Air cleaners can make a significant difference in the quality of the air you breathe at home. We determined our top recommendations based on how well they filter small particles (especially common allergens), how easy they are to operate, and how quietly they operate.
All of our recommendations are compact to fit into your daily living space without you noticing it. Here are the top 5 air purifier units that check every box of what an ideal air cleaner should do.
Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool HP07
Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool HP07 functions as an air purifier, heater, and fan all at once. It uses a HEPA-quality filter, which captures fine particles, including most allergens, such as pollen and dander. It also has plenty of fine-control options so you can adjust the angle width, speed, and direction of the airflow, as well as a great auto-adjusting setting that adapts to the air quality in the room.
Aside from the remote control that has a useful magnetic clamp to the device, you can also control it from afar via an easy-to-use app that’s available on both Android and iOS devices.
We’re really impressed with the Auto function’s quick response when exposed to common household air pollutants, such as cigarette smoke and burning cooking oil fumes — it starts circulating and filtering air within seconds. It takes less than 2 minutes for the smells to fade and the smoke to clear up, making this air purifier a great choice for everyone.
Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier
The Levoit Core 300 is a simple and inexpensive air purifier that uses activated carbon 3-stage filters to trap particles such as fine dust, pollen, or smoke. Its filters can be switched out super easily, and the vendor offers a set of specialized filters for pet-based allergens, smoke, and other harmful organic compounds.
Its controls are fairly intuitive, with a simple control panel on top of the device. It includes controls for airflow speeds, a timer, a filter status indicator, and a Sleep Mode setting which reduces its speed to a minimum while you sleep.
On average, it takes around 8 minutes to fully clean out the air in a 150 ft² room, and 20 minutes for 350 ft², making it a very cost-effective option.
MORENTO HY4866-WF Smart Air Purifier
The MORENTO Smart air purifier is an excellent pick for anyone who wants a fully customizable air cleaner. It uses a feature-rich app to control its function that lets you fine-tune fan speeds, a 2-, 5-, or 8-hour timer, and get accurate readings from the PM2.5 infrared sensor which notifies you as soon as it detects an increase in pollutants. It also integrates well with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices, making it a great option for smart homes.
The purifier uses a multi-layered HEPA filter that catches particles with a size of 0.3 microns, which includes dust, pollen, and most smoke particles. It has a good air change rate, clearing up all the air in a large room within less than 20 minutes.
GermGuardian AC4825E Air Purifier
The GermGuardian AC4825E air purifier is a great option for rooms of any size, thanks to its narrow and tall design which fits snugly into any corner of the room. It uses a carbon pre-filter, a set of HEPA-quality filters, and even a UVC sanitizing light for maximum air purification.
It has 3 different fan speeds and we were pleasantly surprised by how quiet the lowest setting is, making it a great source of soft background noise at night, if that helps you sleep better.
When exposed to common pollutants like dust and pollen, and uncommon ones, such as chemical vapors from heavy-duty cleaning solutions, it clears up the air in a small room in under 13 minutes, and it completely purifies the air in a 700 ft² room in about 50 minutes.
Puroair 240 HEPA 14 Air Purifier
The PuroAir 240 air purifier uses a HEPA 14 filter, which is the highest quality for commercial home air purifiers. It captures pollutants larger than 0.1 microns, which is practically all kinds of smoke and ultra-fine dust.
It has a set of sensors that control and automatically adjust the purifier’s function, so all you have to do is plug it in and let it work in the background. It’s also pretty impressive how it takes about less than 30 minutes to return the air quality to a high level after being exposed to various concentrations of allergens and pollutants, such as pollen, dust, and smoke.
Overall, it’s a great choice for people living in highly polluted areas, as well as for people with allergies to maintain a clean, allergen-free living space.
Comparison of the Top 5 Air Cleaners
Bottom Line
Having tested a large number of air purifier units against common pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, oil fumes, pet dander, and pollen, the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Link stood out as the best one. Its filtration is very effective, and its multifunctionality makes it the most convenient device among the ones we tested.
The Levoit Core 300 and the MORENTO Smart are super easy to set up and fine-tune for whatever you need, while the GermGuardian has a unique UVC sanitizing light in its system. Finally, the Puroair 240 uses a HEPA 14 which is almost overkill for the average user, but is an excellent option for people who live in heavily polluted areas or have inhalant allergies.