How to Clean the Air You Breathe (Encore)

A bubble filled with smoke on a light blue background.

Listen and follow The Wirecutter Show

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio

This week, we’re re-airing a discussion about keeping your indoor air clean and healthy to breathe. Wirecutter senior writer Tim Heffernan walks us through how to reduce the outdoor pollution that inevitably seeps into your home, what to do if you're dealing with wildfire smoke, and surprising and free ways to keep your air clean.

Tim covers exactly why you shouldn’t overspend on an air purifier, and how often you really need to change the filter. Plus he does some myth busting about whether plants clean the air.

This episode covers:

  • Monitoring outdoor air: How to use the free EPA Air Now app to track local Air Quality Index (AQI) levels, so that you know when to wear an N95 mask or seal up your home.
  • Wildfire preparedness: Practical, low-cost steps to prevent outdoor smoke from contaminating your indoor air, from adjusting your HVAC settings to designated shoe-and-clothes drop zones.
  • Air purifier science: How HEPA filters capture microscopic particles, why you don't need to replace filters as often as manufacturers claim, and where to position your unit for maximum coverage.
  • Gimmicks to avoid: Why plants won't clear wildfire smoke and why expensive non-HEPA technologies fail Wirecutter's rigorous testing.

Products we recommend:

With an easy-to-read physical display and user-friendly web dashboard, the One can help you identify, track, and correct air quality concerns indoors.

The EPA’s free AirNow app is easily searchable, delivers air quality readings in almost every corner of the US, and lets you know in advance of upcoming air quality problems.

The Coway Airmega Mighty2 out-performs its predecessor, making it our first new top pick in a decade. It’s more energy efficient, quieter, and easier to maintain. And it’s nicer looking, too.

Perfect for bedrooms, playrooms, and living rooms, this purifier is one of the highest-performing, most-durable, and most-economical models we’ve tested.

The Cobra’s self-locking feature is flawless, and its 25 different settings give you more nuanced jaw-width options than competitors do.



from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/OqrDydI
via IFTTT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Nugget Is the ‘Original Play Couch.’ Costco’s Version May Be Better.

Image
If you’re a parent of a child under 10, you’ve probably heard of The Nugget, the beloved play sofa that launched a thousand (well, at least 20) competitors. I’ve only recently discovered the category; but now that my eyes are open, play-cushion sets seem to be everywhere — even at Costco. I’m inherently skeptical of any product that claims to solve a need that I’m unaware of having. But, last summer, a junk collector hauled away our sofa, whose base had finally broken clean in half from eight years of my son’s intense, anime-inspired dance-jumping. It turns out we could’ve used a play sofa — and saved our couch  (as well as our cushions). The Nugget , the first play couch to widely popularize the concept, experienced viral popularity during pandemic lockdowns in 2020. It is also a Wirecutter favorite . Its modular design is simple: There are two long, hinged cushions and two triangular bolsters, all with removable, washable covers. And while The Nugget is arguably the most popu...
Read more

The 30 Most Popular Prime Day Deals, According to Wirecutter Readers

Image
Amazon’s summer Prime Day — which is now a four-day event rather than the usual two days — is well underway, and we’ve been working hard to surface the best deals for our readers. We’ve sorted through thousands of on-sale items to pinpoint truly excellent discounts on the things our experts have found are worth your time and money. Among the 500-plus deals we’ve posted so far —less than 1% of every discount we’ve reviewed — some have grabbed the attention of our readers more than others. Here are the 30 Prime Day deals that our readers have loved the most, including soft sateen sheets, a luxe leather tote, an investment-worthy blender, and more. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/tDSahdQ via IFTTT
Read more

We Bought a 450-Pound Mystery Pallet Packed With Returned Goods From Amazon and Beyond. Here’s What We Found Inside.

Image
When I convinced my bosses at Wirecutter to spend over $700 on a 450-pound, 6-foot-tall cardboard box filled with hundreds of mystery products that had been returned to Amazon and other retailers, I assumed that what we’d find inside would be a revealing snapshot of what shopping looks like today. Anyone can buy these pallets stuffed with discarded products. For months, I’d watched content creators on social media giggle in excitement as they’d pull packages one by one from their own surprise boxes and rip them open, ceremoniously revealing a bevy of weird and wonderful items. A sparkly diamond ring! A cozy custom blanket emblazoned with the faces of a young couple! Some sexy (unworn) lingerie! I was certain that my own box would be a mix of great stuff, mediocre stuff, and some downright lousy stuff. My Wirecutter colleagues and I would use the items we found to meditate on product quality, manufacturing, and the retail life cycle. And we’d likely discover something interesting an...
Read more