Our process prioritizes in-advance requests, as we are a disabled and chronically-ill led volunteer collective, and our capacity and speed is variable!

PRIORITY REQUEST PERIOD: This is a 6-day window at the beginning of each month for events happening at any point during the next 60 days. Requests made during this period are given priority!

ROLLING REQUEST PERIOD: For the rest of the month, we are able to take requests on a case by case basis — when our group has capacity to meet them.
Email us at air4nyc@gmail.com to inquire.

We can’t guarantee these requests will be met. In all cases, the more lead time you give us, the greater the chances are that we will be able to lend you (a) purifier(s) for your event! In general, requests made 4 or fewer days before an event are rarely, if ever, fulfilled. (Though, on a rare chance, we can! )

PRIORITY POLICY: Our librarians process all requests made, guided by a system that prioritizes requests made by people from communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19; ie Black, Indigenous, disabled/chronically ill, trans, service industry workers, etc. We also prioritize events that offer layered protections, such as requiring masks and/or testing.

Both of these policies may be taken into account if applicable in the case of any potential scheduling conflicts.

First, you'll receive a preliminary scheduling email!

This email will include

• several options for times to pick up and drop off your air purifier(s) on your selected dates.

• a lending agreement for you to sign

• confirmation that your previously submitted booking information is correct! If you need to change your pick up and drop off dates and/or times, this is the last chance to do so.

If the start date of your booking (your pick up date) is more than 7 days out from the day we process your request, we will ask your to return this information to us via email within 7 days. If we have not received a response by then, we will send out a reminder email. If we receive no response within 48 hours (2 days) after the reminder email, we will cancel your booking. If you would still like to use (a) purifier(s) at that event, feel free to submit a new request for it at that point.

If the start date of your booking (your pick up date) is less than 7 days out from the day we process your request, we will ask you to return this information to us via email within 48 hours (2 days). If we receive no response within 48 hours, we will cancel your booking. If you would still like to use (a) purifier(s) at that event, feel free to submit a new request for it at that point.

Once we receive your selected pick up and drop off times and the signed lending agreement we will:

• confirm pick up and drop off time and send the location, and connect you with the volunteers who will meet you for pickup!

• Send a copy of the agreement with a signature from a representative of A.I.R. NYC

Note that we ask for a $20 deposit at the time of pickup, which will be returned to you in full with the safe, timely drop off of the air purifier(s) at the end of your booking. This deposit can be waived on a needs-basis / or can be donated, if you are able to and wish to support this community resource.

You will not be able to change your pick up and/or drop off dates or time once your booking has been confirmed. Please try and make arrangements with a friend/bandmate/trusted person who can pick up the purifier and return it at the agreed-upon date if you can no longer make it to the storage unit at the set date(s)/time(s).

The lending library is open to all.

The air purifiers are available for use at concerts, rehearsals, openings, community gatherings, teach-ins, classes, art builds, AA meetings, you name it! Events can be public or private.

Please note that we don’t currently provide air purifiers to:

• Events outside of New York City

• Events that can’t roughly meet our Air Changes Per Hour (ACH) requirement with the purifiers we have available on a given date, except in special circumstances. (See the “Venue Size” section below for more information about our ACH policy. Please reach out for clarification at air4nyc@gmail.com.)

No! The air purifiers are available for use at public or private events. However, the air purifiers are not currently available for private use outside of events/gatherings.

Our current library offers :

• Three XL (Smart Air Blasts) : 23"L x 14”W x 49"H, weighs 70 pounds and has a Clean Air Delivery Rate* of 1200 cubic feet per minute (CFM).

• Five Large (Smart Air Blast Mini) : 23”L x 15"W x 25.3"H, weighs 60 pounds and has a Clean Air Delivery Rate of 820 cubic feet per minute (CFM).

All of the purifiers have four wheels for easier transportation.

These purifiers were selected based on their durability, and efficiency relative to size and volume. They’re suitable for all kinds of events, including ones where fan volume might be a concern.

*the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) is the measurement we use to determine the number of Air Changes per Hour (ACH) in a particular space.

Cleaning the air in different size spaces requires a different number (or size) of purifier(s). The venue size in square feet helps us provide appropriate air purification for your event. If you’re unsure, please ask your venue and/or estimate.

In order to significantly reduce the spread of pathogens at COVID-safer events, we aim to provide a minimum of :

• 6 Air Changes Per Hour (ACH) for events that don’t require masks. (Put another way, 6 ACH means that it takes 10 minutes to replace all of the air in a perfectly ventilated room with clean, purified air)

• When masks are required, the minimum is 4 ACH.

The ceiling height of your venue is not required, but does helps us more accurately determine the number and size(s) of purifiers you’ll need, as ACH is calculated using the total cubic feet of a room (a three-dimensional unit of measurement). If you don’t know the average ceiling height of your venue, estimate if you are able.

We can make an exception to our ACH requirement in some cases, and as we go, we hope as a community to get a better sense of what different venues need. If you are a performer/organizer who does not have control over the requirement of masks at your events, please check the corresponding box on the request form.

If you have any questions, email us at air4nyc@gmail.com.

Pick ups: no sooner than 24 hours before an event begins. Drop offs: no later than 24 hours after it ends.

Due to the hours of the storage unit facility, drop offs must take place within the following overall windows:

9 PM - 6 PM Monday - Saturday

9 AM - 4 PM Sunday

Please keep this in mind when filling out the request form.

All pick ups and drop offs will take place at our storage unit on Atlantic Avenue in Crown Heights, just off the Nostrand A/C stop. (We will send you the exact address of the storage unit in our initial scheduling email.)

An A.I.R. volunteer will meet you at the storage unit, where they will review the terms of your booking and answer any questions you may have.

Please note that our large air purifiers weight approximately 70 pounds, and our mediums weigh approximately 60 pounds, and are on wheels. Depending on availability, we have hand trucks for XL purifiers with larger wheels to help facilitate loading/unloading. Please plan accordingly, with their weight in mind as you may need more than one person present at pick up and drop off to transport the purifier(s), depending on your capacity.

If you have any questions about fitting the purifier(s) in your vehicle, check out the PDF guide to how they fit in cars, linked below the request form. If you need clarification after reviewing the guide, feel free to email us.

Like a library, it's free!

We do ask for a $20 security deposit at the time of pickup. This will be returned to you in full with the safe, timely drop off of the air purifier(s) at the end of your booking.

We invite those who are able to opt to donate your deposit towards our ongoing transportation fund.

We can waive the deposit on a needs-based case by case basis. Please indicate you would like to waive the deposit by checking the relevant box on the request form. Asking us to waive the deposit will not in any way affect your prioritization in the lending process.

Due to the widespread inaccessibility of the subway system, the risk of injury to people transporting the air purifiers, and the risk of damage to the equipment itself, we require all partners to transport their purifier(s) in (a) vehicle(s).

This is a community resource, and the physical safety of our partners takes the highest priority, followed by the overall longevity and integrity of our equipment.

We have a transportation fund that can cover part or all of the cost of Ubers/Lyfts/taxis if you do not have access to a vehicle.

Borrowers are primarily responsible for transporting air purifiers between the storage unit and their event venue.

However, to make this process more accessible, we have established a small transportation fund to cover, in part or in full, the costs of transportation for those in high need.

Please only request support from this fund if you have exhausted all other means by which to transport the purifiers.

Through this fund, A.I.R. can reimburse the cost of one round trip between our storage facility and your event. Please keep in mind that this is a last-resort option. We encourage everyone to try to find alternate arrangements for transport before using the transportation fund if you, other organizers, friends, or your venue do not have access to a vehicle. The transportation fund is intended to fill the gaps where transport would be a barrier preventing an artist or community member from being able to pick up a purifier for their event, and we hope over time to grow this fund to serve more and more community members.

Our air purifier library is open to everyone. We understand that, due to the city’s ongoing disinvestment in infrastructure, transport may be a challenge even for the most mobile among us. Because of the extremely limited funds we have set aside for the transport fund, we prioritize requests from disabled and/or chronically ill borrowers. However, anyone may request use of the fund.

At this point, we do not have the capacity or volunteer force to accommodate late drop offs/returns. We ask that borrowers make arrangements with friends/bandmates/etc. if necessary to ensure that all equipment is returned to the storage unit on time.

Please get in touch your A.I.R. volunteer contact if you encounter any unexpected delays on the day of pick up and/or drop off. Last-minute changes outside of a 30-minute grace period to the agreed upon drop off time will be considered a late return.

Please be mindful that this is a community resource! Returning equipment late may result in another person’s event not having an air purifier.

• First late return: first warning and loss of deposit (donation to library)

• Second late return: final warning and loss of deposit (donation to library)

• Third late return: loss of deposit (donation to library) and termination of partnership

If your partnership is terminated as a result of 3 late drop offs, you will no longer be able to make requests for air purifiers. In the case of organizations with multiple members, the partnership will be terminated with all members who have been the primary point of contact for a late pick up/drop off.

All of our air purifiers come in a carrying case that should be used at all times when the purifier is in transit or otherwise unplugged. The purifiers should never be placed near a bar or another surface where liquids are kept and/or distributed.

Please take care of this community resource!

We ask that you communicate with your librarian contact (the volunteer you picked up the purifier from) if/when you suspect there has been damage to the purifier or filter system. Take pictures of any damage that you can see and email them to air4nyc@gmail.com. We do understand that some cosmetic damage may happen as a result of long term use -- this sort of damage will not affect your deposit, your ability to make future requests -- but please let the librarian know about these as well.

However, if the purifier is returned in a damaged condition that renders it unusable, the borrower is responsible for the costs of refurbishment and repair.

If you need to cancel your request before sending in your $20 deposit, please let us know in your response to our first email, the scheduling email, or our second email, the confirmation email.

If you need to cancel your confirmed booking after sending in your deposit, please respond directly to the confirmation email and let us know as soon as you can so we can initiate the process of refunding you.

At the moment, we only supply air purifies to indoor events.

HEPA air purifiers are very effective at cleaning the air as it recirculates within enclosed (indoor) spaces, but they don't physically move the air around well enough to make any meaningful difference in a space where the "ceiling height" (the sky) is infinite.

If you would like to increase the air circulation at your outdoor event, we would recommend that you place several box fans around your venue,

Box fans do a great job at circulating large volumes of air, which is what will make a meaningful difference for your event space.

Air purifiers consist of two parts: a fan and a filter. The fan pulls in the surrounding air and pushes it through a filter back into the room. The HEPA filters we use filter out 99.9% of particles that cause health issues, such as pollution, allergens, and pathogens like the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID.

Adding appropriately sized air purifiers to your event creates a more accessible environment that is safer for everyone’s health and well-being, and invite you to consider the quality of ventilation in your venue as part of your event and accessibility plan.

COVID safety is a layered process! Note that air purifiers offer increased but not total safety from contracting or transmitting airborne diseases. We invite you to require and provide masks in addition to purifiers for even greater safety and solidarity.

Long term, we are working on resources to support you in making these considerations and advocating for layered protections wherever you host events.

If you’ve read through this page and have any additional questions about the booking process (or anything else), please don’t hesitate to contact us at air4nyc@gmail.com. We will respond as soon as we’re able.