RickyHave you ever wondered what the air quality is like in your home? I’ve always been curious, especially during the summer months when the doors are open, more so as I love to burn a candle most evenings.
Recently, I was lucky enough to review the Briiv air purifier. This is a good-looking air purifier but I wasn’t 100% sure if it was purifying the air. I could only assume it was doing its job. That is until I tried the AirGradient ONE Indoor Air Monitor.
The team at AirGradient very kindly sent me a monitor to review. Although I’ve received the item for free, this is my honest feedback as to how it works and my honest feedback.
What does the AirGradient ONE Indoor Air Monitor detect?
The AirGradient is packed with different high-quality sensors designed to detect the following…
CO2: Using the SenseAir S8, this sensor monitors the amount of CO2 in the air. High levels of CO2 in the air are a sign of low air quality that needs to be refreshed. Too high levels of CO2 in the air can result in restlessness, drowsiness, and headaches and can affect concentration. When I notice the air monitor with high CO2 levels, I know it’s time to open the patio doors to let some fresh air inside.
TVOCs: These are chemicals that are vapourised into the air. There are thousands of different compounds which can be in the air in your home. This can come from furniture, paint and even cleaning products.
NOX: Harmful gases from indoor gas stoves and boilers can be bad for our health when exposed to these at high levels.
PM2.5: These are tiny particle matter in the air, smaller than the thickness of human hair. High levels of particle matter in the air have been linked to many health issues.
Temperature and Humidity: This is good to monitor especially in the winter time as high humidity can cause mold to form.
Minimalist air quality monitor design
Once unboxed, this air monitor is minimalist and can easily blend into the surroundings of your home. This is what I like most as I can set it up and only look over to it when I want to check the air quality.
It’s a simple white square with glowing LEDs at the top and a small black screen. At the moment, I fitted the small feet to the base of the device so it could be placed on my sideboard. Eventually, I’ll mount this to the wall. I like that it has multiple ways to mount the unit as it makes it suitable for any room you’d like to monitor.
The unit has been cleverly designed to feed the cable to either the top or bottom of the device. Giving you multiple options for plugging in the device when you’re mounting it on a wall or free-standing.
Setting up and placement
Setting up the AirGradient air monitor was simple and quick. Download the app, turn on the monitor and scan the QR code to link it together. Sync WiFi credentials and it’s all done.
The monitor is powered by a USB which is great especially if you have USBs built-in to your sockets like I do. This kept it looking very minimalist.
Using the air monitor
A quick glance at the device’s screen gives you an overview of how the air currently looks in your room. However, opening up the app gives you a whole host of information.
Looking back at the timeline to see how your air quality changes throughout the day is extremely interesting. In the evenings when I extinguish any candles, I can see a big jump on the scale of PM2.5 in the air. This seems to remain the same throughout the night until I open the patio doors in the morning and it clears very rapidly.
What I find interesting is when I switch on my air purifier, it doesn’t take too long for the pollutants in the air to start being filtered. I thought it might take a while to get going but I’m very surprised at how quickly my air purifier works. Without this air monitor, I would never have known and probably had it on for longer than required.
Luckily I don’t live near a main road, so opening the patio doors in my lounge improves the air quality as the outside air is fairly free from pollutants – or more so vs the inside of my home from time to time. I noticed when I cook in the evenings with the kitchen door open, it shows up on the app with pollutants in the air. This has made me close the kitchen door more often and open a window when cooking.
I’m looking forward to seeing how this works in the winter when the heating is on and the doors/windows are kept closed most of the time. This is when an air quality monitor will become very important for the health of the air inside your home.
Verdict: Is the AirGradient ONE Indoor Air Monitor worth it?
Knowing the air quality inside your home is fairly important and more so if you suffer from hay fever and allergies. As I work from home every day, it’s good to keep my home well-ventilated and finding out what causes pollutants in the air is extremely useful.
If you’re looking for a simple minimalist air quality monitor, I can recommend the AirGradiant ONE Indoor Air Monitor.
Purchase the AirGradiant One Indoor Air Monitor for $195 from airgradient.com
