Philips Air Purifier Series 2000i helps clean the air we breathe remotely

By Sonya Davidson

Air quality fluctuates all year round. We've got seasonal allergies from the outdoors including pollen and ragweed but we often forget about indoor allergens. It was an eye opener for us a neighbour mentioned about allergens detected in his three year old house. It prompted us to take a look around our own home and doing more research on what's inside our home

Forget spring cleaning, I'm trying to tackle areas all year round now to keep an eye on the air quality inside the home. Bed sheets and pillow cases are washed often, but don't forget about duvet covers, decorative pillows and vaccuming mattresses. Got kids? Their beloved stuffies need a good airing out too. Dust also likes to settle in places like bookshelves, window and door frames and baseboards. I aim to clean those more often as well. 

Also, think about sweaty running shoes and sports equipment -- breeding ground for bacteria. Make sure you air them out in between wears and remember to  clean them before returning to storage for the season. Dampness from ski jackets and pants needs lots of airing out and hey, hockey season is here. 

Aside from the usual weekly dusting and cleaning, we've been testing out the Philips Air Purifier Series 2000i to help minimize indoor air borne concerns.This relatively new compact unit helps clean the air. It's also opened my eyes to what the air quality is really like indoors and how it can change throughout the day.

The unit comes with a pre-filter that helps capture large particles in the air but it also comes with an Active Carbon filter and a True HEPA filter. What are they? 

HEPA Filters (high efficiency particulate air) are known to remove 99.97% of allergens and keeps them trapped. The filters are already being used in many ways including inside medical facilities, aircrafts and cars.  Active Carbon Filters help to capture odors and toxins. We've also commonly heard of Carbon Filters helping to remove pollutants in water as well. 

Setting up the unit and installing the filters were pretty straight forward but it's ideal if you can minimize touching the filters with your hands. I've been told the filters are quite sensitive. The filters come pre-wrapped in plastic that needs to be removed before installing.  

Controlling the Air Purifier, as well as monitor pollution and allergen levels, through WiFi (via app) has been very helpful as I'm always rushing and on the go. We've seen increases and decreases in air quality that can sense what is coming in from open windows during the height of allergy season via the Air Matters app. The app also gives interesting air quality ratings from cities globally. While Toronto hasn't been off the charts with air pollution this past summer, it was interesting to compare to cities like Beijing. For example, today, Toronto's air quality was really good at a 1 while Beijing's air quality hovers around a 9.

When the WiFi is connected, we get notices in real time on our smart phones if the unit detects any changes in air quality. We don't even have to be within range of the unit. A colour ring on the unit as well as the app offers a visual understanding of the air quality indoors.  

The Philips Air Purifier's AeraSense feature has the ability to detect and react to potential allergen related risks and will alert you. The app also explains a recommended setting. It is set to automatically purify the air when it reaches certain levels or you can override and set to control the unit with the app. There are three modes: Pollution, Allergen and Bacteria & Virus Mode. You can also change the speed of the fan from silent to turbo with three other speeds in between. 

When a friend recently brought over their dog, the purifier detected a change in the environment and immediately turned on and started cleaning the air. It's sensitive enough to even detect cooking from the kitchen on the main floor of our house. 

My relatives had asked when it would be time to change the filters. The app tells you when the pre-filter needs to be cleaned and when the other filters need to be replaced. Of course, Philips makes it easy enough to order directly via the app. We've been testing out this unit for a month now and the app tells me that I'll need to replace the Active Charcoal filter in 2257 hours. The HEPA filter won't need to be replaced for another 4647 hours. 

The Philips Air Purifier Series 2000i works to help keeps the air quality at acceptable levels in the comforts of your home, office space, or even dorm rooms. After a day, there was a noticeable change in the immediate room the unit was tested in. The air seemed to have a cleaner and less sweaty, sporty smell...if you know what I mean. 

Retail price: $499.99 to $549.99 availalbe through BestBuy and Amazon.