This post is an April fools, published on 1st April, 2019. Smart Air uses no fancy “Techno-Ultra” tech. In fact, a HEPA filter is all an air purifier needs. Read on bust this myth. “Finally, a HEPA filter that actually works! Meet the Techno-Ultra HEPA filter!” Back when we started Smart Air in 2013, we […]
Category: Filters
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The Best Way to Use Your Air Purifier – Pro Tips
If buying an air purifier is the first step to breathing clean air, then the second step is knowing the best way to use the air purifier! Here are the 4 most important things to know about how to use an air purifier, from where to place your air purifier, to when to turn it […]

What’s the HEPA Lifespan of the Blast and Blast Mini?
Ever since we launched the Blast and Blast Mini in 2017, we’ve wanted to get good data on how long hepa filters last. These filters are huge, 10-20 times the size of our DIY purifier filters in fact. We’d expect the HEPA lifespan to be much longer, but let’s see what the data says. The Problem with […]

How Long Do the Blast and Blast Mini HEPAs Really Last? – Supplemental Article
Estimating Lifespan from the DIY 1.0 Longevity Tests The Blast HEPA is 20 times bigger than the DIY 1.0 and it is made of the same material. Thus, is it reasonable to think that the Blast HEPA will last 20 times as long? Not really, because the Blasts push more air and clean bigger rooms, […]

Should You Sleep With Air Purifier On?
Here’s a question I often get asked about air purifiers: “I don’t want to hear the fan while I sleep, so can I run my air purifier for an hour and then turn it off before I sleep at night? Or should I sleep with my air purifier on at night?” The logic is that, […]

Do Air Purifiers Remove PM2.5?
When I was coughing through Beijing’s airpocalypse and thinking about buying an air purifier, I wanted to know something first–do air purifiers really remove PM2.5? I wondered because I saw lots of air purifier tests on pollen, but pollen is generally 10 microns or larger, whereas I was really concerned about the stuff […]

Should Air Purifiers Have the Filter on the Front or Back?
Should air purifiers have the filter on the front or the back–is it better to push or pull air? The Smart Air lab in Beijing ran tests of the same fan with the HEPA filter on either side, and the results contradict most people’s intuition. When I made my first DIY purifier, I put the […]

A One-Stop Guide to Protecting Yourself From Air Pollution
So you’ve found yourself a city with bad air pollution – perhaps you’re in Beijing, Bangalore or Bangkok? Or try Delhi, Ulaanbaatar or Shanghai? You’ve heard of air pollution, but what is it, how does it affect our health and what guide should you follow to keep air pollution from cutting years off your life? […]

Tesla’s “Bioweapon Defense Mode” Is as Effective As…A 2010 Mazda?
Tesla rolled out its “bioweapon defense mode” to lots of fanfare and media attention. Tesla went big: “Bioweapon Defense Mode is not a marketing statement, it is real. You can literally survive a military grade bio attack by sitting in your car.” Elon’s telling the truth, but not the whole truth. Tests I’ve done […]

What’s CADR and What’s the Difference With Airflow?
When buying an air purifiers, the terms ‘airflow’ and CADR are often used interchangeably to describe an air purifier’s performance. But what’s the difference between CADR (clean air delivery rate) and airflow? Are they the same thing? Or which one – CADR vs. airflow – should be used when buying an air purifier? Are […]
