When these molecules pass through the ionising purifier, they either carry or drop an extra electron, thus giving the molecule a negative or positive charge.

Another option is to go for ozone generators that change the molecules of oxygen (O2) into ozone (O3). Ozone, it is promised, eliminates odors and infection-causing objects from the air.

There is one more technology that is quite popular and that is Ultraviolet Radiation (UV). The UV light targets airborne viruses and bacteria. Nanotechnology is another option to vouch for. This is meant to remove, besides nitrogen oxide and Sulphur oxide, the harmful volatile organic compounds that add to smog and ozone levels.

So, after gaining too much information and different types of air conditioners, you could easily decide on the best one for your needs.