Until I write About My quest for fresh air in my Brooklyn apartment, I didn't even know an air quality monitor existed. Now I can't live without them. To be aware of your home's air quality index is to enter a realm where the invisible becomes the thing you can never see.
We humans evolved to respond to changes in temperature, rainfall and wind. Air pollution is silent and usually odorless, but long-term exposure to some vapors, particles, and high concentrations of CO2 can impact cognition and make us more susceptible to certain cancers, as well as heart and respiratory diseases. Reading the temperature daily and watching the weather forecast help us prepare for what's to come, but checking air quality may be the most important step you take to improve your health.
These air quality monitors were tested in two locations: a more than 130-year-old apartment in Brooklyn with a gas stove in a building under construction, and a cabin in the Maine woods that used an electric stove. There were two cats, one dog and two people during the entire testing period. I always have multiple air purifiers running. Neither location had central air or HVAC with MERV filters, nor did they have an exhaust fan above the stove that could remove smoke to the outside. At both locations, cooking on the stove created the worst atmosphere. These monitors are used both on days when the outdoor air is excellent and on days when the air quality is moderate, above 50 on the day. US Air Quality Index.
For more ways Keep your air quality under controlCheck out our guide on Best air purifier And Best robot vacuum cleaner.
Updated January 2025: We added PurpleAir's Zen Air, Govee's Smart Air Quality Monitor, and Ikea Vindstyrka; add technical data sheet; and update links and prices.
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