Ikea Now Makes a (Handsome) Air Purifier

It was solely a matter of time. I’ve lined air purifiers for WIRED for a lengthy whereas, and Ikea’s absence available in the market was rising an increasing number of conspicuous. The model’s tardiness was particularly felt final yr, when the marketplace for air purifiers blew up among the many hellscape of wildfires and coronavirus. Suddenly, everybody needed cleaner air indoors.

As the saying goes: Better late than by no means. The Ikea Förnuftig goes on sale within the US as we speak (the abroad market received it earlier this yr), and no, regardless that it is received a humorous title and as we speak is April 1, it isn’t an April Fool’s joke. The Förnuftig prices $55, and you’ll have your alternative of case shade, so long as you select black or white. The woven grille on each fashions is grey. The Förnuftig’s fabric-swaddled design is harking back to Ikea’s different smart-home merchandise, like 2019’s Sonos Symfonisk audio system.

Most air purifiers look fairly heinous—just like the form of bizarre plastic machine you’d discover within the faculty gymnasium storage room whereas skipping class. But the Förnuftig seems sharp, and because it measures roughly 12 by 18 inches, it does not take up a lot area. It’s very skinny at 4.5 inches deep, and if you’d like, you possibly can ditch the ground stand and mount it horizontally or vertically on a wall. Very few different air purifiers can mount to a wall.

The Förnuftig has a clear air supply charge (CADR) of 130 cubic meters per hour, making it what I name a “bedroom air purifier.” The CADR is an industry-standard measurement of how effectively a machine can filter the air in a room over the course of an hour. Without boring you with the small print, that ranking means the Förnuftig is a sensible choice for small rooms like bedrooms or small house workplaces. If you are shopping for a machine for a greater room, I counsel you decide one of many bigger front room air purifiers from our air purifier guide as an alternative.