Get ready for bushfire season with a low-spec air purifier

Forget replacing fans and AC units, this is the one appliance Australians will need this summer.

REVIEW

If you haven’t already heard, it’s being reported that us Aussies should be prepared for a dry and hot summer with frequent heatwaves. Unfortunately, this means a higher probability of bush fires across the country.

With that in mind, as a tech reviewer, I have been wracking my brain with ways I can be prepared.

While air conditioners and fans come to mind first, I believe air purifiers should be high on the list of important pre-summer purchases. Why? Bushfire smoke.

I’d say I’m privileged that I haven’t yet needed to purchase an air purifier, and I’ve been lucky to live in areas that haven’t copped the brutal bushfires or bush fire smoke we’ve seen in previous years.

I’ve heard that air purifiers are incredibly helpful for reducing bush fire smoke in the air of your home, and as a bonus, really great for people with dust allergies too.

As a first-time air purifier buyer, I had a list of important factors to consider while shopping around:

• quiet, pleasant form factor (design)

• affordable, with affordable replacement filters

• HEPA filters (said to remove bacteria and viruses from the air)

• activated carbon filters (said to be great at removing smoke)

I did also notice you can buy ‘smart’ air purifiers that you can control from your phone and get fancy stats about air quality readings, but honestly I just wanted the most simple set up possible. So, my shortlist includes only simple plug-and-play devices.

Most affordable: Levoit Core Mini Air Purifier. Picture: Elly Awesome

While it’s small, it can purify the air of a room size up to 14.4 square metres. Picture: Elly Awesome

Affordable first-timer air purifier

The most affordable air purifier to meet all my criteria while being a reputable brand was the Levoit Core Mini Air Purifier, which I purchased at JB Hi-Fi for $129. I chose this because it looked fairly small and inconspicuous yet it had the mighty claim of being able to purify the air of a room size up to 14.4sq m.

Set up for this product was really easy, and like all the air purifiers I purchased, you just need to open the product and remove the plastic around the air filter and you’re good to go.

The Levoit is so easy to use; it has simple touch controls on the top, which consist of an on and off switch that you long press to power the device on or off, or quickly tap to toggle between its three fan speeds.

This product was set up in a family bedroom, for a family member with dust allergies, and we tested it over a week, running it 24/7.

Not only was it whisper quiet on mode one, and a reasonable background volume at mode two, but it seemed to do a great job of removing odours and dust from the room. Mode three is fairly loud, but not totally obnoxious so we also used it successfully as white noise for falling asleep.

Our family is convinced it’s helped to reduce allergy symptoms such as runny noses. Bonus points for being able to add essential oils to assist in giving the room a scent of your liking.

The filter replacements for this product, which all air purifiers need over time, are also fairly affordable, ranging from $25-45. And from my research it seems that most air purifier filter replacements cost around $50 on average.

Overall, it’s not the most stylish product but I would recommend it to anyone as a first small and simple air purifier.

The Renpho Air Purifier AP-068 Black, $159. Picture: Elly Awesome

The in-between

Next up is the Renpho Air Purifier AP-068 Black, which I ordered on Amazon Australia for $159. I bought this air purifier because I liked the different design and shape and thought maybe a black product might blend at home more seamlessly. The product is also slightly bigger, which means it can refresh the air of a space up to 19.2sq m.

This product was also really easy to use and had the same simple off-and-on touch controls of the previous Levoit air purifier, except this one also has four fan speeds and a small blue night light that can be switched on or off.

Overall, it seemed to do a good job and was incredibly similar to the Levoit, although the Renpho’s ultra quiet mode was a turn-off for me; I prefer the white noise of the Levoit.

The filters for this one cost between $36-45, so also in a decent price range. I’d honestly say only choose this over the Levoit if you think it looks better and you like the quiet mode and night light.

Coway Airmega 150 Air Purifier in Sage Green, removing hay from the air. Picture: Elly Awesome

Best all-round

I ordered the Coway Airmega 150 Air Purifier in Sage Green from Amazon for $299.

After a ton of research I found out that Coway is a brand dedicated to making quality and stylish air purifiers, with many rave reviews online.

And honestly, they seem to produce some of the best looking air purifiers at more affordable price points (and this one also comes in pink and white!).

I love how the Sage Green air purifier looks and it’s currently sitting in my lounge room next to our new pet bunny’s temporary home (until we can move him outside).

We noticed his hay was getting into the air and stuffing up our noses, but since using the air purifier things have improved greatly.

I also specifically chose this as an air purifier for the living room because it can cover a whopping 73sq m (but best suited up to 29sq m).

I love how the Sage Green air purifier looks. Picture: Elly Awesome

Overall, the product is really easy to use, with simple on and off buttons, adjustable fan speeds including a (seriously) whisper quiet option and an auto option that kicks up a gear whenever it notices more particles in the air.

Its filters are more pricey at $70 to $80 but I am forgiving the extra cost as Coway says you only need to replace them every six months to a year. And honestly, we have all been absolutely loving this product and would not hesitate to purchase more to put throughout the house.

Final thoughts

Overall, these all worked really well and more importantly were easy for anyone to operate.

As a side note, Kmart also just released their own range of air purifiers that start at $59 and go up to $159, with filters ranging in price from $14 to $34, which might also be worth a look.

At the end of the day though I would highly recommend Coway and that will probably be my go-to brand for air purifiers from now on.

I’d highly recommend buying at least one air purifier soon, because they might sell out when you really need one.

Elly Awesome is an Aussie tech and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawesometech | YouTube

Originally published as Get ready for bushfire season with a low-spec air purifier