IQAir Atem Earth Air Purifier Review

Introduction

The IQAir Atem Earth is one of the first air purifiers to be housed entirely in sustainably-forested beech wood with a natural finish (free from paint or varnishes, which tend to be harmful pollutants). It’s something we tend not to think about, but if you do stop and think, the appliance you’re using to remove pollutants from the air could actually be contaminating your air as well. The Atem Earth avoids this – but at a steep cost.

Design and features

• ENERGY STAR certified for efficiency
• Both manual and app control 
• 6 fan speeds

The IQAir Atem Earth arrived in a large branded carboard box. It had taken some knocks from being tossed and thrown around during the shipping process, but fortunately, the air purifier was securely packed to prevent damage. 

The Atem Earth is simply beautiful – no surprise, since it’s Swiss-made, and they take their design aesthetics quite seriously. The housing is a conical shape in beech wood with a natural finish

The vegan leather strap on the top makes it easy and combined with the handle (a vegan leather strap), the air purifier is modern, stylish, and sustainable.

Besides plastic parts, energy efficiency is another issue with air purifiers, which can require a considerable amount of electricity to operate. However, the Atem Earth is ENERGY STAR-certified, and annual energy use is 295 kWh/year in a 572 sq. ft. room. If you’re not familiar with the ENERGY STAR, it’s a symbol of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicating that an item is designed to provide cost-saving energy efficiency. 

On the top of the air purifier is the air outlet and the control panel. Air comes in through the main body, which sits on the base. 

The touchscreen control panel includes several icons: 

The power button/indicator turns the power on, and puts the air purifier in standby mode

Fan speed indicators reveal the current speed

Fan speed buttons are plus and minus signs used to increase and decrease speed; there are 6 total speeds

The smart mode/indicator, when activated, automatically adjusts the fan speed based on current air quality

The Wi-Fi button/indicator is used to connect the air purifier to a Wi-Fi network

The light button/indicator turns on/off the lighting on the control panel 

The air quality indicator rings are in the middle of the control panel; they can compare air quality on the inside of the home (inner ring) with the air outside (outer ring)

The schedule indicator lights up when an air purifier schedule has been set on the app

The lock indicator lights up when the control panel has been activated on the app

The filter status indicator lights up when it’s time to change the filter

The Atem Earth’s replacement filter is $100, which is expensive; however, with normal use, it should only need to be replaced every 12 months.

To change the filter, the air purifier needs to be turned upside down and then change the direction of the locking levels to open them.

Then the bottom lid can be taken off, revealing the filter. 

The combination filtration system consists of the HyperHEPA filter on the outside, and the activated carbon on the inside.

On the side of the air purifier is a tag containing the Atem Earth’s QR code. Scanning this allows me to begin the Wi-Fi connection process, and then connect to the IQAir AirVisual app, so I can control the air purifier remotely. Usually, controlling an air purifier by app provides convenience. However, with the Atem Earth, it is essential, since there are some functions that can only be activated and controlled through the app.

For example, only in the app can I set up an outdoor air comparison, access smart mode, set a schedule, lock the control panel, and get detailed info about remaining filter life. 

Performance

• CADRs are excellent across the board
• HEPA and activated carbon
• 3 smart modes

The IQAir Atem Earth’s CADRs are as follows:

• PM2.5: 376
• Smoke: 369
• Dust: 382
• Pollen: 423

These clean air delivery rates are much higher than those found in the average “good” air purifier, which is usually in the high 100s to mid 200s. As a general rule, the higher the CADR, the faster the air purifier can clean the air.

These high CADRs are a result of the air purifier’s filtration system. The medical-grade HyperHEPA filter can capture ultra-fine particles – and the company states that it can also trap biological contaminants and viruses (although I can’t prove that, so I don’t list it as a feature). On the inside of the HyperHEPA filter is the activated carbon, which controls gases and odors. I can indeed confirm that the air purifier does a marvellous job of removing large and small pollutants and odours.

I have a smoking neighbor, and when the Atem Earth is set on 6 – the highest fan speed – it quickly removes polluted air from whatever room I’m in.  However, when she’s not smoking, the air purifier is usually set on 3.

The reason I don’t just leave it in smart mode is that I’ve noticed (like most air purifiers) the Atem Earth doesn’t automatically pick up smoke and fumes coming from a distant source. That’s why I don’t test air purifiers by burning a match or lighting something right next to it. All air purifiers worth their salt can detect a match that’s 12 inches away, and detect the smell of burnt food coming from the kitchen. 

However, when I smell tobacco smoke from my neighbor, my eyes start either burning or itching (depending on what she’s smoking), I’m coughing, my nose is either stopped up or running, and the air quality indicators on the vast majority of the over 50 air purifiers that I’ve tested (including the Atem Earth) will still show that the air is in the good range. That’s why I don’t trust the smart/automatic settings. However, by keeping the fan speed on a level 3 or 4, if said neighbor starts smoking when I’m in another room, that smoke isn’t building up in my absence.

Even though I don’t use automatic modes, I should note that there are three smart modes on the Atem Earth: quiet mode limits the maximum fan speed to 4; balanced mode limits the max fan speed to level 5; and max mode has no limit on the maximum fan speed when it detects a high level of air pollution in the room. 

Should you buy it?