We have tried face masks, filling the house with planters, air-purifiers, humidifiers, and even anti-pollution skincare to tackle the growing levels of pollution in Delhi. The situation is not much better when we travel, for a number of cities in the country are equally polluted.
It was a no-shocker when a report by IQAir AirVisual listed almost 15 Indian cities in its list of Top 20 most polluted cities in the world. Taking away the first prize was our very own Ghaziabad, which effortlessly overtook Beijing as one of the most polluted cities in the world. Thankfully, there’s a solution and one no one thought of before — curtains!
Keep the planters out and the air-purifier in, this new technology will do all that work alone
Image credit: shutterstock
Now that we have figured that any small measure is not enough, something more effective needs to be put into place. While the government and the concerned authorities brainstorm about their next move, we have come up with another solution for your home and loved ones–or should we say IKEA has!
IKEA took your corner-loving air-purifier and turned it around with a large space covering, particle clearing technique–curtains. The company claims that they have developed a curtain that actually cleans the air in your house and is now famously called the GUNRID air-purifying curtain.
Waiting for it to reach India soon
Image credit: IKEA
The curtains are popular in the United States and they are coming as close as Singapore in April and will be going for S$49.90 a pair, i.e. approximately Rs 3,600. The news of the curtains having reached the only IKEA store in India (in Hyderabad) is not out yet but we’ve got our fingers crossed. But on the brightside, if you have friends or family traveling to and from Singapore or even the US, you can ask them to graciously carry a few sets for you.
If you’re still questioning why you would need something so unfancy in your house, then think again. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air quality can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside.
The Swedish ready-to-assemble furniture retailer had been working on this technology for the past few years in collaboration with universities in Europe and Asia. They initially just had an idea where they would use a type of fabric that could actively purify the air in your home, and then started work on it.
How does the GUNRID air-purifying curtain work?
Image credit: IKEA
According to online design magazine, Dwell, a mineral-based treatment is applied to the surface of the curtain fabric to do the needful work. Now how does a “mineral-based treatment” help in purifying indoor air? The layer on the curtain will use a process similar to photosynthesis and break down particles of common pollutants such as odors and formaldehyde, “cleansing” the air.
If you’re thinking light is essential to photosynthesis and how the curtains will be useful in case there is none? Well, lucky for the curtain, both artificial and natural light can trigger the process. However, details as to exactly what type of particles it can act on, and how large they need to be, haven’t been released yet.
Don’t know how popular these curtains will get amongst budget-loving Indians, but it is definitely an idea worth trying to save ourselves from pollution-related illnesses.
