8 Best Air Purifiers – Top Air Purifiers for Dust – Buyer’s Guide

With the increase in air pollution in India, you simply cannot neglect the need to breathe clean, clean air. In this post, I will list the best air purifiers from India.
Air quality in India is deteriorating at an alarming rate. “Previously, China was the most polluted country in terms of air quality. But now it is India. “

When you talk about air pollution, the first thing that comes to mind is industrial, vehicular and other pollution.

In a way, it is correct. But have you ever wondered how polluted the indoor air you breathe in your home is?

Of course, you will be frowning at asking that question. Normally, we expect the indoor air to be pure. You will be surprised to learn that indoor air can be worse than outdoor air when it comes to pollution.

There are many air purifiers available on the market. Dyson and Phillips are the market leaders in this sector. Let’s look at some of the best air purifiers in India.

Our Top Pick

Air Purifiers

What are the best air purifiers?

Our research examined 30-plus brands and dozens of customer and expert reviews, and we’ve come up with the top air purifiers for your home or office. 

Our top pick is the Coway AP-1512 HH Mighty, a quiet model with a HEPA filter, prefilter, ionizer and odor filter. With its strong performance for the price (including the cost of replacement filters), this is the best air purifier for most people.

The best-looking air purifier is the Blueair Blue Pure 211+, which comes in five colors  including yellow, blue and pink. It’s powerful, but a bit loud. It doesn’t have a HEPA filter but Blueair insists its filters are even better. (Consumer Reports said this is one of the best at cleaning a room of COVID-19 droplets.)

For tight budgets, we recommend the Levoit LV-H132 or the Blueair Blue Pure 411. Either will do nicely in your bedroom.

Parents of young children will like the PureZone 3-in-1 True HEPA Air Purifier, which is small, quiet and perfect for kids’ bedrooms. It can also be put on a timer to shut itself off while the little ones slumber. 

If you don’t like changing filters, try the Austin Air HealthMate HM-400. Its filters last up to 5 years. It also filters out the the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) you’ll get from fresh paints, plastics and petroleum products.

Finally, if money is no object and clean air is critical to your health needs, the IQAir HealthPro Plus or the Coway Airmega 400 may fit the bill. Both are equipped to handle rooms of 1,000 square feet or more. 

Let us now look at the types of pollutants present in the air that your air purifier can remove

Generally, every house contains the following common types of pollutants.

1. Dust and dust mites
2. Cooking odours, chemical cleaners, and toxins from the aerosol sprays that we use, like insect repellents, pain killers, and others
3. Agarbatti smoke and carbon residues left behind by burning camphor
4. Volatile organic compounds  found in paints, varnishes, carpets, mattresses, and building materials
5. Bacteria and viruses
6. Pollen, plant spores, and fungi
7. Mould spores
8. Pet dander and hair
9. Tobacco smoke, especially if you smoke cigarettes.

A glance through the above list shows that each of these pollutants can damage your health, whether you have an allergy or not.

When do you need an air purifier at home?

We have seen why you need an air purifier at home. Let us now see when you need it the most. Though an air purifier is welcome at any time, the following circumstances require you to go for one immediately.

Dust allergies

If you experience frequent bouts of sneezing or coughing because of dust allergies, it is time you invested in an air purifier for allergies. These purifiers eliminate allergens like pollen and pet dander and provide you with much-needed relief.

Asthma attacks

Houses having asthma patients should not think twice before purchasing an air purifier. It is one of the perfect ways to provide relief to people living with asthma and ensure that they do not experience respiratory issues.

Pet Dander and hair pollutants

Having pets at home is fun. However, the downsides are that you are exposed to pet dander and hair impurities that you inhale unconsciously. Having a specific air purifier to deal with pet dander should be ideal for such homes.

Smoke

No Indian home is bereft of smoke. You should thank your stars if there are no smokers in your home.

However, every house has to contend with smoke emanating from the kitchen while cooking and also from devotional rooms when you light incense sticks and burn camphor. A high-quality air purifier can eliminate the chemicals from such smoke and make it comfortable.

Chemical sensitives

Using mosquito repellents is excellent for dealing with mosquitoes. Similarly, you use aerosol sprays for repelling flies and cockroaches. Even your medicinal sprays for providing relief from muscular aches can pollute the air.

Different Types of Air Purifiers

Purchasing an air purifier can be confusing, at times. An Indian home usually experiences all the conditions discussed above. That does not entail you should go for five different air purifiers. You get air purifiers that can cater to all the above requirements.

Though you find an overwhelming range of air purifiers on display on the internet, it finally boils down to the type of filtration methods in use.

There are four types of air filtration technology available in India. They cater to almost all the pollutants described in one of our earlier paragraphs.

HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) Filters

When it comes to air filtration, nothing can beat HEPA filtration technology. The driving mechanism behind the functioning of HEPA filters consists of a dense paper filter for trapping airborne contaminants.

It can eliminate various air contaminants like pollen, fungi, mould spores, dust, hair, pet dander, and visible smoke.

When shopping for air purifiers using HEPA filters, you have to be careful. Manufacturers tend to confuse people by using similar terms. You should look out for the words, “True HEPA Filter” as it can eliminate up to 99.97% of contaminant particles as small as 0.3 microns.

The other names you could encounter are “HEPA Type” or “HEPA like.” These filters are not genuine HEPA filters and can eliminate particles only as small as 2.5 microns. On the efficiency front, these air purifiers are 600% less efficient than cleaners using “True HEPA filter.”

Plus Points

• The advantage of HEPA filtration is that they eliminate pollutants and do not release them back into the air. Thus, they are safe for almost all kinds of respiratory problems.

Minuses

• The significant disadvantage is that these filters are expensive and incur high maintenance costs. Besides, they are not the ideal filters for eliminating chemical odours. The air purifiers using HEPA filters use a fan to suck air. Hence, they can be noisy at high speeds.

Ionic Filtration

Ionic filtration is a unique filtration technology that operates by emitting charged ions into the air that attaches itself to the airborne contaminants. Thus, these contaminants become heavy and fall onto the floor and other surfaces.

Generally, these ionic air purifiers come equipped with an electrostatic collection plate for attracting and collecting these particles. This purification technology can eliminate particles as small as 0.01 microns in size.

Ionic filtration can remove contaminants like pollen, dust, mould spores, VOCs, fungi, visible smoke, and even some bacteria and viruses.Plus Points

• The primary advantage of ionic filtration is that these filters are comparatively cheaper than HEPA filters. They do not require much maintenance and filter replacements. As this technology does not use fans, it does not make any noise.

Minuses

• The downside of ionic filtration is that the pollutants remain in the room on the floor and other surfaces. If the air purifier features an electrostatic plate for collecting these contaminants, one should ensure to clean these plates with soap and water frequently. Besides, this technology produces traces of ozone that can cause respiratory issues in asthma patients.

Carbon Filtration

Activated carbon has excellent filtration properties. You would have seen the use of activated carbon filters in water purifiers and even refrigerators for eliminating foul food odours. Activated carbon contains millions of absorbent pores that can trap fumes, chemical gases, and odours.

These filters do not remove particles that cause health issues but eliminate bad smells. It can deal with chemical and gas fumes, and foul odours from cleaning supplies, smoke, pesticides, paints, cooking, and even pets.Plus Points

• The activated carbon filtration technology is comparatively cheap, easy to replace, and keeps the room smelling fresh all the time.

Minuses

• The demerit of this technology is that it is useful for reducing gaseous fumes, odours, and foul smells. It cannot handle other contaminants.

Ultra-Violet Light

This technology entails the emission of UV light (invisible to the naked eye) into the air purifier chamber to attack the contaminants. There is no provision of a physical filter through which the polluted air has to pass through for filtration.

As the UV light is not released into the room, it is safe for humans. The primary responsibility of UV Light technology is to eliminate bacteria and viruses to make the environment free of particles that cause illnesses.Plus Points

• UV lights have a long life and do not require frequent replacement. They kill the germs and create a sterile environment inside the room.

Minuses

• As this technology can kill germs and bacteria, they are best used as additional features along with other filtration technologies. This technology is not much useful on a stand-alone basis.

Though we have discussed the four prominent technologies involved in air purification, there are a couple of other minor technologies in use.

Pre-filters 

They are useful for eliminating large particles like pet hair to make it easy for the subsequent filtration stages. Some of the pre-filters exhibit electrostatic properties and also use activated carbon to remove odours and smoke. These filters require frequent replacement.

Heat Filtration 

This technology works by passing the air over an inner ceramic plate heated up to 400 degrees Centigrade to eliminate bacteria, viruses, mould, and dust mites. This technique is not much effective against VOCs, smoke, and non-organic contaminants.

Generally, an air purifier comes with a combination of more than one technologies discussed above.

The Classic Version is the traditional appliance that does not provide intelligent feedback on the type of impurities they remove.

However, they work well, as is evident from the dust that collects on the filters over a period. Some of them come with digital controls and air quality sensors to aid in the purification process.

The Smart-Enabled Version of air purifiers is compatible with a dedicated mobile app that provides valuable data that help to determine the appliance’s efficiency.

They also reveal the exact nature of pollutants removed from the room and track the air quality level in real-time. Naturally, these air purifiers are comparatively expensive.

Additional Features Present in Air Purifiers

When purchasing an air purifier, you must look for the following features, depending on the type of product you choose.

Some of these features come free with the appliance, whereas some might be optional. However, they could prove their worth. Therefore, you should not mind spending a few bucks more if the feature is a useful one.

Pre-filters

These attachments are useful because they filter out the larger pollutants like hair and dirt. Thus, they help in extending the internal filter’s lifespan considerably. Usually, these pre-filters are washable.

Digital Controls

It is a convenience feature that makes it easy to fix the settings when compared to a push-button or rotary dial controlling option.

Adjustable Fan Speeds

Generally, air purifiers have between two to five adjustable fan speed settings. Some of them come with a turbo speed to cater to specific requirements.

Programmable Timers

These timers are energy-saving features that shut off the appliance after a pre-determined time interval. It helps prevent the device from running continuously even when you are not at home.

Filter Replacement Indicators

Replacing the filters when they become clogged and unusable is essential to ensure the machine’s efficiency. These replacement indicators alert you when it is time to replace the filters.

Carrying Handle

This attachment helps you to transport the air purifier from one room to the other comfortably.

Casters

Casters are wheels that allow easy transportation of the machine from one room to another. Generally, the massive machines have them.

Anti-microbial treatment

The internal filters get an anti-microbial coating to prevent the spread of bacteria and microorganisms. It enhances the filter’s lifespan while preventing the reintroduction of these germs back into the year.

Air Quality Sensors

Some of the air purifiers come with air quality sensors to monitor specific contaminants and adjust the air-purifying settings accordingly.

Plasma Wave Technology

This technology is comparatively safer than air ionization because it does not emit negative ions or release ozone. Instead, it used water vapour to achieve a similar effect.

Photocatalytic Oxidation

This process works with UV light for oxidizing chemicals and destroying VOCs bacteria, fungi, and moulds.

Night Light

The top-end air purifiers come with an in-built night lamp to indicate its presence in the dark. Thus, it becomes easy to locate the appliance in your room at night.

Remote Control

You can control the settings of your air purifier from a distance using the remote controlling option.

Mobile app

The smart-enabled air purifiers feature mobile app compatibility to operate the device, monitor data, and diagnose problematic issues, etc.

Additional Points to consider when purchasing an air purifier     

Your air purifier is a useful appliance. Hence, it becomes imperative to take care of the machine. These devices work better when you maintain them properly.

Depending on the type of air purifier you purchase, you incur maintenance costs. Therefore, it is better to have a clear idea of the same before buying the machine.

Filter Replacement

Air purifiers using HEPA and activated carbon filters require frequent filter replacement, depending on the quality of the input air. It is because the contaminants get trapped inside these filters and clog them, rendering them unfit for use.

It is advisable to check out with the manufacturer before purchasing the air purifier to know the frequency of filter replacement. These filters are also expensive. Hence, you should factor in the replacement cost, as well.

If you purchase the ionic air purifiers or the UV air purifiers, there is no need for replacing filters because they do not have any. Some of the ionic air purifiers come equipped with electrostatic collection filters for collecting the harmful pollutants from the air. These filters are washable and reusable.

Noise Levels

The air purifiers that use HEPA filters and activated carbon filters come paired with a fan system to suck the air inside the machine. These fans rotate at varying speeds depending on the settings you choose.

As you increase the speed, these fans can make noise. Some of the air purifiers come with a two-speed setting (high and low), whereas some come with five-speed settings.

The fans require overhauling at regular intervals to prevent them from making noise.

Besides, the blades can accumulate dust. They need frequent cleaning to work efficiently. It is somewhat similar to your ceiling fans.

The ionic air purifiers do not have any fans. Therefore, there is no question of any maintenance costs in this regard.

Energy Consumption

Air purifiers work on electricity. Hence, one should be aware of the energy consumption of your device to determine its efficiency.

BEE does not assign star ratings to air purifiers. Therefore, no one can know the energy efficiency of the appliance before purchasing it.

However, you can go for reputed brands to get guaranteed products.

Manufacturer Reputation

There are a variety of air purifiers available on the market. It can be challenging to select the ideal brand because of the lack of accurate data to compare efficiency.

Therefore, it is advisable to go with the manufacturer’s reputation.

Some of the top Air Purifier brands available on the Indian market are Philips, Honeywell, Crompton, Glen, Godrej, LG, HUL Pureit, Panasonic, Prestige, Sharp, and Whirlpool, etc.

Check out the warranties

Generally, air purifiers last long. However, no one can rule out problems from occurring with these machines. Hence, each air purifier comes with its manufacturer’s warranty.

You should check up the items that are covered under warranty. Usually, these warranties do not cover filter replacements.

Things we can do to Control Air Pollution at our Home

Most of the power generated in India is via Thermal Plants where they burn coal which is a major source for PM 2.5 and many other pollutants.

You can replace your Traditional Home Lights with LED lights that consume a lot less power, and you can also save some money.

If you are living in an Individual house, Do plant some trees. Also, If you Apartments have a balcony, Do plant some trees. These are the tiny things that we can do to control the Air pollution.

You might think It’s not significant. But, If Lakhs of us start planting trees at our home, then it can be a positive change.

The Advantages of Owning an Air Purifier

Indoor air pollutants like smoke can cause a range of acute symptoms and may lead to chronic illness after prolonged exposure. Some of these pollutants may be aired out by simply opening a window, but that isn’t always possible. Air purifiers improve indoor air quality overall, using a mechanical and chemical filtration to remove pollutants from the air.

• Air purifiers can eliminate pet hair, mildew, smoke, odors, and more.
• Air purifiers improve the quality of life for people dealing with asthma and allergies.
• Air purifiers can protect the health of vulnerable groups including older adults, young children, and individuals with heart or lung disease.

What are the Factors to Consider Whilst Purchasing an Air Purifier?

We have explained all the significant factors to keep in mind to purchase the best air purifier on the market below to make your purchase smarter and valuable:

HEPA Filter

For eliminating the smaller allergens and particles from the air indoors, HEPA filtration can be considered as the most potent sort of filtration. Moreover, it is suggested by several experts and manifold filters that have been intended for impersonating the efficiency of HEPA filtration, but only some of them can achieve its capability to eradicate the particles as small as 0.1 microns in size.

Air-Quality Monitor

A handful of air purifiers comprise automatic sensors for perceiving the level of indoor air pollution. Deprived of any physical interference, they come with the capability to adapt the purification speed of an air purifier. Therefore, the users have been provided with less detailed control of energy consumption and noise levels. On the other hand, this feature can be pretty beneficial if you install the air purifier in an open space.

Air Exchange Rate

The volume of air that an air purifier can effectively let pass through its arrangement within a period of 60 seconds is known as the maximum air-exchange rate. In comparison to the air purifiers having stumpy air-exchange rates, an air purifier offering an elevated maximum air-exchange rate is going to clean up the indoor air in quick succession.

Filter Change Notification

The air purifier equipped with the filter-change alert allows you to distinguish the time when you require replacing the air filter. A few of them tend to function regularly, whilst some others incline to base this info on the present state of the filter.

Bigger Capacity

In the market, you might be able to find further affordable choices in case one requires an air purifier for purifying the air inside a comparatively smaller area. For bigger rooms, one would require purchasing an expensive air purifier model, which comes with a bigger capacity to deliver better coverage.

Multiple Fan Speeds

You can also find multiple fan speeds in quite a lot of air purifiers on the market. These air purifiers adapt to the air-cycling speeds of the air purifier. Also, the noise that an air purifier makes is directly proportional to the speed of the air purifier’s fan.

Ozone-Free

Several experts assert that ozone is effective to counterbalance chemical odors and gases. Though, it is an infrequent situation in which the treatment is eviler in comparison to the disease since the harmfulness of greater levels of ozone might be pretty dangerous. Whilst choosing an electronic air purifier, you need to select the model, which tends to emit lower levels of ozone or is completely ozone-free. Lastly, the ozone generators, which are marketed as air cleaners or purifiers should be dodged.

Ownership Costs

The cleaning filters of a wide-majority of air purifiers require a replacement yearly or in a periodic manner in a few cases. You might come across numerous filters in a few air purifier models whilst some solely comes with a permanent filter arrangement, which requires being vacuumed regularly despite replacement. Also, if you need to regularly change the filter, it is going to cost more in the longer run.

Best Air Purifiers in India under 10K – Installation & Usage

You can surely buy a top-rated air purifier for your home, but getting the most out of the unit requires proper installation and setup. Moreover, you’ll have to operate the air purifier appropriately and get the regular maintenance done to ensure durability.

For all the beginners, here comes the guide that will help you properly set up, utilize, and maintain the air purifier:

Get Rid of the Filter Covers

A majority of air purifiers are equipped with filters that are previously installed. However, several filters tend to be sealed and wrapped using plastic. In case, this plastic cover isn’t removed before you start using the air purifier, the unit won’t function properly.

Hence, you need to set free the filter panel of the machine and check if the filters have been covered with plastic or not. If the covering is present, get rid of them and reinstall the filters properly in the order they were removed.

Choose the Apt Location

Almost every air purifier requires ample space to function as intended. In case, you get the air purifier installed really close to any solid object or the wall, it isn’t going to properly circulate the air. As a result, we can deduce that you need to position the air purifier in the middle of the room for apt performance.

This will offer ample space for the air purifier for drawing the maximum air inside for purification. Moreover, you should keep the purifier no less than 24-Inch apart from any solid object or wall. If not, the airflow is going to be restricted.

One Room – One Air Purifier

As you know, an air purifier would work properly only if it is installed in an enclosed area. Further, they don’t have the superpower to work beyond the walls. Hence, if you want to purify the air beyond a single room, having a committed air purifier for every single room would be a smart choice. Also, making things a bit cost-effective; you can take the air purifier to the room where you need purification.

A majority of air purifiers aren’t heavy and come with a handle to allow for effortless transport. Therefore, it’s might not be useful to carry the unit all-around your home. Hence, choosing to buy a separate air purifier for the other rooms or areas would be a decent bet in the long run.

Choose a Suitable Size

All the air purifiers come with a purifying capacity, which signifies the size of the room they can handle. This air purifier specification is categorized as the rating given in square footage. Moreover, the overall coverage of an area is centered on the CADR ratings to handle dust, pollen, and smoke.

Thus, you need to choose an air purifier that comes with a rating to match or exceed your room’s size. We would always suggest you choose an air purifier with a CADR rating that exceeds your room’s requirement.

Keep It Always On

To make the most out of your air purifier, it needs to be running throughout the day. The maximum number of times the air purifier reprocesses the same air present indoors, the cleaner the air becomes! The best-rated air purifiers are equipped with an automatic function, which helps in operating the unit properly.

Also, when the air purifier is set to Auto Mode, the unit senses the air quality automatically and regulates itself to eliminate the allergens. If the purifier detects some particles, it will function in the low-speed setting. However, if the particles sensed are larger, then it switches to the high-speed setting to remove the pollutants.

Correspondingly, when the air gets cleaned, the air purifier moves back to its low-speed function. This procedure makes sure that the air purifier consumes lesser energy whilst keeping the air breathable.

Close the Doors & Windows

Apart from keeping the air purifier running at all times, you need to makes sure the doors and windows remain closed. Otherwise, the air purifier would continuously draw the unfiltered air inside. Having the doors and windows closed, the air purifier would recondition the same air time and again.

As a result, it filters out most of the airborne particles indoors. Moreover, if you need to move out of the room, make sure you close the door after leaving the room.

Clean-Up the Pre-Filter

The bulk of top-rated air purifiers are equipped with a pre-filter. Some might be permanent whilst the other types require being replaced. But, to make the most of your air purifier, you need to enhance the life expectancy of the filters.

For that purpose, you have to vacuum or wash down its pre-filter every month to make it last longer. The pre-filter is the one that traps the biggest particles such as dirt and hair to keep the core filters in good shape. Also, the HEPA filter can work on the tiny particles solely if the pre-filter is well-maintained.

Timely Filter Replacement

With time passing by, the air purifier gathers the majority of airborne particles, which would saturate the filters with pollutants. Hence, you require replacing the filters over and over again. You need to go by the brand’s recommendation for the timeline of filter replacement.

On the market, you can find air purifiers that come with the filter replacement indicator to deliver added convenience. The indicator will glow as soon as you need to replace the filter and keep the guesswork at bay.

Conclusion

So, these were all the Best Air Purifiers in India that we would suggest our users choose from whenever they have made up their mind to bring one home to procure a safer breathing environment. In our listing, we have made sure that we solely review the top air purifiers, which deliver both values for money as well as top-notch performance. Hence, our users won’t face the brunt afterward in any case or situation. Moreover, after thorough research and analysis, we were able to deliver the best air purifier from every single price point. As a result, every single user will come across a top-quality air purifier that can match their set of requirements and budget.

Furthermore, we suppose now you must have distinguished the need to install a room air purifier at home. Also, some households have a new-born baby or older people with respiratory. Therefore, bringing a top-quality air purifier would be a smart and safer choice with the emergence of so many diseases and respiratory infections. So, without further delays, catch hold of the Best Air Purifier in India for home this festive season! Gift your family with a fresher and cleaner environment to breathe in.