Following the outbreak of coronavirus, millions of people flocked to buy face masks to protect themselves from the virus. Data shows face masks can protect you from the coronavirus, but can air purifiers also capture coronavirus particles? What’s in Your Typical Air Purifier? Most air purifiers are made up of two things: a fan and […]
Tag: air purifier
The air purifier your office needs
Can a simple fan and filter really clean large spaces? Can it be utilized like other air purifiers in offices? Seven years ago, Smart Air started when PhD student Thomas strapped together a DIY air purifier to survive a polluted Beijing winter. Founder Thomas Talhelm‘s first DIY air purifier Thomas published test data on […]
How long does the Sqair’s HEPA filter last?
After launching the world’s most cost-effective purifier (the Sqair), we started testing the HEPA lifespan. I’ve long been skeptical of the lifespan numbers purifier companies give because (1) they provide no empirical justification for the number and (2) they give the same numbers in Switzerland or Delhi. Yet clearly the HEPA would last less time […]
Why The Sqair will transform the market for clean air
In 2013, I made a DIY purifier to get through an apocalyptic Beijing winter. The DIY wasn’t pretty, but it worked. Hundreds of days of tests showed it cut tiny 0.5 micron particles in my bedroom by an average of 84% (1, 2, 3). The DIY proved that air purifiers don’t have to […]
Can HEPA filters capture nanoparticles?
Many big purifier companies claim only their HEPA filters capture nanoparticles, like this Molekule ad. Although this claim is false, even journalists repeat this myth. Why is this belief so pervasive? One reasonable explanation is that the definition of “HEPA” leads people down that route. For example, this definition on Wikipedia […]
Hold on! Replacement filters cost more than buying a new air purifier?
Ever since Smart Air founder Thomas made his first DIY purifier, Smart Air has been telling the world that purifiers are needlessly overpriced. And ridiculously expensive replacement HEPA and carbon filters are one reason why. HEPA filters were invented over 70 years ago by the US government. There’s no patent, nothing fancy – they’re just […]
What combination of air filters do I need to protect against everything?
What combination of air filters do I need to protect against everything? This will sound like a grand claim, but two filters are all you need. Here’s why (with data). Very Reasonable Reasons To Be Skeptical Why might you be skeptical? For one, big purifier companies are in an arms race to tell you […]
How to Get the Most Out of Your Purifier
If buying an air purifier is the first step to breathing clean air, the second step is knowing how to use it best! Here are the 4 most important things to know about how to use an air purifier—based on data, not intuition. 1. Note Down The Date of Purchase HEPA filters have a […]
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 […]
This One Region in China Saw a Pollution Miracle in 2018
New analysis from Smart Air shows that China is making progress on its “war on air pollution.” PM2.5 air pollution was down in 14 out of China’s 15 largest cities. Yet one region saw far more progress than the rest. South Sees Modest Air Quality Gains In southern China, from Shanghai to Shenzhen, […]
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