Mila hands-on: Much smarter (and more expensive) than your average air purifier

Whether you have allergies or just want to breathe in the freshest air, an air purifier can be a great buy. Air purifiers can remove fine particles such as dust, pollen, pet infestation and smoke. They have also been shown to take up pathogens in the air such as the virus that causes COVID-19 (at least according to this NASA study which claims that HEPA filters are effective at capturing ultrafine particles). This does not mean that you should not wash your hands or wear a mask when you are with strangers, but at least an air purifier can provide you with peace of mind.

Smart air purifiers have about the same cleaning properties as regular air purifiers, except with a little extra technology thrown in. There is often an additional app that allows you to remotely control it or tell you when it’s time to replace your filter. Some may allow you to plan cleaning cycles at certain times of the day or simply provide more information on how clean or dirty your air is. Some are also compatible with smart assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant.

Smart cleaners have been on the market for a number of years now – examples include the Levoit Smart WiFi Air Purifier, Coway Airmega 400, Winix AM90, Dyson Pure Cool Air Purifier and the TruSens Smart Air Purifier. Some of these are more expensive than their non-smart counterparts – the original Molecule costs only $ 800 – but not all. The Levoit and Winix, for example, each sell for less than $ 200. So far, I have not been convinced that smart air purifiers are so much better than the non-smart range.

The Mila, which started last year, may be different. It’s not compatible with any smart assistant, and it’s slightly expensive at $ 360, but it also promises to be more adaptable than most air purifiers on the market. After a few weeks of testing, I have to say that I am impressed with how capable it is, so much so that I am considering buying one of my own.

When purchasing the device, you can select one of the seven preset filters to use. The standard is basic breathing, designed for larger rooms such as your main living area. It contains an H12 HEPA filter that is optimized for maximum particle filtration. Another filter is called the Big Sneeze, with an H13 HEPA filter designed for allergens such as pollen and dust. However, none of them have an activated carbon filter, so they do not remove so-called volatile organic compounds (VOC for short), such as those found in stinking gases.

If you want a carbon filter, consider the Rookie Parent, the Critter Cuddler, the Home Wrecker, the Mama-to-Be or the Overreactor (yes, those are real names), each designed for specific problems. The overreactor, for example, has an upgraded H14 HEPA filter for ultrafine particle filtration and a more robust carbon filter aimed at formaldehyde. The advantage of stronger filters like these is that they are less efficient at cleaning up larger spaces and therefore better suited for smaller areas such as bedrooms or studio apartments.

I tried both the Basic Breather and the Critter Cuddler, with an H13 HEPA filter suitable for pet indignation; a carbon filter made for removing ammonia (which I really appreciated to reduce the stench of our trash); and a washable sock designed to catch fur and larger particles. I like the Critter Cuddler, just based on the odor removal, but if it was not for our cat, I would probably stick to the basic breathing, because it mostly works well enough.

Setting up the Mila is pretty easy; All you have to do is plug it in and it will immediately go into calibration mode, where it automatically determines the size of the room and how dirty the air is. A screen at the top of the Mila shows the indoor air quality index (AQI), as well as the outdoor rating it picks up from Purple Air sensors in your area. There are also physical touch controls, but it’s much easier to use the companion app instead.

From there, you can choose to use the Mila in manual or auto mode; manual is where you would set the target AQI and fan speed yourself, while the car essentially hands over to Mila to automatically adjust the settings based on your environment. If you tell Mila in which room you use it (eg the living room, kitchen or bedroom), whether you are in an urban or suburban area, how big your house is and whether it is an old or new construction, it gives Mila more information on how to adapt to your environment.

You can customize the Mila even further. For example, you can activate ‘Bubble Boy Mode’, which asks Mila to start at full steam, regardless of the sound level to clear as many particles as possible. Then there is ‘domestic service’, which does essentially the same thing, but only when no one is in the room. Its opposite is ‘silent mode’, which lowers the fan speed when it detects your presence.

There are also bed-specific options, including the sleep mode (fire, fan speed and controlled fan swings) and the drop-off service (it automatically switches on one hour before bedtime to “deep clean” the room and the allergy in reduce the night). There is also a White Noise Mode that adjusts the rhythm of the oscillating fans to mimic soothing sounds (chasing waterfalls, for example, equals 2.7 air changes per hour, while Meditative mode equals 1.6 air changes per hour). hour). As someone who turns on my fan sometimes just to use it as a white sound machine, I really love this mode.

Thanks to Mila’s various sensors, it also gives you numerous information about the air in your home. It can detect particles, humidity, temperature, VOS, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. If it detects carbon monoxide in the air, it will be a pee to warn you. If the humidity is too high, you are warned about possible mold growth. As someone who lives in a 104-year-old house near a wildfire, I would admit that it is all reassuring to have all these sensors.

Of course, Mila is not perfect either. The size is 12 inches wide and 15.5 inches long and has a relatively large footprint, especially in a small room. It does not look too bad in terms of design, but I wish there was a smaller version that is better suited for a bedside table. In addition, the filters cost the expensive machine at least $ 59 each. Unfortunately, the filters seem to be proprietary, so you will probably want to sign up for the subscription service that sends you a new one every six months.

Apart from these problems, the Mila offers great value in addition to a normal air purifier. Yes, it costs about $ 100 more than my existing (and not very smart) Coway AP-1512HH Mighty (which I love by the way), but it also offers a lot more features. If you just want a simple air purifier, the Mila might be too much for you. But if you want one that is highly customizable, that offers a lot of information about your air quality and can be upgraded over time, the Mila is worth a look.