What Air Purifier Do You Use?

NovaAlpha on 04/08/2026 - 22:25
Last edited 05/08/2026 - 11:48

I have four Xiaomi Air Purifier 4 around the house and the filters for this isn't really cheap, it's about $50 (with the PBTech membership discount) and I find it cheaper and easier to get it from PBTech. I usually get either of these 3 filters, depending on the situation:

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/HOMOEM03001/OEM-High-Effici…
https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/HOMMIX15918/Xiaomi-Mi-Home-…
https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/HOMMIX24738/Xiaomi-Mi-Home-…

That's roughly $200 every 8–12 months for replacement filters. It's not terrible, but I was hoping to find a cheaper option in the $20–$30 range instead. The air purifiers themselves do a great job and I'm happy with their performance, but I was wondering if there are any more economical filter alternatives available.

I also tried extending the lifespan of the filters by using my WOLFBOX MF200 compressed air duster to blow out the accumulated dust, and I even tried washing them. Unfortunately, neither method worked for very long, and the filters still needed replacing fairly quickly.

I do know you can get these for cheap from Taobao, but the problem is that it always takes around 2 months for delivery. I suppose if you buy in bulk it should be OK, but still annoying.

What do you guys use and how much does it cost you to replace the filters and where do you get them from?

UPDATE:
Screw it, I just placed an order for 20 filters from Taobao. Comes down to around $20 each, instead of the usual $50+.

Here's the link I used, you might find cheaper ones. I compared a few listings and couldn't be bothered checking for more, so I settled with this one. Some listings have coupons that can be applied and the shipping fee might be cheaper as well, so the comparison can take some time and effort and I just can't be bothered.

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=967075441785

General Discussion

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  • bot on 05/08/2026 - 09:11

    Whatever you do don't buy a Coway Airmega 250, I got one on a good deal, but new filters are hard to come by in NZ, and cost upwards of $100. I like the unit and it works well, but pricey.

    • 1
  • dealhunter on 04/08/2026 - 22:47

    What are you really trying to filter

    • 0
    • NovaAlpha on 04/08/2026 - 23:07

      Dust, pollen, whatever is in the air.

      My partner is allergic to pollen and she sneezes a lot, but ever since we got these air purifiers, she hasn't sneezed as much. If she used to sneeze say 50 times a day, now it's down to maybe once a day or none at all.

      I can tell the air is definitely better around the house. It makes a difference.

      Unrelated, but I also have a PPM monitor and having really clean air and low PPM really helps me focus when WFH.

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  • magicmarker on 05/08/2026 - 07:44

    We use the shark never Change compacts just for the bedrooms. Just under $150 on sale. Dont know if the filters will be available when the time comes, although it’s meant to last 5 years. Then it’s cheaper than buying filters each year. Old unit filters were almost $100/year.

    It’s got an onboard pm2/pm10 sensor and goes into standby when the air is clean. It gets going on cold winter smoggy Christchurch nights. Wish it had a timer function though. And it can be a tad noisy if it goes to medium and above fan speed

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    • NovaAlpha on 05/08/2026 - 10:32

      That's the thing I like about the Xiaomi purifier, it has a native timer function built in, supports Matter or whatever the protocol is, so I can use either Alexa or Google Home to schedule it as well, or use my voice to turn it on/off. Most importantly, it's very quiet even on the highest fan speed. I honestly can't hear anything and I'm quite sensitive to noise. We have it running in the bedroom 24/7 and I can't hear it at all during the night when it's dead quiet.

      If you really want a timer function, you can always get one of those smart wifi plugs. You plug the purifier to the smart plug and you can set a timer on the smart plug on/off. If the smart plug supports home devices automation protocol like Matter, you can do a lot more with it, like setup IFTTT to turn it on when you're in/out of the house, etc.

      Regarding the filters, I'd need to look into those. I'm a bit sceptical that a filter can last 5 years. The reason the Xiaomi ones need changing is that they're also carbon activated and you can only fit so much into a filter that is designed for commercial use. Not to mention that there are different layers to it, so depending on how "complex" the filter is, one might need replacing sooner than others. Every time I replace the filters, I always see a lot of junk collected in the layers.

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  • starker3 on 05/08/2026 - 09:04

    I've got the Xiaomi air purifier 4 pro which I think is the same as the 4?
    Does the "Xiaomi Mi Home Antibacterial Air Purifier Filter for 1 / 2H / 2S / 3 / 3H" fit the 4? I assumed it didn't so ordered an antibacterial filter off aliexpress instead that stated it did fit the 4 - but if its available locally the price is similar so I'd rather just order from pbtech instead.

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    • NovaAlpha on 05/08/2026 - 10:26

      don't know about the 4 Pro, but the filters for the 3 and the 4 are the same. Those filters all fit on my Air Purifier 4 model. Some of the products on PBTech have incorrect descriptions.

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      • starker3 on 05/08/2026 - 10:57

        Also forgot to mention - some people online buy cotton wraps that go around the air filter and just replace those. The cotton apparently catches most of the dust and particles and is cheaper to replace while the internal filter can last longer without getting clogged as quickly.
        I haven't tried that, but some people said they've managed to get 2-3x more use out of their filters using the cotton covers.

        • 1
        • NovaAlpha on 05/08/2026 - 11:15

          lol, that sound like a nice hack!

          And I think you're right, I saw a few listings on Taobao that sells some static sheets or whatever they're called, which surrounds the filter to "prolong" its lifespan.

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      • starker3 on 05/08/2026 - 10:51

        Looks like the 4 pro has a larger filter size :(
        360mm for the 4 pro vs 296mm for the 4, 3, etc.

        • 0
        • NovaAlpha on 05/08/2026 - 11:51

          I think as long as the height matches the filters for the other models, it's fine. I noticed it's usually the width that's different.

          For example, both Air Purifier 3/3H/3C and 4 have a filter height of 293mm, but the filter diameter on the 4 is 210mm whereas the 3/3H/3C is 200mm. The height is what matters, because if it's too tall, you can't fit it in the purifier.

          You can also check Taobao for filters for your model:
          https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=967075441785

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  • joshtnz on 05/08/2026 - 09:32

    Do all those filters you linked fit your one model? They all seem to have different model numbers for compatibility?

    I have the air purifier 4 https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/HOMMIX33927/Xiaomi-Air-Puri…

    and buy this filter https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/HOMMIX34107/Xiaomi-Mi-Home-…

    • now wondering if I can also buy the others you've linked?

    I also bought one from mighty ape on a good deal but now both it and the filters are out of stock so I guess in a year or two that device will be a paperweight. Very frustrating.

    • 0
    • NovaAlpha on 05/08/2026 - 11:48

      Yes, they all fit. I checked them in person before buying and they're the same size. I think PBTech just didn't bother updating the description on those ones.

      You can also get filters from Taobao for cheap, but just note the delivery might take some time.
      https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=967075441785

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      • joshtnz on 05/08/2026 - 15:03

        Crazy, I had no idea. Thanks!

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        • NovaAlpha on 05/08/2026 - 15:57

          For clarity, check my comment here:
          https://www.cheapies.nz/comment/301682/redir

          I ended up biting the bullet and just bought like 20 of these from Taobao. They come down to $20 each. But you don't have to buy 20 to get it down to $20, I just prefer to buy in bulk since the shipping time needs to be accounted for.

          • 0
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