When I reached Charles Liao last week, he was at the beginning of a five-hour van ride to his company’s factory in Taizhou, Zhejiang. The Shanghai-based entrepreneur is one of the co-founders of Mila, a company that provides affordable monthly plans for residential air purification.

Mila offers a single air purifier model developed, designed, and manufactured entirely in-house by Liao and his two co-founders, David Chitayat and Grant Prigge (who are also fathers). Their business backgrounds range from app development to manufacturing, e-commerce, food and beverage, and franchising. The company’s plans cost RMB 250, 350, or 450 per month depending on the number of units required.

Launched in January 2016, Mila is named after Liao’s now 6-year-old daughter. Liao, Chitayat, and Prigge got the seeds of their business idea from the infamous "Airpocalypse" of the winter of 2013.

"It was frightening because we didn’t know what to do," says Liao on the phone. "When we finally figured out we needed air purifiers, everything was out of stock. We got a quote for our three-bedroom home for about RMB 25,000, not to mention the thousands upon thousands just to maintain the filters."

"I was talking to my neighbor and friend, and he had a similar experience. He brought back an Austin Air from the US for $800. It cost $600 just to replace the filter. The economics didn’t jive. We started talking about the opportunity [to start our own business]at the time."

While doing research, Liao and his business partners noticed there was widespread misinformation around buying air purifiers.

"Often people just buy one. But you need more – one in each room," he says. "I"m not air quality expert, but the research that we did clearly points to having filters certified by the US [Environmental Protection Agency]. All the bells and whistles are just overcharging the customers."

The team spent six to seven months developing its own air purifier, taking into account factors like coverage, air delivery rate, circulation, monitoring, and design.

"The mandate that we kept coming back to was being ‘living room-friendly.’ This was based on our qualitative opinion that most machines on the market look like microwaves, not something I’d want to put in a well-appointed bedroom or study," says Liao.

The Mila air purifier’s features include:

• Coverage for surface areas of up to 50sqm
• A 360-degree intake that draws air from underneath and around the filter, then fires it from the top
• Air delivery rate (CADR) of 300 cubic meters per hour
• 3M HEPA and carbon activated filters that filter to 99.97 percent efficiency
• Automatic sensors to track indoor pollution levels and adjust fan speeds to each room
• Quiet running speeds of 34.7-60dBA
• Real-time air quality data streamed to users’ mobile phones through Wi-Fi

"Recently we did a trade-in event in Shanghai to see what kind of response we would get. There was one family with eight or nine purifiers – no joke – that said they’d do a partial trade-in," recounts Liao.

"One of the parents told me, every month they go around checking the filters and it’s a real chore because you can’t just eyeball that. [One air purifier company] rates their filters at like 12 months – there’s no way that filter will last 12 months. A filter will last two months, four months, six months, especially in Beijing or Shanghai."

Though Mila is based in Shanghai, the company delivers to Beijing and has plans to grow its market here. For a limited time, new customers get their first month free for any Mila monthly plan (a value of up to RMB 450) if they sign up online at mymila.co. Each plan includes free shipping and a money back guarantee.

If Mila’s mission is something you can get behind, the company is currently hiring part-time and full-time salespeople in Beijing as well as looking for "brand ambassadors" to spread awareness of the service.

Keep up with Mila through WeChat (milaliving), Weibo, Instagram, Facebook, or the official website.

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Photos: Courtesy of Mila

Environment Assured did my second and final home assessment. They are the only other Beijing-based company that offers testing based on mass concentration rather than particle count. Because Pure Living had offered me a free home assessment, I phoned Environment Assured to see if they would do the same. I was interested in comparing the two services. Charlie Thompson, the owner, was very open and willing. We had a great phone conversation.

Charlie and Daniel came to my house on a day when the outdoor air tested around 100. Again, it wasn’t ideal conditions (PM 200+ is more ideal) but it was workable. They were extremely friendly and the session also began with a discussion at the dining table followed by a walk around the house. It ended at the dining table as well – the session transformed into a riveting discussion and helped the science feel less dense, more social.

Environment Assured Pros:

• Water Quality: Charlie Thompson has distributed Aquasana water filters here in China for a long time and he was very informative.
• The price: They offer a home assessment at only RMB 800 per household – much more affordable.
• Free Follow-up Visit: included in the fee, to see how well you have implemented their suggestions.
• Willing to order and deliver air filters: no mark-up on their price, either.
• Leak Testing: they test all your windows, drains (etc) and discovered one of our balcony doors was not sealing properly. Very useful information!
• Window Sealing: they will book and supervise a window sealing company
• Loan of HEPA vacuum: They’re quite expensive, so it’s a bonus to try one first!
• Reporting: comprehensive and professional (and full of science!)

Environment Assured Cons:

• Delayed Follow-up: It took them 2.5 weeks to get me a follow-up report and that was after writing Charlie directly to remind him. (Update: some of these issues have since been tackled with a staffing change in Beijing!)
• Confusion Re: window sealing: the first service person claimed he couldn’t seal our types of windows and promptly left. To get another organized, I had to call them several times. This issue was obviously specific to our apartment, but it was still frustrating.
• Re-testing Not Automatic: My re-test still hasn’t happened. It’s obviously something the client has to organize and ours got lost in the shuffle caused by window sealing or the fact that our assessment was free, putting it at the bottom of their pile. Nevertheless, an automated follow-up program would be easily implemented and highly recommended. (Maybe this has also been rectified since their staffing change?)

Overall, comparing Pure Living to Environment Assured proved tougher than expected. The biggest difference is price, but I felt I got a more comprehensive service that was specific to my home with Environment Assured, at least in the testing process. Pure Living came out on top when it came to follow-up, however. But ultimately, they are both doing their jobs well in Beijing – one that hopefully won’t be a required service for much longer!

Photos: Courtesy of Ember Swift

Pure Living offers home air assessments for PM2.5 (mass concentration readings, not particle count, see my previous blog here), but also TVOCs (“off gases”), radon, mold, CO2, etc.

A friendly American woman named Amanda responded to my email inquiry within 24 hrs. The preliminary RMB 4000 quote was quadruple my budget so I quickly declined. Later, Amanda called me back. They offered a free assessment in exchange for a blog post – too easy!

Louie Cheng, the owner, made a rare personal visit. He brought Amanda as well as Li Rui, their technician. Unfortunately for testing, it was a “good air” day; it’s more difficult to see if your home filtration systems are effectively keeping pollutants out when the outdoor air is clean. Nevertheless, we proceeded with the assessment. 

At the dining table, Louie asked many questions and took notes. They explained their equipment. Then we walked around the house putting their gear to work.

Pure Living Pros:

• They know a lot about mold. Old leaks in ceilings cause mold that produces dangerous spores, especially for kids.
• Their comparative testing of my SmartAir DIY units against my BlueAir units showed the former only about 80% as effective. Helpful clarity.
• They explained the need for a HEPA vacuum. Even in a sparsely carpeted home, PM2.5 particulate matter gathers on all fabric surfaces. Without cleaning, indoor air quality could be worse than outdoor air quality as dangerous particles get kicked up as we walk, for example.
• Their follow-up reporting was prompt, professional and very comprehensive.

Pure Living Cons:

• Pure Living holds the US outdoor air PM2.5 emergency standard of 35 µg/m3 as their target level for healthy indoor air in Beijing. The World Health Organization standards state that anything over 10 µg/m3 is certain to have a dangerous effect on human health, so I was confused. Why not aim for the WHO “under 10” healthy target? They felt this was not a reasonable goal in a city like Beijing. I guess I’m just a perfectionist.
• Pure Living doesn’t offer leak testing to determine PM spikes beside a drain, doorframe, window, etc. Imagine an ink dropper slowly dripping ink into a fish tank full of water. No matter how much it’s being filtered, it never gets cleaned. (Water and air – both fluid dynamics in the world of physics.) What’s more, without sealing, filtration system must work overtime.
• Pure Living offers no free follow-up visits to see if you’ve improved indoor air quality with their recommendations. I think this courtesy should be embedded in the cost.
• Finally, at RMB 4000, it’s simply out of many expats’ range. Even with some reduced testing (ex. no radon or mold testing), it’s still RMB 3000+ .

Photos: Ember Swift

As a mother of two children under 4, living under polluted Beijing skies scares me. It’s a problem that isn’t going away anytime soon, no matter how hard the wind blows. That’s why I’ve spent so much time trying to understand how best to keep these two sets of little lungs safe on bad air days. I have outfitted my house with air filters and I want to get my home’s air quality assessed. But first, I learned that you must choose a company that offers to check indoor air quality based on mass concentration and not just particle count. Here’s why:
Pollution is made up of particulate matter or PM (i.e. bad stuff) that is broken down into categories based on size. PM10 means that the nasty particles in the air are 10 micrometers (µm) in diameter or less, smaller than the width of a single human hair. This used to be the global measurement norm, but recently scientists have discovered that even smaller particles, namely PM2.5 and smaller, are more dangerous and require a separate reading. So particles between the size of 2.5µm-10µm in diameter are classified PM10; particles 2.5µm or smaller are classified PM2.5. 

First, because a greater number of small things fit into the measuring space – one cubic meter – there’s a huge variability issue when it comes to counting 2.5 particles. Imagine a room measuring at 200 and then someone lighting up a cigarette. The huge differential result from the smoke particles is hard to make sense of.

Secondly, since the smaller particles are all dangerous, how does a particle counter decide what size to count? Just the ones that measure 2.5µm in diameter? What about the ones that 1µm or 0.1µm? The smaller they are, the more dangerous they are, but a count doesn’t tell us what percentage of particles are extremely small versus those closer to 2.5.

So, the solution is to weigh the particles, not to count them., i.e. mass concentration. Not only does this method include the range of sizes, it doesn’t create range spikes in the readings in cases where we’re dealing with an increase of smaller (more dangerous) particles. Since the smallest ones are the lightest ones, it won’t be reflected in a numeric reading so vastly different than the previous reading. But that doesn’t mean we don’t know they’re there!

Put it this way: mass concentration is more accurate. The WHO and numerous health studies think so too. All of their figures for health and safety are based on mass concentration. So, if a company offers you a particle count, you can’t even compare that with the WHO health standards without knowing how to convert it. Basically, it’s irrelevant. So, say no thanks!

Then, read the next blog. I’m going to book a home assessment and tell you all about it.

Photos: Courtesy of maralinga and stevenzhang1221(flickr)

If some of the air purifiers currently in the market are out of your price range, then you might just be in luck as mobile phone manufacturer, Xiaomi will be launching their new sleek looking purifier on December 16 known as Mi Air Purifier for only RMB 899. Venturing out to produce tech gizmos has become something of a trend with the company as they now have routers, a blood pressure measurement kit, a smart TV, a tablet device, battery packs, and a fitness band.

This move comes as Xiaomi is want to replicate its successful business model in other technology based sectors according to a report on TechNode (VPN needed). As winter sinks in and temperatures dip – the use of more energy produces higher AQI indices readings and the need to get purifiers intensifies. This new product has a dual fan and four air ducts that are meant to produce 10,000 liters of clean air per minute. The company says that it can filter unto 99.99 percent of PM 2.5 air particles (this however remains to be independently tested).

The appliance will be remote controlled via an accompanying smartphone app that will send alerts such as a need to replace a filter to your phone (if you allow notifications to be switched on). Also, there’s going to be real-time air quality monitoring in the room that this is set up, and auto speeds. The one thing that’s a drawback for most air purifiers is manually changing the dials from low to high and vice versa. This will be ready for android users.

The product will be only available in China first before a slowly making its way worldwide.

Photos: Miui.com

In April, IQ Air representatives visited the YCIS Beijing campus to deliver a presentation to all staff. The presentation covered all the factors in optimizing air quality: position of filters, closing doors and windows, using purifiers 24 hours per day, and using doormats to eliminate the introduction of pollutants via shoes. In turn, teachers passed the information on to students in their homeroom classes. YCIS Beijing’s Support and Maintenance Division will regularly replace filters and clean purifier air ducts.

 Yes, it does. But only if you use it properly, and most people don’t. There are plenty of homes, businesses, and schools that physically have air purifiers, but the machines are never turned on. Likewise, many people turn on the machines, but only run them on the lowest speeds because they find the noise distracting. This is almost as ineffective; keeping the machine on the lowest setting is simply not enough when the AQI crawls above about 150 (this isn’t a scientific number, this is my personal threshold. Yours may vary).

We’ve been blessed with some fantastic weather in the past week but if you’re anything like me that hacking cough in the morning and chronic sinus problems are not-so-pleasant reminders of Beijing’s all-too-frequent "crazy bad" air days.

These are the days when the AQI index is so high they go off the scale (as opposed to merely "unhealthy" like it read yesterday afternoon before the rain). Given that Beijing’s air pollution is primarily attributed to car exhaust and burn-off from the factory furnaces ringing the city it’s bewildering to think what else could possibly be contributing to the muck on days when the air pollution borders on toxic.

Chinadialogue has an old post written in October 2007 by Jiang Gaoming, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Botant, that offers a partial explanation and still holds true to this day:

In northern China it is now the middle of the autumn planting season, and once again the farmers are burning off the crop stubble left after the harvest. The highways that run through the fields are covered in smoke, which seeps in through closed windows and can reduce visibility to half a kilometre. It gets worse at night; crop fires are illegal, so the farmers wait till it gets dark to avoid getting caught. However, you were unlikely to see this a decade ago.

To make matters worse, Jiang explains that farmers were doing this illegally simply because they have "nothing to do with" their surplus straw.

When Qufu held its International Confucius Culture Festival the local government cracked down on the stubble burning to avoid the embarrassment of smoke veiling the proceedings. The authorities threatened fines of 4,000 yuan (US$532) and 15 days detention for farmers caught flouting the ban. But even that failed to stop the practice. Local farmers ended up playing a 24-hour game of cat and mouse with the authorities, waiting until the police had ceased their patrols to start burning the crop stubble.

Unfortunately the problem has not been solved. Just this past week Nanjing, Wuhan and part of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces experienced this very calamity and authorities have been having a difficult time enforcing burning bans and apprehending culprits. There were some news items online this week citing government subsidies for farmers to purchase straw balers to stop them from burning straw, but it is unclear how long these measures have been in place and if they are in fact not merely a reaction to the recent pollution.

Fortunately (as far as I can tell) Beijing has not experienced anything nearly so far this year (at least thus far) but the recent announcement by the Air Quality Department under the Beijing Municipal Environment Protection Bureau that the authorities will stop counting "Blue Sky Days" (due to their own admission of a gap between their "blue sky" assessments and public perception) could not have come at a more inopportune moment.

Judging from the blue skies we’ve experienced in recent weeks, authorities may have already begun a more effective process of controlling factory emissions (and praying to the wind gods). Hopefully these controls will extend to crop burning – or at the very least, it would be a relief to think that this round of media attention will spur local officials to keep a closer watch on crop burners in and around Beijing come autumn.

But if and when the capital is once again shrouded in a toxic, choking haze that leaves you gasping for breath – at least you’ll know what’s causing it and perhaps will feel more compelled to invest in one of these (or perhaps, this).