Best Overall IQ Air Atem XRead more
Best Cost-to-Benefit Ratio Coway Airmega MightyRead more Furnace Air Filters
Best Air Purifier for Large Rooms With High Ceilings Coway Airmega ProXRead more
Best Air Purifier for Offices or Classrooms Coway Airmega 400SRead more
Welcome to the future, where clean air is a luxury. Thanks to pandemics and wildfires, air purifiers have become the gotta-have-it home appliance. Buildings let in a lot of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and vaporous chemicals. Indoor plastics, furniture, paint, and flooring off-gas noxious fumes too.
Since your home might be your workplace, playground, meditation studio, dine-in restaurant, and movie theater, you want to ensure that the air you’re breathing for most of the day is clean. These are our best air purifiers—from the top-of-the-line IQ Air Atem X ($1,400) to the more affordable Coway Airmega ($230) and everything in between.
For more home tips, take a peek at our other guides, including the Best Robot Vacuums and the Best Mesh Wi-Fi Routers.
Updated February 2025: We've added the Briiv 2 Pro Air Filter, Mila Air 3 Critter Cuddler, Coway Airmega 400S, and Blast Mini Mk II, removed some air purifiers that were found in longer-term testing to be not well made or too small to be impactful, and updated links and prices throughout.
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I haven’t lived without air purifiers since I started covering air quality back in 2019. These air purifiers were tested in my 130-plus-year-old Brooklyn apartment in a building currently undergoing construction. I use a gas stove for cooking. There were two cats, a dog, and two people during the entire testing period. I do not have central air nor an HVAC with MERV filters. There is no over-stove exhaust fan to remove fumes to the outside. All of this is to say, my home is an excellent air purifier laboratory.
The more air purifiers that I test, the more I think they should be viewed as a lifetime investment. If you have the means, the Atem X (9/10, WIRED Recommends) truly is the best investment when it comes to a HEPA filter. Aside from its sleek design, there's an option for a 10-year warranty (with registration and filter subscription), which means you’ll have access to parts and repairs for a decade. It’s quiet and has custom settings, a built-in sensor, and a dashboard phone app, and it can be set flush against a wall. I use the term “air purifier math” to consider how many air purifiers you might burn through in the next decade. One, two, maybe three? This is why the Atem X is a wise investment, even at its big ticket price. The one drawback is that the Atem X doesn’t have a carbon filter to remove gases.
The Mighty from air purifier stalwarts Coway might have the best bang for your buck when it comes to air purifiers. At under $200, the Mighty can clean a 361-square-foot room, exchanging the air the recommended 4.8 times per hour. Note that this is based on running the Mighty at its highest and loudest setting at 53 decibels. And, as I’ve written before, you most likely won’t want that kind of white noise 24/7, so I suggest fitting the Mighty in a room around 200 square feet or smaller to run it at a quieter setting while still benefiting from a high air exchange rate. It has an on/off button for the ionizer and a timer activation/deactivation feature that will power off after 1, 4, or 8 hours, along with Eco Mode that turns off the fan if no pollution is detected for 30 minutes.
The Mighty has a built-in air sensor and air quality light that shines blue for clean air, dark purple for polluted air, and red for highly polluted. This is Coway’s color system, and I found it confusing as the colors don't line up with the United States’ Air Quality Index standards of green for good, red for unhealthy, and purple for very unhealthy. It is the air sensor that enables the Mighty to automatically adjust its fan speed. At just under a foot and half tall and 12 pounds, the box-like Mighty feels lighter than that with its easy-to-grab back handle. I pulled off the front cover to reveal the Mighty’s three filters: a HEPA, a deodorizing filter, and the pre-filter. The Mighty also needs to sit about 8 inches from the wall or furniture. And while I liked the simple design of the Mighty, its glossy white plastic finish attracts pet hair in that clingy, static-like way. It isn’t compatible with Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa, nor does it have a remote or app. Still, for the price, the Mighty is an excellent air purifier for small rooms.
The Coway Airmega ProX is the monolith your high-ceiling home needs. If you’re living in an A-frame, double-height ceiling loft, or any home with a ceiling higher than 8 feet, the Coway Aimega ProX is for you. The ProX gives off a TARS robot from Interstellar meets giant stereo speaker vibe. It’s blend-into-the-room-mocha beige and can clean the air four times per hour in a 1,000-square-foot space when running at its highest setting. And even at its highest and therefore loudest setting, it hovers around 50 decibels, slightly louder than the sound of falling rain—making it one of the quieter large tower air purifiers I’ve tested. It also has a control panel lock that is a plus for parents and cat owners alike.
The control panel features Coway’s real-time slightly confusing air quality indicator light: blue for good, green for moderate, yellow for unhealthy, and red for very unhealthy. There’s also the PM 2.5 number that is sometimes difficult to read depending on the angle. There are three customizable airflow speeds. I prefer to leave it on auto mode. Its built-in sensor adjusted the fan speed depending on my indoor air quality and was in sync with my air quality monitors. And while it wasn’t app enabled, the ProX was able to adjust to clean my air efficiently and quietly. I was also able to move the 50-pound ProX using its hidden handles and built-in lockable wheels. And while the ProX is one of the more expensive models I’ve tested, the five-year warranty puts it in the wise investment category.
Coway has yet to make a bad air purifier, and the Airmega 400S is another banger from the air purifier innovators. The 400S checks all the boxes when it comes to features. It has a reliable auto mode that adjusts the fan speed according to the air quality using its built-in air quality sensor. It also has a timer to schedule one, four, or eight hours of running time. And while it has a serviceable app, its built-in air sensor and auto-adjust fan keep me from having to micromanage settings. The question is, can this air purifier do the job without me pushing buttons or checking the indoor air quality, and do it quietly? With the Airmega 400S, the answer is yes.
The 400S has an easy-to-see, real-time air quality sensor indicator light that glows blue/green for good, green/yellow for moderate, yellow/orange for unhealthy, and orange/red for very unhealthy. And as it is on the larger side, the 400S is quiet. It’s easy to forget it's on, and it doesn’t call attention to itself on its highest setting. And perhaps my favorite feature is the 400S’s filter indicator lights. It doesn’t just let me know when to change the HEPA or activated charcoal filter, but it will also let me know when to wash the prefilter. I can’t think of another air purifier that does that. And if you want your air purifiers to run well, keeping that prefilter clean is an easy bit of essential maintenance.
Lisa Wood Shapiro on how to choose the right air purifier for your needs.
The AirDoctor 5500i is the latest purifier from the AirDoctor line and is the second tower model I’ve used. I’ve used IQAir’s standard GC MultiGas model for years. Because of their power, tower models tend to be loud at their highest settings, so I was pleasantly surprised by the 5500i’s quiet hum. It captures both fine particulates with its HEPA filters and gases with its dual action/carbon volatile organic compound (VOC) trap filters. The 5500i can exchange the air four times an hour in a 1,000-square-foot space, around the size of my Brooklyn apartment. And the purifier has an alert to let me know when it is time to change the filter.
It's the quietest and largest AirDoctor air purifier yet. It has a built-in sensor that has kept up with my cooking, turning its air quality indicator light red and automatically adjusting the fan speed to the highest setting. This also happens when construction in my building goes into overdrive. Yet it is quieter than the smaller AirDoctor 2000, the same model that once woke me up in the middle of the night. The 5500i caps at 50 decibels, quieter than a household refrigerator. It weighs 33 pounds, and I needed help getting the shipping box up the three flights of stairs to my apartment. Moving it around my apartment only took a slight nudge of the hand, as it has hidden casters that let it glide easily on my hardwood floor. It connects to the AirDoctor app and can be controlled remotely. And with AirDoctor’s thousand-dollar price tag, the disappointing one-year warranty seems short for the investment. While IQAir’s GC Multigas costs $350 more than the 5500i, it offers a 10-year warranty option. As much as I liked AirDoctor’s performance, I might buy the more expensive and comparable IQAir model for the warranty alone. Air purifiers are long-term investments.
There are big claims in Briiv’s 2 Pro Air Filter’s small package. At 2.5 pounds, the Briiv 2 Pro Air Filter is the smallest air purifier I’ve tested, though it’s far from the cheapest. The company claims that one Briiv equals the oddly specific 3,043 houseplants, and that it uses AI-powered air quality sensors. And while it doesn’t appear to have third-party testing available, it originated on a Kickstarter campaign seeking a sustainable option for indoor air purification. I don’t usually review air purifiers that are not CARB-certified (California Air Resources Board), but I was intrigued by the Briiv. That said, the actual space the Briiv 2 Pro can clean is extremely small. I entered the dimensions of my dining room into the Briiv’s website room calculator, and at 20 feet long by 11 feet wide with 9-foot ceilings, the room calculator summed up that I would need two Briivs to effectively clean my dining room. The calculator seems to contradict Briiv’s claim that the Briiv 2 will effectively improve the air quality in a 794-square-foot living space in just 11 minutes.
The Briiv took a half hour to set up from unboxing to pairing with the app. The Yorkshire moss, one of Briiv’s filters, appeared dry when it arrived, so I soaked it for five minutes per the directions and then squeezed a cup's worth of water from it before I put it into Briiv’s glass chamber. The accordion nano matrix filter, not HEPA, is made from medical grade fabric and activated charcoal and fits into the bottom of the filter. Briiv claims its moss, coconut, and nano filter can capture PM 2.5, 5, and 10, and volatile organic compounds. The Briiv has an air quality sensor with an indicator light: green for good, yellow for fair, orange for poor, and red for bad. There’s also an essential oil reservoir for your own fragrance or one of Briiv’s fragrance blends.
While the Briiv 2 looks like a prop from a science fiction film, the “intuitive touch” controls were difficult to see and use. The lights are under a black mesh fabric that wraps around the purifier. I couldn’t get the controls to respond to my touch. One online reviewer suggested to lick your finger to aid the connectivity. I tried it and it worked. And while the sound of an air purifier can be a soothing white noise, small purifiers tend to be the loudest. The Briiv’s blast mode delivers 60 decibels of fan noise—that's about the same as a dishwasher or sewing machine.
In the app there are presets to activate Briiv’s fan speed. I currently have the Briiv 2 in my kitchen, and the first time its indicator light went red due to my cooking, I couldn’t get the fan to activate. I ended up turning it to full blast through Briiv’s somewhat clunky app. I played around with the app, and since then, my Briiv’s fan auto-adjusts to bad air without needing my help. It also looks very cool.
The Rabbit Air is a sleek, disappears-in-a-room air purifier that punches above its weight. Its low price makes it one of the better investments, especially with its five-year warranty. It has both a HEPA filter to trap dust, pollen, and that dangerous invisible PM 2.5 along with an activated charcoal carbon filter to capture VOCs and odors. It also has a negative ion generator that basically gives air molecules a static charge, making them easier to capture.
The BioGS 2.0 is able to clean 550 square feet at two air exchanges per hour and 275 square feet at four air exchanges per hour. I could clean my entire 1,000-square-foot apartment with two Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0s, and as the air purifiers are under $400 each, they're some of the more affordable options on the market. The Rabbit's built-in sensors adjust fan speeds, and the unit’s control panel illuminates in low-light settings. It also has a remote. I was disappointed that the BioGS 2.0 isn’t compatible with the Rabbit Air app, nor can it work with Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant like other Rabbit Air models. Still, because of its cost, quiet operation, ability, and style, this is one of my favorite air purifiers.
The Blast Mini from Smarter HEPA is the white metal box on wheels (they lock) that cleans large spaces—or even a small apartment—that you didn’t know you needed. When the Blast Mini first arrived, I was surprised by its solid metal build and single knob. That’s it—there’s no internal air quality sensor or app. And to change the HEPA, you’ll need a screwdriver. On the upside, you’ll only need to change the HEPA once a year. That yearly filter change will cost around $150, but depending on the size of your living space, you might not need another air purifier.
The Blast moves easily from room to room and does its job on a large scale. As modern cubes and air purifiers cosplaying as furniture fill the market, the truth is that having a well-built air purifier with a HEPA filter that runs quietly is what really matters. You can add the additional carbon-activated filter to your Blast to capture volatile organic compounds. The Blast Mini might be the no-frills workhorse your family needs.
Any air purifier in my home needs to look good. I’ve used an older Coway model for years that now looks a bit too plasticky and glossy, but I’ve had my eye on Coway’s newer designs for some time. Truly, I am a sucker for the clean, matte industrial aesthetic. The Airmega 250 has a decently large footprint, but it’s rated to clean a 930-square-foot room twice an hour. That’s why I put it smack dab in the middle of the first floor of my home to clean the air in my kitchen and living room.
Every time we cook, the Smart mode automatically detects unhealthy particles in the air and ratchets up the fan’s power. It also recently did this when I had someone patch some drywall in my mudroom. (This mode works with the help of a PM10 and PM2.5 particle sensor.) The fan at its highest setting isn’t that loud—I measured it at 60 decibels standing right in front of it. There’s a Sleep mode if you want it silent. You get the usual controls, like timer functionality and replacement indicators for the filter.
Speaking of, the Airmega 250 uses a true HEPA filter that needs to be replaced once every six to 12 months. This, combined with the washable prefilter that you should be keeping clean every two weeks and the activated carbon filter, allows the air purifier to remove 99.999 percent of ultrafine particles down to 0.01 microns, or so Coway says. It’s super easy to remove these filters to clean and swap them out. The whole system is roughly 21 pounds, so you can move it around fairly easily. Coway offers a three-year warranty. The Coway AirMega 250S is the same model but with Wi-Fi functionality, so you can control it via an app and see more details. The last thing I need is another app, but maybe you don’t mind. —Julian Chokkattu
Windmill has designed an air purifier with a bamboo finish. I have been using the dark navy blue version for the past two months. I like the Scandinavian look, and it’s more furniture-esque than other purifiers. Still, with the blue model, the nicks in the veneer show up as white. It’s possible the bamboo finish might wear better.
I really like this brand and reviewed its desk fan and air conditioner, the latter of which pairs with the Windmill Air app, and I'm equally happy using the app with its air purifier. The Windmill has an internal sensor and indicator light: green for good, yellow for moderate, pink for bad, and red for unhealthy. And while the Boost setting is the loudest, it is still relatively quiet at its lower setting. I prefer to run it on the auto-adjusting Eco mode.
Coway continues to make some of the prettier air purifiers, as you might have noticed in this guide, and that continues with the Airmega IconS. It looks like an end table, and so I keep it right next to my couch. The star of the show is the Qi wireless charging pad, so when I sit down, I just plop my phone right on the purifier to let it recharge. Any phone with wireless charging support should work, though you may need to take your phone case off.
Like all Coway purifiers, it’s powerful—it cleans the air in spaces up to 649 square feet—easy to control, and simple to clean. This version is Wi-Fi enabled and voice-controlled. —Medea Giordano
Blueair makes a larger room 3-in-1 air purifier and a small room 3-in-1. I gave Blueair’s small-room model a test drive in my 200-square-foot bedroom. At a little under 2 feet tall, the 3-in-1 has more features than you usually find in an air purifier. It oscillates and has a built-in heating and cooling function. Blueair’s app is easy to use and I preferred controlling the purifier via the app rather than the actual control panel. The panel did not always illuminate when pressed, making pushing the buttons difficult. There are also more options on the app, like controlling the oscillation speed and angle. Blueair uses both mechanical—as in HEPA filtration—and electrostatic technology to capture pollutants in the air. Its CARB certification is listed as electronic, unlike HEPA-only air purifiers that are listed as mechanical.
The Blueair also has an air quality index indicator light that responds to the purifier's built-in sensor to measure PM 2.5. The easy-to-miss sliver of light glows blue for excellent, green for good, yellow for moderate, orange for polluted, and red for very polluted. It has a control panel lock and filter change indicator light. I also appreciate the cloth handle that makes moving the Blueair easy. For its small size, I found the Blueair 3-in-1 to be louder than expected at full fan. And while Blueair says it’s 53 decibels at its highest setting, my non-calibrated consumer Tadeto decibel reader had it at 85 dB at full fan. I mention this because usually, my decibel reader is within 10 points of the manufacturer’s decibel numbers.
I’ve been using the IQAir GC for the past five years and was excited to give the newer air-sensor and app-enabled IQAir CG XE model a test run. In the past I’ve used my GC tower in the space between my kitchen and dining room, turning it on the highest setting whenever I used my gas stove. Both the GC and CG XE clean the air of volatile organic compounds and PM 2.5, those invisible particles that can enter the bloodstream and cause health issues. And like the Atem X, the GC Series XE comes with its own certificate of performance and a 10-year warranty. The Swiss-made air purifier is a tower model that needs to be at least a foot away from any wall. And while it’s heavy at 55 pounds, the casters let me roll it around my house. I also appreciate that the air sensor’s indicator light is in accordance with US AQI colors. And the built-in sensor and IQAir app make the CG XE easy to use. I used to have to manually control the fan speed on my older GC, but in auto setting, the CG XE knows what to do. I also find IQAir app to have one of the most intuitive user experiences I’ve tested.
And like the Atem X, these Swiss-made air purifiers are top of the line for a reason, but the 10 year warranty makes IQAir’s purifiers a wise investment. And unlike the Atem X, the CG XE can also capture toxic gases and vapors. It is also one of the largest air purifiers I’ve tested, and at its highest setting it can clean 275 cubic feet per minute, or CFM. On auto mode, the fan speeds adjust. It can clean the air of a large space with multiple air exchanges in an hour. I’ve been using the CG XE in the main room of an A-frame cabin with double-height ceilings (around 3,000 cubic feet) for the past two months and it has kept my indoor air quality healthy. But with great power comes great noise. At its highest setting, the CG XE runs at a loud 68 decibels—that's just 2 decibels shy of the sound of a consumer vacuum cleaner, though it’s quiet at its lower settings. At $1,400, this workhorse isn’t cheap, but it’s an investment that’s built to last.
The Airdog X5 is the first washable filter air purifier I’ve tested. And while it doesn’t use a HEPA, it is California Air Resources Board Certified. CARB lists it as electronic filtration instead of a HEPA filter; that would be listed as mechanical. As I’ve written before, if an air purifier isn’t CARB-certified, don’t buy it. I tested the Airdog in a large room. I even received the limited-edition pet plate. That is exactly what it sounds like—a plate that fits over the Airdog meant for a cat to perch on. Neither of my cats took to it.
The Airdog has a responsive built-in sensor that was in sync with my other air quality monitors. And its electronic air filters, by way of their patented TPA technology, charges particles and then captures them. The best way I can describe it: Imagine that the PM 2.5 are mosquitoes and Airdog’s purifier is like an old-time mosquito zapper. It works a little like that, and if the filter gets dirty enough, it will make zap sounds. The manual mentions that it’s time to wash the filter when you hear those zaps. The prefilter collected visible debris, including cat hair. And there is something to be said about not having to buy expensive replacement filters. I hope Airdog's next pet model has a built-in cat tree.
This is the second Rabbit air purifier I’ve tested, and again I am impressed by its quiet fan. Even on its highest Turbo setting, it's quieter than other air purifiers I’ve tested at their maximum. And like the Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0 above, it doesn’t stand out as an unsightly appliance. Add to that the A3’s easy-to-remove customizable magnetic front panel and it goes from air purifier to aesthetically pleasing statement piece. If you decide to use the included wall mount hardware, the A3 can be the art your home gallery needed. I tested the A3 with the soon-to-be-released iconic Hello Kitty panel. There’s also Peanuts, along with other images like Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave and van Gogh’s Starry Night, to name a few.
There’s a lot going for the A3; it has an easy-to-use control panel and RabbitAir app, air quality indicator, filter indicator light, ion generator that can be turned on and off, adjustable auto mode that can be set from low to high sensitivity, 24/7 support, and a five-year warranty. But all of this comes with a higher price tag at just under $800. The 3A also has a mood light setting. When I first turned on the MinusA3, I didn’t know why my air was going from bad to good within a minute until I realized it was a mood light feature for aesthetics. The light beams come from the top of the A3 panel. And while the cycling mood light is adjustable through the app, it was confusing. My first thought when any air purifier beams out purple: My indoor air is very unhealthy. The light sensor is easy enough to turn off, but I wish there was a light setting that could be synced up with the air quality indicator. Also, the control panel or interface at the top of the purifier turns off when you’re not touching it, and as I have yet to remember which button does what, it creates an extra step for the user.
As I mentioned, it’s quiet—an almost inaudible 22 decibels at its whisper setting. Another unique element of the 3A is the customizable filters. I was sent the new anniversary-issued, green tea infused filter, but there’s also a toxin absorber, germ defense, odor remover, and one for pet allergies. These are in addition to the pre-filter, the medium filter, the activated carbon filter, and HEPA filter. And while there is yet to be any research or scientific studies to back up the benefits and efficacy of a green tea infused filter for an air purifier, I’d like to think that the same health benefits one gets from drinking green tea could somehow transfer to breathing through a green tea filter. The RabbitAir 3A Ultra Quiet Air Purifier is a luxury, both in looks and in function. The Artist Series can do four air exchanges in a 515 square foot room, so consider using the 3A in a room about 250 square feet to run the purifier at a lower and quieter setting. It reminds me of the ultra modern Atem X (above) from IQAir, a high end purifier that looks as good as it works. I could see the 3A with Snoopy panel hanging in a child’s room, blending into the interior.
As someone who has unboxed dozens and dozens of air purifiers, Mila Air 3 set the record for fastest unboxing to pairing with the app. It took less than 10 minutes, and there were features on the Mila that I immediately appreciated. First, Mila makes seven bespoke filters that are designed specifically for moms-to-be, allergies, pet owners, etc. Add Mila’s built-in sensor and easy-to-use app dashboard, along with its wooden-legged modern box design, and the Mila is an immediate favorite.
Mila’s filters go from H12 HEPA for its Home Wrecker filter, created to get rid of that “new home” smell, to its Critter Cuddler that has a medical grade H13 HEPA along with an encasing “sock” around the filter that acts like a prefilter. And as the owner of two cats and a working English cocker spaniel (see my profile photo), it’s my air purifier’s prefilters that capture visible debris like pet hair. Mila also offers even finer H14 HEPA filters for their Mama-to-Be and Overreactor filters.
The more I cover air purifiers, the more go big to go quiet comes to mind. Smaller models tend to run loud on their highest settings. The Mila was not as quiet as I hoped. At full blast, the Mila hit 70 decibels on my consumer decibel reader. And at 447 CADR m3/hr, the Mila would do nicely in the average American 200-square-foot bedroom. You could run the Mila at its highest setting for CDC’s recommended five air exchanges an hour in a 400-square-foot room, but that is a far noisier air purifier. I ran the Mila in my sons’ 200-square-foot bedroom, and its auto setting adjusted correctly to the room’s air quality. And while Mila gets its outdoor AQI (air quality index) from PurpleAir, it couldn’t seem to find my PurpleAir outdoor monitor.
How to Shop for an Air Purifier
How does a busy shopper find the right size purifier for a room they want to clean? The US Centers for Disease Control recommends that one should aim for five air exchanges per hour, in a metric known as the ACH. When looking at an air purifier, look at the cubic feet per minute in airflow at the lowest setting. When measuring the cubic footage of your room, you need the area of the room times the height. Imagine a one-foot cube of styrofoam. How many cubes could you fit into a room?
Anyone shopping for an air purifier also needs to look for two acronyms and terms. First, look for CARB certification, which means that the air purifier passed the rigorous standards of the California Air Resources Board. Next, check the filter type. Below, we break down the differences. Also, don’t forget to unwrap your filter! There’s a special kind of horror that comes with realizing you’ve been running your air purifier with a plastic-wrapped HEPA filter.
HEPA Filters: This is a high-efficiency particulate air filter that can remove at least 99.97 percent of dust, mold, pollen, bacteria, and airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns. It's a great option for those who suffer from allergies or respiratory issues, since it can help to clear out airborne particles that can trigger symptoms—like sneezing, sore throat, difficulty breathing, coughing, and more. It's worth noting, however, that HEPA filters don't remove volatile organic compounds from the air the way activated carbon filters do. But these are typically paired with carbon filters.
Activated Carbon: Activated carbon filters (also known as activated charcoal) are highly effective because they are very porous and have a large surface area—allowing the filters to absorb gas pollutants, odors, and VOCs. They’re best for removing fumes, smoke, and chemicals from the air. But these filters have to be replaced more often depending on the environment. For example, if there’s a wildfire in your area and the air purifier is working more intensely than usual, it’s important to replace a saturated filter to avoid toxic gases from being released back into the air.
Washable Air Filters: A few of the air purifiers we've listed in this guide come with washable prefilters in addition to a HEPA and/or activated carbon filter—which is what you'll typically find. These are the most cost-effective since you don't have to buy new ones each time you need to replace a filter. Simply remove it, scrub it with soap and water, and let it dry.
UV-C Sanitizer Filters: Ultraviolet filters use UV light to kill viruses, parasites, mold spores, and bacteria. They can't remove airborne particles, VOCs, or gas pollutants, so they're only fully effective when combined with a HEPA filter. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, UV lights without proper lamp coatings have the potential to emit ozone. We recommend checking this list from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers for air purifiers that have been shown to emit little to no ozone.
How to Check Your Air Quality
Many large states and cities are required to report the local outdoor Air Quality Index, which was established by the EPA and measures the concentrations of major air pollutants, like ground ozone and carbon monoxide, that are regulated by the Clean Air Act. We like AirCare (iOS, Android), but your state or county may have even more localized apps.
To check if your indoor air quality stacks up, consumer monitors like the Temtop M10 ($90) and Airthings View Plus ($300) also measure carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity, in addition to pollutants and particulate matter. The M10 measures formaldehyde too, a noxious chemical that off-gases from common household items, such as particleboard furniture and some foam mattresses. Need more information? Check out our complete guide to checking your air quality.
Air Purifiers We Don’t Recommend
Ikea Starkvind for $150: Ikea’s Starkvind air purifier hit the American market in 2021. It's stylish and relatively inexpensive and has the option to add on a carbon filter for gases such as benzene. It can be purchased either on its own or built into a wooden side table, but it’s worth noting that the Starkind took me an hour to assemble. While it is CARB-certified, meaning it passed the rigorous standards of the California Air Resources Board, it does not have a HEPA filter. Thinking I had an early version made for media, I went to my local Ikea. I bought a Förnuftig, and its manual listed the filter as HEPA. It’s not. We reached out to the company; at the time of publication, Ikea said it was still routing the question to the appropriate team. The question remains: If you’re buying an air purifier, why not buy a HEPA? —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formeldahyde for $1,000: Dyson’s Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde reminds me of those 3-in-1 appliances that are an amalgam of a toaster, coffee maker, and egg cooker all in one. But if you’re going for an air purifier that removes gases, then I would opt for one that removes formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. My review unit was never able to oscillate, but it’s supposed to. (I tried troubleshooting through the manual, but the more features that an item has, the more that can go wrong.) It also has a two-year warranty, which seems short. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Pure Air Purifier Morento Air Purifier for $100: This CARB-certified purifier caught our attention earlier this year for its value. With a CADR of 200 cubic feet per minute, the Morento is not only more powerful than most other purifiers at its price point, it's got all the features of higher-end models, including a PM 2.5 sensor and ring-light indicator, plus smart capability through the Havaworks app. During the testing period, however, the fan never increased speed to compensate for higher PM 2.5 levels, even when I burned incense in the room to raise the level into the 500s. This persisted despite the machine being set to auto mode both in the app and on the machine itself, plus my cleaning the sensor and resetting the unit by unplugging it. Regardless, even if this feature had been working properly, the Morento gives a strangely wide margin for acceptable PM 2.5 levels—the ring light indicator continued to glow green (“good”) up to 75 PM 2.5, which is 15 times more than the World Health Organization–recommended level of 5 micrograms per cubic meter. —Kat Merck