Air Purifiers include one of those products that gained popularity during the pandemic. It started with those room air purifiers installed in indoor spaces. I remember, one "unbranded" unit costs around Php 5,000. It became popular among Shopee sellers and today, you can acquire a unit for as low as Php 900.  

There were smaller versions that came, particularly those that are plugged in electrical outlets and often found among quarantine sites. Two years ago, there was a nano version, those that meant to be worn as a necklace. When I did my research, I learned that in reality, air purifiers do not really kill the virus causing COVID-19. It rather eliminates usual air pollutants such as, smoke, dust mites, pollen, dust and fungal spores. Like any other consumer, I banked on the idea that since COVID-19 is starting to be believed as an air-borne disease, it can possibly be eliminated or weakened by air purifiers. 

I was convinced that I don't need air purifiers. But COVID-19 happened to me. Before returning to onsite work, I felt the need to better protect myself. I shifted to the expensive KN95 mask. I avoided crowded places, even if it means incurring additional cost. I almost went to the extent of bringing the smallest bottle of Lysol during my Grab rides. I was initially reluctant, but I felt the need to purchase a portable air purifier. Never mind if it's not yet proven to prevent the spread of the virus. I'm willing to try anything to avoid the virus. 

I first encountered Plamedi from my friend, Leah. I also saw the recommendations of the popular content creator, Masarap Ba. Even if I felt uncertain, I purchased a unit from Lazada. 


Plamedi claims to use the cold plasma technology to kill those air pollutants. It never claimed to address the COVID-19 virus, yet it became popular as an anti-COVID-19 purchase. You can find details here. 

After months of using my Plamedi Air Mini, here are my thoughts

1. It's small and portable, but it needs a powerbank to work. In effect, it's not portable at all. It can fit the pockets in your bag, but not necessarily the powerbank it needs. I was hoping that PlaMedi will come up with a rechargeable version. 

2. While it needs a powerbank, its consumption rate is considerably low. It's not like a mobile phone that utilizes a lot from a powerbank. I often forgot to remove my air mini from the powerbank. There were times when I left it operating the entire night. I'm quite surprised that the 10,000mah powerbank was not exhausted. 

2. It's sturdy. My air mini has been dropped several times and it still works.

3. Like those portable UV bands, it claims to sterilize your small personal belongings. It has a feature that activates sterilize mode on objects near to it. 

4. Contrary to the reviews I read, I never encountered any disturbing odor when using it. Some claimed the air mini emits a burned odor when using it. But this bothers me because the emission felt like it's a proof that it's working. :p

5. I don't really know if it does the work. Maybe, I'm trying to convince myself that it is working. It doesn't have filters that need to be cleaned and replaced. Hence, I'm not really sure if it gets the job done.

6. It's out of the products' attributes but I hope the manufacturer or company owner submits the product for thorough evaluation, particularly on its capability to eliminate viruses causing COVID-19. Currently, the viruses it can prevent are limited to this. 

While I'm contented with the few features provided by my Plamedi Air Mini, I don't necessarily consider this as a need. Between a Plamedi and Lysol, I would still recommend spraying Lysol everywhere to address the virus. But if you have some money to spare, it can possibly justify the purchase.