Product review: The Blueair Airpod personal air purifier

I’ve been using the Blueair AirPod, a nifty little personal air purifier for people on the go or people who live in a large closet (that would be me). It’s the model on the left, which I admit is a rather gaudy design now that it’s on my desk; granted, they do come in blue and pink.

However, it works great. There’s a built-in ionizer that statically charges the air and a HEPASilent filter that boasts of the same technology you’ll find on $500 models. Except this one costs $49.95! (Two-pack filter replacements are $42.50, each one will last you six months according to the website … my packaging says three months).

I spilled some soy sauce the other day and the smell was pretty pungent. But within a few hours the filter took care of the stink. It also doesn’t seem as musty in the room. However, a few caveats. It’s not silent, but the fan speed is adjustable so you can turn it down; and although the initial din, which is somewhat louder than a desktop computer fan, was more noticeable than I had imagined by reading the marketing material, you won’t consciously hear it after a few minutes. And although it’s advertised as portable, I would find it hard to make space for the somewhat bulky filter part (the black and white fractal box).

But overall, it’s made my life a lot more pleasant, and at $49.95, definitely worth a try.