Which air purifier should you buy for the haze in Singapore?
For haze, choose an air purifier with a true HEPA filter (H13 or better) sized for the room you sleep in, and run it with windows shut. In Singapore's humidity, a dehumidifier and purifier in one also keeps a closed room from turning musty. Below are five Uncle Eric picked from Shopee, and why.
Key takeaways
- Your aircon does not filter haze: its mesh filter stops dust and hair, not fine haze particles.
- HEPA is the part that matters: H13 captures at least 99.95% of the hardest particles to catch, H14 at least 99.995%.
- Size it to the room: a purifier made for a small bedroom cannot keep up in an open living and dining area.
- Humidity counts in Singapore: a 2-in-1 dehumidifier and purifier also fights the damp in a closed room.
These are affiliate links: we earn a small commission from Shopee if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Prices change often, especially during sales, so check each listing for today's price.
How to choose a purifier for a room
- Measure the room. Length times width gives the floor area. Pick a purifier whose stated room size is at least that, or bigger for an open living and dining space.
- Check the filter class. Look for true HEPA, H13 or H14. "HEPA-type" or "HEPA-like" filters catch less.
- Think about the night. If it runs in a bedroom, look at the noise level on its lowest setting.
- Decide on damp. If the room smells musty or laundry dries slowly, a 2-in-1 with a dehumidifier does both jobs.
- Budget for filters. During a long haze, filters fill faster. Check the price of a replacement before you buy.
Uncle Eric's five picks
Pick | Type | Filter (as listed) | Warranty (as listed) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde BP03 | Air purifier | HEPA H13 | 24 months | Large living and dining areas |
Sterra Breeze Pro | Air purifier | True HEPA-14 | See listing | Bedrooms and living rooms |
Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier range | Air purifier | Per model | 12 months | One per bedroom on a budget |
novita ND60i+ | Dehumidifier and purifier | See listing | 10 years | Damp rooms that also need clean air |
EuropAce smart Wi-Fi 2-in-1 | Dehumidifier and purifier | HEPA13 | Up to 10 years | Choosing the size that fits the room |
1. Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde BP03
A big purifier for big spaces. The listing gives a HEPA H13 filter, a room size of up to 100 square metres and a 24-month manufacturer warranty, from Dyson's official store. It suits an open living and dining area, where smaller units struggle.
Uncle Eric: "A few of our customers use this one across the whole living and dining area. When we come back to service their aircons, the filters and blower fans are noticeably less dirty, so you can see it working."
2. Sterra Breeze Pro
A True HEPA-14 purifier, one class above H13, rated 4.9 stars by over 700 buyers on Shopee at the time of writing. A good fit for a bedroom or a mid-sized living room. At the time of writing it was on pre-order, so check the delivery date on the listing.
Uncle Eric: "Customers who bought it tell us it does the job at a price that made sense to them. That was their reason for buying."
3. Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier range
The budget way to cover several rooms. One listing offers several models, from the small 4 Compact for a bedroom to the larger 4 Pro and Elite, with a 12-month warranty. Pick the model by room size, and put one in each room people sleep in.
Uncle Eric: "Many of our customers choose Xiaomi. It is affordable and they trust the brand."
4. novita ND60i+ 2-in-1 dehumidifier and air purifier
For homes where the haze meets the damp. With windows shut for days in Singapore's humidity, rooms can turn musty; this unit pulls moisture out of the air and cleans it at the same time. The listing gives a 10-year warranty.
Uncle Eric: "One of our customers uses it in her laundry area, which does not get much air. She says her clothes dry indoors much faster than before."
5. EuropAce smart Wi-Fi dehumidifier and air purifier
Another 2-in-1, with a HEPA13 filter, Wi-Fi control and a wide choice of sizes, from 12 to 60 litres of moisture a day. Pick the smaller models for a bedroom and the bigger ones for a living area or a room where laundry dries indoors.
Uncle Eric: "A 2-in-1 with a wide range of sizes, from a local brand, so after-sales service is handled here in Singapore."
A purifier works best with a clean aircon
A purifier takes haze out of the air, but a dirty aircon keeps adding dust and mould from its coil and blower fan, all day, in the same closed room. During this haze, Uncle Eric told The Straits Times that blower fans and filters were coming in much dirtier than usual. Our guide on whether a deep aircon clean helps during the haze explains what the clean changes, and a musty smell has its own guide: why an aircon smells.
If your aircon smells or the vents look dark, book premium servicing or book online in under a minute. Luna, our AI assistant, answers questions on WhatsApp at any hour.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need an air purifier if my aircon is clean?
Yes, during the haze. The aircon's mesh filter catches dust and hair, not fine haze particles. A clean aircon stops adding dust and mould; the purifier removes the haze.
Where should I put the air purifier?
In the room you spend the most hours in, usually the bedroom at night. Keep it a short distance from walls and furniture so air can reach it, and keep the door and windows shut.
How often do I change the filter?
Follow the maker's guide for your model. During a long haze, filters fill up faster, so check the indicator or the filter itself more often and budget for a spare.
Can I just leave the windows open with a purifier running?
Not on bad haze days. With windows open, outside air keeps coming in faster than the purifier can clean it. Shut the room and follow NEA's health advisories.
Do you earn from these links?
Yes. We earn a small commission from Shopee when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products Uncle Eric picked.
Eric Lim, aka Uncle EricFounder of iAircon.Repair, now in its 10th year servicing aircons in Singapore. Some of our jobs are filmed, and you can watch the work on YouTube.
