Ultimate guide that helps find you the perfect air purifier for your home or office.
What do Air purifiers do?
Air purifiers can help freshen stale air, lowering the risk of health problems caused by indoor pollution, like allergens, mold, indoor toxins, smoke, etc., which can cause respiratory infections, neurological difficulties, and exacerbate asthma symptoms. Air purifiers of high quality remove various indoor air contaminants, keeping us healthy.
HEPA-technology air purifiers can remove 99.7% of the airborne particulate matter (PM) circulating in your home environment. Eliminating these contaminants can result in a variety of short and long-term health advantages, including improved sleep quality and longer life expectancy; it relieves asthma symptoms, neutralizes unpleasant odors, and reduces the chances of getting airborne diseases.
Air purifiers are made up of two parts: a fan that draws in air and one or more filters. As air flows through these filters, commonly made of paper, fiberglass fibers, or a mesh, pollutants and particles are captured and neutralized. The clean air is recirculated into the living space.
Most filters capture dust mites and pollen, which are relatively big, coarse molecules measuring 5 microns or less. How do air purifiers, on the other hand, filter tiny particles? High-efficiency filters remove pollutants and allergens as small as 2.5 microns, around the size of animal dander, using a dense network of fibers and many layers of complicated weaves. Some air purifiers contain UV filters that utilize light to kill biological contaminants like mold and germs, while others with activated charcoal may remove gases like VOCs and smoke particles. As a result, air purifiers can assist with allergies to some level.
Things to consider while buying an air purifier
- Determine where you want to put your air purifier so you can select the appropriate size.
- Look for an air purifier that can filter out contaminants relevant to your house or health requirements (removing pet dander or cigarette smoke, for example).
- Comparing CADR ratings, which demonstrate how well an air purifier filters various contaminants, is a good idea.
- Choose an air purifier with a HEPA filter, the industry standard for indoor air purifiers.
- Look at the noise levels (in decibels) in the product specifications. You may prefer a quieter air purifier depending on where you’ll utilize it.
- Calculate the cost of continuing maintenance and power for the air purifier to budget for it after the first purchase.
After researching more than 30 air purifiers, we’ve concluded 8 top purifiers for your needs; we’ve rated them and mentioned all the specifications you need to know, from HEPA to CADR and everything beyond.
Coway AirMega 200m
Specifications
Spec | |
LxWxH | 45.2 x 25 x 53 Cm |
Warranty | 5 Years Warranty on Motor, 1 Year Warranty on Product. |
COVERAGE AREA | 355 sq. ft / 33 sq. meters. |
Clean Air Delivery Rate | 303 cubic m/hr |
Power Source | Corded Electric |
Weight | 5.5 Kilograms |
Supply | 230V 50Hz. |
Power | 38 Watts |
Our Verdict
The Coway Air Mega is available in two colors: white and black; both are made of glossy plastic and have a detachable front grille. It does not have a very aesthetic look that can add up to your home décor, but it does not look ugly; it has a compact design; it is very portable; you may put it against a wall, but make sure there’s enough room around it for air to circulate. This has intelligent modes that make it even better.
It has three filters – The refilters are designed to trap PM10 particles. A carbon filter, also known as a deodorization filter, removes VOCs from the air and neutralizes the odor. The Multi-Layer Anti-Virus Green HEPA Filter catches 99.99 percent of particles and efficiently removes viruses and allergens. Light changes color when the quality of air changes.
It has five different speed settings; low, medium, high, ECO settings, and an Auto mode that changes the fan speed based on your air quality. The ECO option will automatically turn off after 30 minutes if no pollutants are detected to save energy. It includes a three-option timer that may be adjusted in one, four, or eight-hour increments. It also features a built-in ionizer that you may switch on or off as needed, and it isn’t too noisy, especially on low, medium, and eco modes.
But if we look at the downside of Air Mega 200, you need the maintenance annually on the high mode; it takes up 60W of energy. There are still no Dimmer settings in this air purifier, and there is no energy star rating for the same.
The room coverage they assure you is 360 sq—ft, which is true to the promise. The air purifier even traps dog hairs pretty well, so it is top-notch and worth buying if you speak about the cleaning power.
Blue air blue pure 211+ auto
Specifications
Spec | |
LxWxH | 13 x 13 x 20 inches |
Warranty | 1 Year Warranty on Product. |
Coverage Area | 550 ft2 |
Clean Air Delivery Rate | 353 cubic m/hr |
Power Source | Corded Electric |
Weight | 18.51pounds |
Noise | 23-56db |
Power | 4-38 Watts |
Our Verdict
AHAM-verified for performance and Clean Air Delivery Rate, the Blue Pure 211+ is also Energy Star certified, top-rated by Consumer Reports. If you’re looking for a good deal on an air purifier, this is one to look at. It thoroughly filters the air in a 550 ft² room every 12.5 minutes, and it is one of the best. A one-touch auto mode makes it easier to use as it adjusts fan speed according to the particle sensor.
It does not have an intelligent mode, which we think is a setback for this air purifier. LED shows air quality ranging from sound moderate or terrible. It’s effortless to set up, and it takes less than five minutes to unbox and turn on the device.
Right out of the box, it’s almost ready to use. You need to attach the outside decorative prefilter to the unit, remove some tape and stickers, double-check that the primary filter was correctly put (it arrived installed), and that was it. Within a few hours, the air will get amazingly cleansed.
Austin Air Health mate HM-400
Specifications
Spec | |
Room Size | Up to 1550 square feet |
Dimensions | 14.5″ W x 14.5″ D x 23″ H. |
Weight | 45 pounds |
Fan Speeds | 3 |
Fan Rating | Speed 1 – 75 CFM, Speed 2 – 200 CFM, Speed 3 – 400 CFM. |
Decibel Levels | Speed 1 – 39.8 dB, Speed 2 – 55 dB, Speed 3 – 64.5 db. |
Energy Consumption | Speed 1 – 56 Watts, Speed 2 – 83 Watts, Speed 3 – 132 Watts. |
Power | 120 V / 60 Hz; 1.2 Amps, 135 Watts. |
Our Verdict
The Austin air health mate is quite expensive, but it is worth it; it clears out any odor, smallest particles, and everything that causes your harm; after a team member who has pollen allergy tried it, he made most of our co-workers buy it, it has four-level filtrations.
Stage 1 has a Large Particle Prefilter which removes particles easily seen by the naked eye (e.g., Dust, hair, and pet dander); stage 2 has a Medium Particle Prefilter which helps remove small to medium size particles (e.g., molds, spores, and pollen) Stage 3 has About 15 lbs. of Activated Carbon and Zeolite that helps removes chemicals, gases, and odors, Stage 4 has 60 sq. Ft. of Certified HEPA Removes 99.97 percent of all particles larger than 0.3 microns.
It is loud on the highest mode, but it is very durable; the design isn’t very charming, it is big, but considering the area it covers, we don’t blame it; most air purifiers do not protect more than a 1000sq.ft. It efficiently removes a wide range of airborne pollutants and allergens, including Dust, pollen, chemicals, gases, and Filters viruses and bacteria, so if you’re wondering if your house is safe from coronavirus, yes, it is.
Honeywell HPA 300
Specifications
Spec | |
Dimensions | 20.8 x 10.83 x 22.38 inches |
Weight | 17 lbs |
Filters | HEPA filter and carbon prefilter |
Max noise | 60 dB |
Max power use | 127 Watts |
Coverage | 465 sq. feet |
Modes | High, medium, and low cleaning modes, and a Turbo setting |
Warranty | 5 years |
Energy Star Certified | Y |
Our Verdict
If you’ve been looking for a budget-friendly air purifier that genuinely works, the Honeywell HPA300 Air Purifier meets the bill. Many of the most excellent air purifiers are far more expensive than this $245 purifier. Even in settings as large as 465 square feet, the Honeywell HPA300 Air Purifier is just as effective.
CADR of this product is over 320, which makes it a good air purifier. The Honeywell HPA300 Air Purifier lacks auto modes and intelligent sensors. The air purifier keeps things simple with only two effective filters, a HEPA and a carbon prefilter, and high, medium, and low settings. When your air is in dire need of cleaning up, you may use the Turbo setting, which creates a maximum noise of 60dB. (Which is just slightly louder than some of the other air purifier options out there).
It does not have standard low, medium, and high settings, but the settings are according to the need, for example, general clean mode, germ mode (for flu and virus seasons), and allergen mode.
It has four out of five stars on amazon and 4.5 out of 4.5 stars on Walmart, which is consistent and impressive. If you consider an air purifier under 300$, this is the right choice.
Rabbit Air Minus A2
Specifications
Spec | |
Coverage Area (Max Speed) | 815 sq. Ft. |
No. of Speed Settings | 5 |
Filtration Efficiency | Removes 99.97% of particles greater than 0.3 microns. |
Power Requirements | 120V AC 60 Hz |
CADR | CADR Dust: 173; CADR Smoke: 166; CADR Pollen: 171 |
Noise level | 20.8 to 45.6 dBA across five-speed settings |
Power Consumption | 7 to 47 watts across five-speed settings |
Filter Type | HEPA Type |
Filter Life | 12 months |
Our Verdict
It is one of the sleekest, thinnest, and most stylish designs available; the MinusA2 air purifier stands 20″ tall, 21″ wide, and 7″ deep. Because of its slim, picture-frame form, it can be hung right amid your living room – and trust us; it won’t appear as out of place as you may imagine. Most of the air purifiers with specs like these are very bulky.
It has six filtration stages and four customized filter options: odor removal filter, toxin absorber filter, pet allergy filter, and germ defense filter. It is exceptionally quiet and has purification capabilities as good as those commonly used in medical facilities. And it does not have a timer setting, but finally, the Rabbit Air MinusA2 is a reliable, potent air purifier that fits into practically any environment.
Levoit 400S
Specifications
Spec | |
Room size | 400 square feet |
Filters | True HEPA + washable prefilter + carbon filter |
CADR | 260 CFM |
Speeds | Five (incl. Sleep Mode) |
Noise level | 24-52 dB |
Warranty | 1 year, 2 years with registration. |
Our Verdict
The device is a sleek, minimalist cylinder design. The VeSync companion app allows you to manage the Levoit Core 400S with your smartphone or Alexa or Google Assistant voice commands. Its automated option speeds the fan up or down depending on the cleanliness of the air. It also has wi-fi options so that you can operate it even when you are not at home.
The Levoit core 400S is suitable for a room of 400sqFt. It costs you around 220$, and the replacement filters cost 50$ each. It weighs around 11 pounds, and there are handles on the top to carry it easily.
And most importantly it includes five fan settings, including a very quiet “sleep” and a relatively noisy “turbo” speed; a timer option that allows you to set the air purifier to operate for up to 12 hours longer; and a “check filter” light that indicates when your filter needs to be cleaned or replaced. You may also turn off the display light or “lock” it so that the purifier can only be managed through the smartphone app or Alexa.
The air quality sensor, which Levoit calls Airsight Plus and employs a laser to monitor the number of particles in the air, may be the most valuable feature. The PM2.5 counter (described above) and LEDs are then used to notify you of what is detected.
Overall it is a very smart and powerful air purifier in its range.
TruSens Z-3000
Specifications
Spec | |
Air change | 2 times per hour |
Area range | 750 sq. ft |
Purification Levels | Washable Prefilter, Carbon Filter, True HEPA Filter, UV |
Fan Speeds | 5 |
Dimensions | 10 x 10 x 28 in (263 x 263 x 726 mm) |
Watts | 68 |
Motor Type | DC Motor |
Noise Level | 30 – 60 dB |
Weight (KG) | 6 |
Period of Warranty | 2 years |
Size | Large |
Hertz | 60 Volts-120 |
Our Verdict
The thing we like about the TrueSens Z-3000 is the beautiful cylindrical sleek design, it is pretty big, but it somehow adds to the aesthetic of the room; it has five different fan settings to suit every need, it is quietest in the whisper mode followed by auto mode and the loudest being the turbo mode which is as loud as an alarm.
It also has a night mode, which turns off LEDs at night, and a timer that turns it off after a set time. It reacts very quickly to lousy air and cleanses it at a fast speed. And it has color-coded air quality indicators. Some of its drawbacks include no support for mobile apps or voice control. It also has three filters that have different life spans, so the maintenance that is required to keep the filters clean will be hectic.
Ikea fornuftig
Specifications
Spec | |
Size | 12 x 18 x 4 inches; stand adds 5 inches to height |
Colors | Black or white |
Optimal room size | 108 square feet (10 square meters) |
Filters | Cleanable prefilter; disposable HEPA-like filter and gas/odor carbon filter |
Fan speeds | Three |
Clean air delivery rate | 70 cubic feet per minute (max) |
Sound | 29 dB, 49 dB and 60 dB, depending on fan speed |
Power consumption | 1.5 to 16 watts |
Our Verdict
Ikea’s first-ever air purifier launched recently, and the price you are paying for it is just 60$. So there has been a lot of controversy on this topic. Is this purifier any good? Will it be able even to clean the big particles? So, to clear some of these FAQs, we did some research Because IKEA’s press package for the air purifier (which opens in a new tab) refers to the European cubic-meter-per-hour rate. At the same time, we Yanks are stuck on the cubic-foot-per-minute (CFM) system, the Förnuftig’s clean-air-delivery rate (CADR), or air throughput, is a little challenging to figure out.
The Förnuftig’s fan speed produces a European CADR of 140 m3/h, which converts to around 82 CFM in the United States, according to a Google translation calculation. However, when we went deeper into the Förnuftig product page on the IKEA website (which opens in a new tab), we discovered that the maximum CADR was just 70 cfm. The minimum CADR needed for even the tiniest room is 65 cfm, making it a wrong choice.
I look at the design; it is sleek, looks very minimal, and adjusts anywhere in the room, considering the fact that it only works in small spaces. But it isn’t a true HEPA or a potent purifier, and it is designed to capture particles above 2.5 microns, so if you think you’re safe from airborne viruses, you are wrong.
We have concluded that this isn’t a great choice; if you are looking for a decent air purifier, don’t go for it.
Conclusion
I hope this guide was helpful for you and your health; look for the air purifiers with more than 100 CADR ratings and that have True HEPA.
If you still feel stuck, you’re free to drop a comment.