Breathe Safe: Top 3 smart air purifiers you may consider buying this Diwali

Air pollution in the Indian cities is a well-known problem. In cities such as Delhi, the problem is so severe that the Supreme Court had to ban the sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali. Last year, the Delhi government had to shut down schools due to heavy smog, triggered by higher levels of particulate matter (also known as PM) in the air after Diwali.

While people may think staying at home may prevent exposure to the high pollution outside, the reality is that the indoor pollution is a real problem which many of us tend to overlook. The indoor pollution can emanate from a variety of sources such as indoor smoke, paint fumes, varnishes, and pet dander among others.

Indoor air purifiers can be really helpful in metropolitan cities such as Delhi. Since Diwali is just a few days away, investing in an indoor air purifier will be a good idea, especially if you have children in your house. We have prepared a list of air purifiers that are simple to use and come with smart features. Before we hold forth, here are a few key things you need to understand about the air purifiers.

What does an air purifier do?

The mechanism of an air purifier is very much similar to a water purifier. Air purifiers come with multiple filters (three or more in some cases) to capture particulate matter that usually consists of allergens and pollutants. The purifiers filter out these pollutants to re-circulate the clean air. Most of the air purifiers come with an air pollution indicator to show you the air quality indoors.

Do you actually need one?

Air in cities such as Delhi is quite toxic, which you can yourself check through the indexing websites such as aqicn.org/city/delhi/ or airquality.hindustantimes.com/. The indoor pollutants, which usually go unnoticed, can lead to a number of severe health hazards such as pneumonia and heart diseases.

You can read more about the health impacts in this in-depth report from the World Health Organisation. Last month, a report indicated that the exposure to indoor air pollution from burning solid fuels could increase the chances of stunting among Indian children.

Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier 2

Price: Rs 8,499

The Mi Air Purifier 2, which launched last year, is still one of the most affordable and smart air purifiers available in the market right now. The purifier covers 400 square feet and comes with a real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) monitoring. It features a triple layer filter to keep PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) at bay.

The Mi Air Purifier 2 comes with Wi-Fi support and can remotely be controlled by a Mi Home app (available for both Android and iOS phones). The app also allows you to monitor the air quality, humidity and temperature sensors as well as fan speed. The Mi Home app also allows you to keep a tab on the degradation of filters and notifies users when they’re up for an upgrade.