(It’s been a while since I cried on the blog about China’s air pollution. But this time we have a solution! Your salvation is at hand…) Out our windows in Tianjin. Our first child spent her first month outside the womb in neonatal intensive care. We brought her to China as a 4-month-old. As soon as we’d landed in Beijing the passengers sitting around us started muttering about “…污染…!” because the smog made it hard to see the terminal from the plane. Part of me wanted to take our little preemie right back to Canada. Air purifiers were on our original list of Foreign Baby in China Essentials (along with imported formula, VPNs and friendly stranger finger shields). But I never wrote the air purifiers post because we quickly discovered that air purifiers are insultingly expensive. Instead we moved to a less polluted city. But triple-digit air pollution is still not uncommon in Qingdao (you can see and smell anything over 100), and we do get the occasional 400 or 500+ days.

Here’s what 172 looks like on a cloudless day in our neighbourhood (that mountain on the left should be crystal clear): It’s always bothered me that we weren’t doing anything about the air aside from an outrageous amount of air-friendly house plants, especially for our kids. But thanks to PhD student Thomas Talhelm, now we can. Why I did not think of this myself I’ll never know. That’s the Fulbright scholar difference, I guess. (Click for a larger view.) If you can handle between $200 to $2000+ per room for commercial air purifiers, yay for you. But that’s tough to swallow for middle class peasants people like us, despite the real worry of raising young children in truly dystopic air quality. Thankfully, it’s cheap and easy to build your own air purifiers that apparently work at least as well. Buy a pre-assembled kit from Mssr. Talhelm for .. wait for it … Or get the filters and fans yourself on taobao (if you have taobao kungfu like Jessica) for 50元 less per unit.

Buying the kit is obviously the most convenient way to go. But either way, a monkey could assemble these things. All you have to do is stick a HEPA filter onto the front of a fan. See how to build one here and here. You need: a fan, pliers/scissors, HEPA filter, and a strap. “But but but… with DIY purifiers you don’t get the monitoring electronics or the aesthetics or the ionizer or all the other things we’re selling that you didn’t know you needed!” Ok, but do they work? how much should ac coil cleaning costThe proles People like us are willing to sacrifice peripherals to save hundreds of dollars.air purifier hong kong sale According to the results of Talhelm’s tests, which are easily reproducible for anyone who doesn’t trust people who sell things (if anyone does do their own tests please let me know!), our $25 air purifiers perform as good and possibly even better than commercial units where it counts.mr air duct cleaning

(Click for the full test results.) Despite what the high prices suggest, air purifiers aren’t magic. They blow the air in your room through a filter. It’s not like doing rocket science or trying to figure out how to make your 4-year-old not get up to pee 500 times a night. Here’s one of ours, which cost $25: ‘If there is hope,’ wrote Winston, ‘it lies in the proles.’ About China’s apocalyptic air quality: About having a Foreign Baby/Kid in China: (Click to get the free China Air Pollution app.) Time to practice your shaaaring!Meg's Classic Glamor Apartment (Image credit: Kim Lucian) Would it shock you to know that the air you're breathing indoors can be up to 5 times worse than the air outside? Neglecting the quality of the air you breathe on a daily basis can result in illness, allergies, asthma, frequent headaches and it can even be harmful to your digestive system! But you don't have to settle for poor air quality. Here are five simple, natural ways for you to purify the air in your home without purchasing an expensive air purifier.

Before we begin, what should you already be putting into practice to improve your home's air quality? At the top of the list should be using low-VOC or no-VOC paints, testing your home for radon and avoiding harsh chemical-laden household cleaners. Now that we have that covered, what can you bring into your home to help clean the air? (Image credit: Kimber Watson) A Himalayan Salt Lamp: When the 200-million-year-old crystalized salt is heated by the small bulb inside, it releases negative ions which are known to neutralize pollutants in the air. They are sold in many different sizes and shapes, so it's wise to find a lamp with a weight that is appropriate for the size of the room it will be used in. This was the only thing I asked for on my Christmas wish list this year, and I got it! Even if the lamp didn't do a darn thing, the warm glow emitted is quite beautiful to look at and could also serve as a nightlight in a child's room. Bamboo Charcoal: Charcoal has long been used in our filters to purify water, and it's also popping up in beauty products everywhere.

And charcoal can have the same toxin-removing effects on air. Moso air purifying bags are bags made of linen and filled with high-density bamboo charcoal. The porous structure of the charcoal helps remove bacteria, harmful pollutants and allergens from the air and absorbs moisture, preventing mold and mildew by trapping the impurities inside each pore. Rejuvenate the bamboo charcoal by simply placing the bag in the sun once a month. Amazon carries a variety of Moso bags. Beeswax Candles: Unlike regular paraffin candles that are derived from petroleum, pure beeswax candles burn with almost no smoke or scent. Like the salt lamp, they also release negative ions in the air and may be beneficial to those with asthma or allergies by eliminating common allergens like dust and dander. While they may cost more than traditional candles, beeswax burns much slower so they will last much longer. Scott & Kristan's Inspiring Arts District Loft (Image credit: Bethany Nauert) Houseplants: We've known for ages that plants literally help you breath better by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing clean oxygen.

But, according to a study by NASA, certain plants are better at eliminating significant amounts of benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene than others. According to the study, the top workhorse plants for air purification are Golden Pothos, Peace Lily, Boston Fern, Snake Plant, English Ivy, Dracaena, Bamboo Palm, Dragon Tree, Lady Palm and Spider Plant. It's suggested that you have at least one plant per 100 square feet of home for efficient air cleaning to be accomplished. Plant Air Purifier: So this one is a bit more pricey than the other suggestions, but if you really want to step up your plant-purifying A-game, then perhaps the Plant Air Purifier is for you. Designed by a NASA scientist, it uses a common houseplant in hydroculture to clean the air. A fan is used to increase the circulation of air through the growing media (which contains activated carbon that's responsible for some of the reported pollutant removal). The Plant Air Purifier has the cleaning power of 100 or more standard houseplants!