9 smart air purifiers to keep your home fresh

Especially for city dwellers and in our modern climate, clean air quality is getting to be increasingly important. While air pollution is commonly associated with the outdoors, the air in our home can contain contaminants that can be equally, if not more toxic. Take, for instance, microscopic particles to allergens like pet dander and harmful gases emitted from common household products.

Below, we’ve rounded up the air purifiers worth investing in to upgrade your indoor air for a healthier, cleaner living environment.

1. Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier 3H, now $173

Xiaomi’s air purifier comes in a minimalist white design that would fit in any modern home. It’s outfitted with a 360° cylindrical HEPA filter to effectively remove fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and other harmful substances. Combined with a centrifugal fan and customised brushless motor, it promises to deliver up to 6,330 liters of purified air per minute.

It even tackles formaldehyde, a colourless gas that can be released via household products, and which can trigger skin, nose, and throat irritations.

The smart appliance can be remotely controlled with Xiaomi’s Mi Home app, can be paired with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant , and comes with an OLED touch screen display. This shows the room’s current AQI levels in the room, ambient temperature, humidity level, as well as the selected mode.

Other pluses: It’s energy-saving, has a low noise level, and has a high-precision laser PM sensor to detect pollution in your space.

2. Dyson Pure Cool Cryptomic Air Purifier Tower Fan TP06 (White Gold), now $888

If Dyson’s range of sleek blade-less fans have you impressed, you’ll be further wowed by its purifying fan that pulls double duty by ridding indoor air of nasties too. 360° sealed glass HEPA and activated carbon filters sieve out harmful gases, as well as 99.95 per cent of microscopic allergens and pollutants as small as 0.3 microns. Plus, it even continuously destroys formaldehyde.

A 350-degree oscillation and an Air Multiplier technology that circulates a purified breeze throughout your room (and not to mention that sleek design) makes it ideal for anything from bedrooms to large family rooms. Placing it in the bedroom? Run it on the nighttime mode for quiet settings and a dimmed display.

You can also control it and keep check of your indoor air quality levels in real time via the Dyson Link App, and it’s compatible with Amazon’s Alexa.

3. Blueair Joy S, $359

If you are after a compact purifier that would fit in small spaces like a cosy bedroom or home office, consider the Blueair Joy S air purifier, which is an upgrade of its popular 411 version that covers a larger room capacity.

Its small size doesn’t take up much space and it can cover up to about 183 sq ft to weed out airborne contaminants including pollen, dust, pet dander, mold spores, smoke, allergens, and bacteria. The combination filter with active carbon gets rid of light household odours from pets, cooking and smoking.

The brand promises it to be whisper-silent, thanks to a HEPASilent filtration technology, so it doesn’t disrupt your precious snooze time or focus when working from home. You can also choose from six fabric pre-filter colors or go without to match the look of your space.

4. Airfree P40, $299

Another compact model with a sleek exterior, the P40 is best for rooms up to 172 sq ft, and is part of the brand’s award-winning Airfree P series. Great for those with allergies and asthma, the filter-less device uses heat to combat nasties instead, relying on a Thermodynamic TSS technology to eradicate mould, dust mites, bacteria, viruses, pollens, pet dander, organic odours and other organic allergens.

In fact, it also promises to reduce indoor harmful ozone levels and to be completely silent.

5. Sharp Air Purifier FP-J80E-H, now $1,278

Sharp’s air purifiers are equipped with the Plasmacluster Ion technology, which emits positive and negative ions that deactivate airborne mould, allergens and influenza viruses. According to the brand, research has proven its efficacy against various flu viruses.

A three-step filtration system gets rid of larger dust particles and pet dander, common household odours, and up to 99.97 per cent of ultra-fine airborne particles.

It may come with a hefty price tag but the FP-J80E-H model comes with the highest density of Plasmacluster™ ions out of all of Sharp’s purifiers. Intelligent control functions on this model also allow for easy control and monitoring of the machine via the Sharp Smart Remote mobile app. And with a coverage area of 667 sq ft, it’s great for larger living spaces, too.

6. Panasonic Econavi Humidifying Nanoe Air Purifier F-VXK70AWS, now $679

This smart device, which covers about 560 sq ft, comes with an Econavi technology that “memorises” your daily household habits and pollution patterns for maximum efficiency – reducing unnecessary operation also makes it more eco-friendly and lowers your electricity bills.

readyviewed It’s powered by advanced nanotechnology and conserves energy thanks to intelligent sensors. Not only does it inhibit the growth of bacteria and viruses, it also deodorises your space and promises to help retain the moisture of your skin

7. Levoit LV-H132 Compact HEPA Air Purifier, now $210.99

This compact air purifier at a wallet-friendly price is designed to target common allergy triggers like pet dander and mold spores. It also removes odours like cooking smells, secondhand cigarette smoke and ultra-fine particles thanks to a set of three filters: A pre-filter, TRUE HEPA filter, and an activated carbon filter.

For those concerned about ozone production, it claims to be ozone-free, and does not use UV or ions, which can produce trace amounts of measurable ozone.

8. Novita Air/Surface Sterilizer NAS6000i, now $682.21

It may not be enough to only eliminate pollutants floating in the air – it’s also a good idea to get rid of contaminants thriving on often-touched surfaces.

Enter Novita’s surface steriliser, air purifer and ioniser rolled into one, which utilises a true HEPA filter, UV photocatalytic oxidation, Electron Spray Ionization and Mica Corona Discharge (this utilises controlled ozone concentration that targets airborne germs and odours.

A nifty energy-saving feature: You can adjust the area of coverage (between 100 to 1200 sq ft) as well as maximise its sanitising capabilities with the Away mode (Note: you’ll have to be out of the room on this mode).

9. LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier, $229

Breathe in clean, fresh air on the go with LG’s wearable air purifier. Ergonomically designed to be worn like a face mask, the contraption comes with Hepa filters to filter out 99 per cent of harmful airborne particles.

There’s also a respiratory sensor to detect the cycle and volume of your breath and adjust the dual three-speed fans for a comfortable breathing experience. It comes with disposable filters and a washable face pad, and can be charge it for two hours and it offers up to eight hours of use.

Additionally, a separate case ($199), which uses UV-C LED lights to kill harmful germs, remove moisture from the mask and help charge the mask in two hours, can be purchased separately.

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.