Note: This article was first published on 9th September 2015. It looks like the haze is making a comeback and there’s not much we can do except stay indoors, wear masks outdoors, and drink lots of fluids. Another way to cope is to get an air purifier for the home, but knowing which features you need and which you don’t can get confusing. If you haven’t already bought one, here’s what you need to look out for. You can skip on everything else, but the one thing you must have in an air purifier is a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, which can remove more than 99.97% of 0.3-micron particles. That 0.3-micron figure is important. There are two ways of measuring particle matter (PM): PM10 and PM2.5. PM10 measures particles from 2.5 to 10 microns in diameter, while PM2.5 measures particles 2.5 microns in diameter or less. A human hair has a diameter of 40 microns, so these are extremely small particles that you can’t see with the naked eye. To put it another way;

just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean that they’re not there. PM10 particles can be trapped by your nose or throat, but PM2.5 particles are so small that they can slip through and lodge in your lungs, causing all sorts of health problems.americlean air duct cleaning To trap and filter PM2.5 particles, you’ll need that HEPA filter. honeywell air purifier 52500Without it, any air purifier is really just decoration. ionic pro turbo air purifier bed bath beyondWe recognize that air purifiers with HEPA filters can cost more, but if you want to get something to do a job, then you need to know that it actually does that job. Beware of air purifiers claiming to be “HEPA-type,” “HEPA-like,” or “99% HEPA,” which are not true HEPA filters and not as effective.

The second thing to look for is an air purifier that’s built for the size of your room. If you put an air purifier built for a small room into a large one, it won’t be able to filter air as well. Some manufacturers list the recommended area in their specifications sheet, which is an easy way to find out if that model fits your room. Some list a number called CADR, which stands for Clean Air Delivery Rate. CADR is an independent test result from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) in the US. The number is expressed in cubic feet or meters per minute, and it measures for tobacco smoke, pollen and dust filtration. The higher the CADR number, the more air it filters per minute for that particle. Note that CADR doesn’t measure the effectiveness of the size of particles being filtered, that’s where you still need to have that separate HEPA filter specification. AHAM recommends a ‘two-thirds’ rule when it comes to the tobacco smoke rating, that is, you’ll want to find an air purifier with a CADR (tobacco smoke) that is at least two-thirds of your room’s area.

The problem is that the number is mostly listed in square-feet, not square-meters, so you’ll have to do the conversion yourself. For example, if you have a room that is 120 square-feet, you’ll need a CADR (tobacco smoke) rating of at least 80 (two-thirds of the room’s area). Yup, some math is required. If you truly cannot afford to get a HEPA air purifier sized to your room, then you can consider placing a smaller-rated air purifier closer to the important areas, like near your bed, or near the sitting area of your living room.Despite its fairly sleek looks, the first Mi Air Purifier still stood at 735mm tall, making it a bit too large and intrusive for the choosy home owner. Now, Xiaomi has rectified things with the Mi Air Purifier 2, a more efficient and quieter device that also takes up considerably less space.Well, it stands at 520mm tall now and its base takes up less space than a single sheet of A4 paper. The Mi Air Purifier 2 is still no midget, but it is definitely a lot easier on the eyes, and the home décor, now.

Xiaomi says the more compact design is made possible by a new single-motor, dual-fan design, which has enabled it to shrink its dimensions by up to 40% over its predecessor. However, its smaller size means that the Mi Air Purifier 2 has had to take a slight performance hit compared to the predecessor's dual-motor design. Its Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR), or the amount of air it cleans per minute, is now 330m3/h in standard mode, compared to the 406m3/h on the larger model. Still, this can go up to 388m3/h in active mode and Xiaomi says it can filter the air in a 23m2 room in only 10 minutes. In addition, the Mi Air Purifier 2 is reportedly quieter, operating at a whisper-quiet 30dB in night mode, and is also 58% more efficient than the original purifier. Its price has also come down, and it retails for just RMB699 (~S$155), compared to the RMB899 (~S$199) of the Mi Air Purifier. The filters are also sold separately, with the standard one costing RMB149 (~S$33) and an enhanced version costing RMB169 (~S$37).

The Mi Air Purifier 2 will be available to buy from 10am onward on 27 November on Xiaomi's website. All set on buying a new air purifier? Don't forget the 5 key things to consider when shopping for one. And if you're looking for more solutions to improve your quality of living, you might want to check out Xiaomi's water purifier too. Months of product testing and consolidating of votes have finally come to this – we have the results! Come along and see if your favourite brands and products have emerged victorious! For the complete details on how these brands and products won our event, check out these articles:- READER'S CHOICE RESULTS  |  EDITOR'S CHOICE - PART 1  |  EDITOR'S CHOICE - PART 2 Our Editors have put your favorite tech gadgets through rigorous tests and bestowed our coveted Editor's Choice award to those with outstanding features, performance and value. Best Motherboard for Intel Best Portable External HDD ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Extreme

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti WD My Passport Ultra 3TB Best Solid State Drive Best Affordable 2-in-1 Detachable Notebook Samsung SSD 950 PRO Best Wireless Portable Speakers Best Multi-room Audio System Best Consumer Tablet (8-inch) Best Consumer Tablet (10-inch & Above) Bose SoundTouch 30 Series III Apple iPad mini 4 Best Point & Shoot Digital Camera ASUS ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML, 2GB RAM) Samsung Galaxy Note 5 4G+ Apple iPhone 6s Plus Best Super Zoom Digital Camera Best Mid-range Interchangeable Lens Camera Best High-end Interchangeable Lens Camera Best AIO Color Inkjet Printer Best SOHO Color Laser/LED MFP Fuji Xerox DocuPrint CM225 fw Game of the Year Apple iPhone 6s (3D Touch) Sony Cyber-shot RX1R II The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt World of Warships (PC) Best Fibre Broadband Service Provider (Singapore) Best PC Components Retailer (Singapore) Best Consumer Electronics Chain Store (Singapore)

Best Electronics Shopping Portal (Singapore) Best Pay TV Service (Singapore) Best Gaming Graphics Processor Brand Best Graphics Card Brand Best PC Memory Brand Best External HDD Brand Best Removable Flash Storage Brand Best Gaming Monitor Brand Best Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Brand Best Business Notebook Brand Best 2-in-1 Notebook Brand Best Gaming Notebook Brand Best Gaming Desktop PC Brand Best Activity Tracker Brand Best In-ear Earphones Brand Best Mainstream Smartphone Brand Best Premium Smartphone Brand Best Compact Camera Brand Best Interchangeable Lens Camera Brand Best Inkjet Printer Brand Best Laser/LED Printer Brand Best Business Projector Brand Best Home Theater Projector Brand Best Wireless Networking Brand Best Wireless Speakers Brand Best Home Theater System Brand Best Gaming Console Brand Are you one of the lucky voters? Check out the list to see if you are one of our prize winners!

TECH AWARDS 2016: READER'S CHOICE RESULTS Tech Awards where 37 Editor’s Choice and 40 Readers’ Choice awards are presented. Did your favorite brands win? Come on in to find out! TECH AWARDS 2016: EDITOR'S CHOICE - PART 1 Tech Awards 2016 Editor's Choice articles focuses on the best consumer electronics devices and gadgets, from cameras to smartphones and phablets, to headphones and 4K TVs. Check out which devices released last year got the nod from our expert panel. TECH AWARDS 2016: EDITOR'S CHOICE - PART 2 Tech Awards 2016 Editor's Choice articles, we pay tribute to the very best in the PC ecosystem, from CPUs, motherboards, and storage drives to notebooks, printers, and projectors. We also honor the best video games in the past year. Tech Awards 2016 - Honoring the best in technology with 77 awards! Tech Awards event held on the 16th Feb at Park Royal on Pickering Hotel. Here, then, are the video highlights of the event. Videos from Past Years