Last week, I was invited to the launch of the two new additions to the Sharp Plasmacluster Ion Technology line up. Unfortunately, I got sick and had to pass. Who likes getting sick, right? It sucks because you get stuck at home doing nothing when you’re sick. That’s exactly why aside from healthy living, we also have to take extra steps to protect ourselves from viruses. One way is to keep the air at home clean since that’s where we spend a lot of our time!

Plasmacluster Ion Technology is a unique air purifying solution meant to reduce asthma symptoms and other diseases caused by poor air inside the home. For a home to be a true sanctuary, it should be more than just beautiful or relaxing. Literally a shelter from the outside world, it should promote one’s well-being, providing ideal conditions that eliminate threats to one’s health.

Making families’ health a top priority, Sharp Philippines breathes new life into clean air technology by introducing two new products with Plasmacluster Ion (PCI) Technology, an exclusive innovation engineered to ensure clean air inside the home. Launched at the New World Hotel, Makati on October 22 in an event dubbed “Happiness is in the Air,” Plasmacluster Ion Technology is a revolutionary solution developed by Sharp, a company that has always been at the forefront of technology.

I’m very keen on keeping ourselves and our surroundings clean at all times, which is why I always keep my germ-fighting gear near at all times. However, keeping the air at home clean, pure and safe is another matter. I’m already aware that although I mop and wipe surfaces with germ-killing products, I can’t really do anything about the air.

Usual methods of cleaning cannot remove pollens, allergens, mold, mites, viruses and germs in the air. Enter Plasmacluster Ion Technology—an innovation that draws inspiration from our own natural defenses. In 1998, then Sharp researcher (now Team Chief for Health and Environmental Systems, Air Purification Division) Kazuo Nishikawa looked at the state of air purification at the time, and realized that the methods they were using had reached the limits of their effectiveness. Deciding that something needed to be done, he began to study air purification technique, determined to make indoor air safer to breathe, especially for children.

Nishikawa and his team tried a few options – including ozone and negative ions – but found them lacking. After a few more tries, Sharp finally developed PCI Technology. Simply put, Plasmacluster Ion Technology is an air purifying technology that is capable of suppressing the effects of airborne viruses, bacteria, microbes, allergens, and other threats. The ions come in contact with the airborne threats in the air, undergoing chemical reactions on their surfaces to form OH radicals. These OH radicals decompose the proteins on the surface membrane of the airborne threats by taking the hydrogen. Without protein, the airborne threats are disabled and in effect, deactivated. The hydrogen then combines with OH radicals, and together they transform into water which is released into the air.

Lots of big words! The bottomline is, with the Plasmacluster Ion Technology, we can now eliminate harmful microscopic particles and reduce asthma attacks (a biggie because we have asthmatic tendencies in the family).

Why the particular interest in asthma? Asthma is a chronic condition that can cause a variety of respiratory symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, a tightening in the chest, and difficulty breathing. It is a very common condition, with almost 11 million sufferers in the Philippines alone. That’s roughly one asthma sufferer in ten Filipinos. This condition can be exacerbated by a number of common elements found in any home: dust, dust mite allergens, mold, and other airborne allergens, which can’t be eliminated by surface cleaning alone.

If you value your family’s health, Sharp recommends the Sharp Plasmacluster Air Purifier UV+ and the Sharp Plasmacluster Mite Catcher, the two new additions to Sharp’s Plasmacluster lineup.

The Sharp air purifier, unlike generic air purifiers, is powered by the exclusive Plasmacluster Ion Technology, allowing it to deactivate up to 99% of airborne allergens, viruses, and bacteria while reducing unwanted odors. It is also equipped with a True HEPA Filter, which can capture 99.97% of particles as tiny as 0.03 microns such as smoke particles, dust, pet dander, and pollen. Plus, it has a 5-step mosquito-catching mechanism: an effective, chemical-free way to eliminate mosquito threats indoors. The Air Purifier UV+ has a black exterior and emits UV light, both of which attract mosquitoes indoors. The mosquitoes are also enticed to enter the tiny entrances, sucked in with the air purifier’s powerful suction and trapped on a chemical-free glue sheet.

This is amazing because you don’t just get an air purifier, but also a mosquito catcher–very handy now that Dengue is becoming a major problem in the Philippines.

Now, what about the Sharp Plasmacluster Mite Catcher? Dust mites are all over beds, pillows, carpets, and upholstery. Vacuuming doesn’t remove them from fabric surfaces, where they live, eat, breed, and die. Their remains and excrement (from eating dead skin cells) are known allergens, which can cause itchiness, rashes, and respiratory symptoms in people with asthma and dust mite allergies.

With the Heat & Clean Function, the Sharp Plasmacluster Mite Catcher effectively eliminates dust mites and other allergens on the bed and other textile surfaces. It releases up to 60°C heat to weaken the dust mites’ hold on fibers, while also sanitizing the mattress and reducing its odors. Plasmacluster Ions are also released, deactivating bacteria and microbes living in mattresses, pillows, and cushions. The powerful Cyclone Suction, a strong centrifugal suction force, then removes all particles, pesky dust mites included, from mattresses and other such surfaces.

This is something we really, really need because we have no room in our condo balcony to air out our mattress in the sun. It’s very easy to use and maintain too!

The Sharp Plasmacluster Air Purifier UV+ and Mite Catcher will soon be available at Anson’s, Abenson, and SM Appliance Centers in the Greater Manila Area this November 2015. For more information about Plasmacluster Ion Technology and other exceptional products of Sharp Philippines Corporation, visit www.sharp.ph or like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SharpPhilippines.