Students and others with limited incomes shouldn’t feel helplessly left out of the eternal expat discussion regarding air purifiers. I mentioned before but will stress again, given the recent weather: there’s a very decent and affordable Taiwan/U.S.A.-made HEPA air purifier which is perfect for small dorm rooms, offices and bedrooms. It’s the Hunter 31125 model, which you can buy for only 1238RMB at the Sundan electronics store at the Sanlitun Village. You can also order it online here. The replacement filter is also cheap, only ~140RMB every few months. (UPDATE, Nov. 29: this model seems to be retired; read the comment section below for other low-cost options…) This is a true HEPA filter, rated for 99.97% filtration, and reportedly is good for rooms up to ~30 square meters. In my recent piece discussing BlueAir vs IQAir, I mentioned my own personal findings regarding this Hunter purifier, which did very well. I have this in my small office, about 10 square meters, and use it 24/7.

In my readings with a particle monitor that I borrowed from the IQAir team, the Hunter 31125 routinely eliminated 50-70% of pollution even with the constant door opening. These real-world percentages are quite similar to the improvements I got at home with my Blueair and IQAir machines. By the way, do not use the ionizer setting, it’s not considered healthy anymore by most reviewers. That goes for any air purifier models. Don’t Forget You Can Resell It One good way to look at the cost-benefit of all air purifiers is to feel quite comfortable that all the top foreign air purifiers can be easily resold when you leave Beijing, for quite a reasonable resale value. I guess you can think of items like IQAir and Blueair as the Patek Philippe of air purifiers; you “merely look after it for the next generation”. I suppose the Hunter 31125 is more like a Honda Civic — it’s a bit boring but reliable, and if you take good care of it you can pass it along to your kids for a few more sturdy years.

Most students can easily afford the Hunter 31125, use it for a year or two, and quickly resell it to another student for a high resale value. Don’t Forget Plants, and N95 Masks Plants aren’t nearly as efficient as a good air purifier, but they can help clean the air a bit, and they also help with industrial indoor chemicals like formaldehyde which are common here. There’s a triad of common and cheap houseplants which really help, but any plant is better than nothing. And for all you students who bike or walk to school; you should definitely buy a few of those N95 masks and always use them during your commute when the air is bad. These masks are reusable at least a few times, and they’re only a few kuai. Most stores and pharmacies started to stock these N95 masks after the swine flu scare last year. I have a collection of my top air pollution posts at the top of the page, but you can access it here as well. Anyone Have Data on Other Machines? I’m sure there are a few other lower-end HEPA models which could be fine as well, I’m simply reporting on what I’ve used.

I would love readers to leave comments below discussing real-world results with other models. By Product Group Air Purifier By Product Line HEPAtech QuietFlo By Filtering Type Carbon Hepa Ozone By Filter Replacement Type Hepa By Keyword Related Searches Hunter Total Air 4-in-1 Medium Room Air Purifier, Model 30840 Hunter Total Air 4-in-1 Medium Room Air Purifier, Model 30840: HEPAtech Filter: Cleanable HEPAtech filter Carbon odor reducing pre-filter UVC Germicidal Lamp Photocatalytic Oxidizer Oxygenating Catalyst: Converts ozone into oxygen CADR: 80 ... more Find other Air Purifiers... rx 3000 air purifier With Free Shipping With Sales & Deals Related Searches: hunter total air sanitizerhunter total air germicidal $79.99 FREE shipping go to store 1 Hunter 30931 Air Purifier Filter; friedrich air purifier consumer reports

Fits Hunter Models 30212, 30213, 30240, 30241, 30251, 30378, 303... 700953607065 Features: -Fits Hunter models 30201, 30212, 30213, 30240, 30241, 30251, 30378, 30379, 30380, 30381, 30382, 30383, 30526, 30527, 30528 and 30949.-Replacement for 30251.-This is not a Hunter® OEM product and is not covered under ... more Find other Air Purifiers... iqair hepa air purifier $46.97 go to store Hunter 408940 True HEPA Console Air Purifier for Medium Rooms with EcoSilver Antimicrobial Technolog... The Hunter Model 408940 True HEPA Air Purifier has a True HEPA filter that removes 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns, including Household Dust, Pet Dander, Tobacco Smoke, Mold Spores, Plant Pollens and Fabric Fibers. It ... more Find other Air Purifiers... $129.99 go to store Hunter 408841 True HEPA Tower Air Purifier The Hunter Model 408841 True HEPA Air Purifier removes 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns, including Household Dust, Pet Dander, Tobacco Smoke, Mold Spores, Plant Pollens and Fabric Fibers.

more Find other Air Purifiers... $110.22 go to store Hunter RH744700 Air Purifier Pre Filters (Pack of 2) Indoor air pollution can lead to breathing problems like allergies and asthma, so it is important to have an air purification system to remove these pollutants. Air purifier filters trap many pollutants in the air, so it is necessary to ... more Find other Air Purifiers... $21.55 go to store Hunter RHF06605 Air Purifier Filters, Grey Indoor air pollution can lead to breathing problems like allergies and asthma so it is important to have an air purification system to remove these pollutants. Air purifier filters trap many pollutants in the air so it is necessary to ... more Find other Air Purifiers... $50.32 FREE shipping go to store 744700 Hunter Air Purifier Pre-Filters (Aftermarket) Hunter foam mesh pre-filter, fits Hunter models 30010, 30025, 30040, and 37025. This filter measures approximately 4 1/2 x 11 3/4 x 3/8. For optimum performance, replace filter every 3 to 6 months.

With Free Shipping With Sales & Deals $4.44 $3.99 go to store Hunter True HEPA and EcoSilver Large UVC Air Purifier Tower, Model 408841 Hunter True HEPA and EcoSilver Large UVC Air Purifier Tower, Model 408841: True HEPA filtration EcoSilver anti-microbial pre-filter UVC germicidal light For use in small or medium sized rooms CADR: 120 Material content: ABS more Find other Air Purifiers... With Free Shipping With Sales & Deals $116.67 FREE shipping go to store Hunter True HEPA and EcoSilver Medium Room Air Purifier Console, Model 408940 Hunter True HEPA and EcoSilver Medium Room Air Purifier Console, Model 408940: True HEPA filtration EcoSilver anti-microbial pre-filter Ionizer feature with on/off selectable control For use in medium sized rooms CADR: 181 Material ... more Find other Air Purifiers... With Free Shipping With Sales & Deals $129.99 FREE shipping go to store Hunter 30190 PermaLife HEPA Floor Air Purifier Three Speed Medium Room HEPA Air Purifier from the PermaLife CollectionHunters purifiers feature Whisper-Quiet fan technology for more peaceful protection.

High performing, Hunter purification systems quickly and effectively removing ... more at 1 seller $130 to $130 compare prices Hunter Fan Company PermaLife Air Purifier - 300 Sq. Ft. Coverage - CADR: Tobacco - 50; P Coverage Area: 300 sq.ft more at 2 sellers $73 to $97 compare prices Hunter 30027 HEPAtech 27 Air Purifier With 3 Speeds more at 3 sellers $60 to $75 compare prices Hunter 30793 PermaLife Large Room Air Purifier with Permanent Filter at 1 seller $165 to $165 compare prices Hunter HEPAtech 30067 Air Purifier With 3 Speeds more at 2 sellers $113 to $119 compare prices Hunter Fan 30180 Air Purifier Find other Air Purifiers... Product Detail By Hunter From Essential Hardware With Free Shipping With Sales & Deals Essential Hardware $135.99 $122.43 FREE shipping go to store Bionaire BAP1412-U HEPA-Type PERMAtech Air Purifier Coverage Area: 80 sq.ft more at 4 sellers $50 to $70 compare prices Hunter HEPAtech 30124 Air Purifier Coverage Area: 250 sq.ft - With 3 Speeds more at 1 seller $164 to $164 compare prices Hunter 30378 HEPAtech 378 Air Purifier Coverage Area

: 240 sq.ft - With 3 Speeds more at 1 seller $273 to $273 compare prices Hunter 30057 Air Purifier Coverage Area: 154 sq.ft - With 3 Speeds more at 2 sellers $91 to $96 compare prices Hunter QuietFlo 30090 Air Purifier Coverage Area: 120 sq.ft - With 3 Speeds more at 1 seller $100 to $100 compare prices Hunter 30840 4-in-1 HEPA Total Air Purifier The Hunter 30840 HEPA air purifier combines a slim design that fits with the style of most rooms, washable filter technology, and effective air filtration when used in kitchens, bedrooms, studies, and most other medium sized living areas. ... more Find other Air Purifiers... Product Detail From FiltersFast With Free Shipping With Sales & Deals FiltersFast see store for price go to store Hunter Replacement UVC Bulb 30850 The Hunter 30850 features UVC Germicidal Technology and kills up to 99.9% of germs and viruses in the Hunter Humidifiers and Air Purifiers listed below. Fits Models Hunter Humidifiers and Air Purifiers : 30835, 30836, 30837, 30839, 30840, ... more at 1 seller $15 to $15 compare prices Hunter Replacement UVC Bulb 30851 The Hunter 30851 features UVC Germicidal Technology and kills up to 99.9% of germs and viruses in the Hunter Air Purifiers listed below.