The Best Air Purifiers Are Safeguards Against Smoke, Smells, and Allergens

Upsides

• Modern design
• Easy to move with its built-in handle
• The filter is simple to clean
• Powerful and accurate air purifying modes

Downsides

• Slightly bulky

• Noise Level: 24.4dB to 53.8dB
• Dimensions: 9.6"D x 16.8"W x 18.3"H
• Filter replacements: HEPA carbon filters cost $70, suggested replacement every 12 months

Overall, my space has pretty standard air quality. I typically like opening my windows for some circulation, but it’s less ideal during the changing seasons when dust and allergens get inside from the trees in the area. With wildfire smoke recently circulating the New York City air, any added protection with an air purifier is a major plus.

This air purifier is designed to clean spaces up to 874 square feet, and I can confidently say that it does its job well. I usually place it right in the middle of my home to circulate through the space, but since some areas of my home are more tucked away, I also like to move it to specific spots that could use some extra love.

I’ve had this air purifier for over a year, and its quality is second to none. First off, the setup is simple. Coway’s included printed instructions are easy to follow, and after placing the HEPA filter inside, the hard cover snapped in place seamlessly. The HEPA filter itself has a four-stage filtration design: Pre-filter, Deodorization filter, True HEPA filter, Vital Ion. I’ve appreciated this thorough filtration process since it’s made to capture up to 99.97% of even the smallest of particles, like pollen and allergens that can come in my space during spring blooms. While I’ve moved to a larger space since first testing this air purifier, I am just as impressed with how well it regulates the air in my new home. Before, I really liked using it in areas like my bathroom since I lived in a historic home and wanted to make sure tight spaces without much ventilation didn’t retain any particles that could produce mold. Although I am in a more spacious place now, I mainly still use it in closets so the air stays balanced in those nooks.

All in all, this air purifier turns on quietly. So much so that I can hardly tell it’s on most of the time. While it comes with three speeds to help thoroughly clean the air, I always keep the air purifier on auto mode. This is a favorite feature of mine, as it automatically detects the air quality through three LED light modes: blue (good), purple (moderate), and red (unhealthy). Whenever there’s a change in the air quality, like if I’m cooking, the LED light adjusts to either purple or red and the air purifier picks up its speed to quickly regulate it. Usually in just a matter of minutes, the light changes back to blue and the air purifier goes back to a whisper-quiet sound. When the purifier doesn’t detect any air pollution after half an hour, it’ll automatically switch into eco mode, which is an amazing tech feature for energy savings.

Most notably, this air purifier is a big visual standout for modern spaces. Since this is a slightly bigger home appliance (larger than a standard space heater but much smaller than an HVAC unit), I didn’t want it to be an eyesore in my space. I have it in the white hue, but you can shop it in the black colorway too.

Upsides

• Helps remove cooking smells
• Ideal for homes with pets
• Great for small and larger spaces
• Adorable design
• Several filter options

Downsides

• Has a slightly harder time recognizing dusty spaces

• Noise Level: N/A
• Dimensions: 9.8”W x 13.2”H
• Filter Replacements: The Mila Air Mini comes with one free filter that is included with the purchase, The Overeactor, a HEPA and carbon filter that is designed to target formaldehyde particles. The replacement filter is $69. I’ve had this filter for over two months and when I check it, it still looks clean. You can also buy the air filter socks for $39 for a pack of three, a special covering that will extend the life of the filter.Other filters include The Critter Cuddler which has an ammonia removal category, something that would be great for a Mini you want to put in your basement or laundry room with a kitty litter box. There is also the Big Sneeze for allergy sufferers, and the Basic Breather, which focuses on essential air purifying but does not have formaldehyde or ammonia filtering features.

The Mila Air Mini can cover spaces as large as 714 square feet. (Their regular size model covers 1,000 square feet). This coverage area makes it perfect for bedrooms, especially because the actual size of the Mini is only 9.8” wide by 13.2” high—it’s basically the size of a small lumbar pillow. The discrete proportions and sleek silhouette are very unassuming. At one point, I had it under my makeup vanity and I barely noticed it.

I have a two-story house with a basement. Meaning that there is no way that the Mila Air Mini can tackle the entire space. Luckily, the app lets you create settings for different rooms. I can move it all over the house—It only weighs six pounds, so moving it around is easy-peasy—and it will adjust accordingly. For instance, when it is in my son’s room, I put it on Automagic settings such as Bubble Boy Mode, which means it automatically turns on when it detects any particles. When it is in my bedroom, I like to use the Turndown Service mode, which starts cleaning the air an hour before my scheduled bedtime.

The Mila Air Mini is so quiet that it actually took me a second to figure out that the fan was not working on the first version that was shipped to me. All the analytics were working, so I didn’t realize that it must have broken somehow during shipping. Mila sent a new one within days.

Take two: With this fan working properly—we tested it by floating balloons over it—it was still incredibly quiet. This has to be my favorite part because I am very noise sensitive, especially when I sleep. I even hate it when my overhead fan is going and have to wear ear plugs. But not with Mila Mini, the whir of the motor is virtually imperceptible.

I was surprised that the Indoor AQI (Air Quality Index) in my bedrooms was often at 00, meaning that Mila was not alerting me or adjusting for any dust particles, even when I was changing the sheets and could see little flecks of lint flying around. The most I got was a slight bump at 01. However, when I started steam cleaning the en-suite primary bathroom and accidentally left the nozzle used to clean upholstery for a chair my cat used as a liter box (the urine smell was unreal) Mila immediately picked up the scent and shot up to 141 and kicked up the fan speed to clear the air.

Another time, I had the Mila in the laundry section of my basement, which is a bit dusty. While, to my disappointment, it did not show a change in AQI between this space and my bedroom, the air purifier did start working harder when I started cleaning the dryer vent with a Shop-Vac, likely spreading the dust all around the place—changing the Indoor AQI to 89.

The kitchen is when I got the biggest jump in air quality. As I was preparing dinner that included sauteing garlic and then frying up bacon, the AQI skyrocketed into the red zone of 200-plus. It took about 30 minutes for the levels to come back to normal.

Upsides

• Boasts humidifying and cooling power
• Cutting-edge, futuristic design
• New innovative filters

Downsides

• Pricey

• Noise Level: 49dB
• Dimensions: 12.3"D x 12.3"W x 36.3"H
• Filter replacements: New filters cost $80, suggested replacement every 12 months

I have pretty intense dust and fragrance allergies and I live with a large dog in an old building. It’s not an exceptionally dusty space, but we live on a block with a decent amount of car traffic and I’m pretty much always obsessing about the air quality. If I start sneezing or waking up with a sore throat, I want answers!

The Humidify+Cool is meant to work in a single room at a time (it was previously tested by Dyson in an 81 cubic feet chamber), and I placed it in my bedroom, which is the smallest room in my home.

It’s rare to find a machine that can purify your air, humidify it, and cool down a space all in one–so I was impressed right off the bat. An update to earlier Dyson models, this machine does all that and aside from getting rid of the usual particles, it also removes formaldehyde (which can cause even more irritation to your eyes and throat) from the air.

The Humidify+Cool has a HEPA filtration system and a separate carbon filter detects formaldehyde. I guess it could be due in part to my obsession with clean air, but, so far, the Dyson has reported good air quality every time I’ve checked in–the only exceptions being after I’ve lit candles or cooked something on the stovetop. But when the air quality has dipped below ideal levels, it doesn’t seem to take much time for the purifier to do the job once I turn up the fan speed (it should be noted that this model also has an auto purify setting that will kick into high gear if the quality dips, but it is a little loud for my taste so I tend to keep it on a lower setting).

While I hate having an app for literally every device in my home, installing the Dyson Link app really did make installation a snap. And I love being able to check in on the air stats (temperature, particle level, humidity level, etc) whenever I want—especially since I have a smaller Dyson purifier in my living room. You can also control the fan speed, oscillation range, and set timers from the app.

As for specific features I appreciate, filling the water tank from the top is a huge plus and it’s large enough that it doesn’t have to be refilled every day. I also appreciate the night mode setting, which makes everything a little quieter and less bright.

What I would change: This may be a misconception about the purpose of a humidifier, but I am used to really intense humidifiers that emit visible plumes of moist steam all night long. This is not that. The humidity that the Dyson model generates in the house is definitely a healthy and reasonable level (most sources recommend 30–50% humidity, and the Dyson, at its max humidity setting, hovers around 60%), but if you are like me and want more targeted humidity in the super dry winter months, this is not the machine for you and you might want to stick to separate devices for purifying, humidifying, and cooling.

Upsides

• Rustic-inspired design
• White noise setting available

Downsides

• Heavy
• Doesn’t have a carrying handle

• Noise Level: 16dB
• Dimensions: 12"D x 19.7"W x 21.4"H
• Filter replacements: New True HEPA filters cost $60, suggested replacement every 6-12 months

As previously noted, my space has pretty typical air quality. But with NYC weather being unpredictable from season to season, I appreciate having two air purifiers on hand to help regulate the air quality in my home. This is especially important to me in the springtime when flowers are in full bloom and pollen (which causes allergy flare-ups for me) starts to fill the air.

This air purifier is designed to clean up to 1,950 square feet in one hour, and can handle smaller jobs even faster. A New York City apartment like mine that is about 500 square feet can be purified in about 15 minutes, and even smaller spaces up to 162 square feet only need five solid minutes of purification to clear the air of pollutants. I keep it close to my kitchen to quickly rid my home of cooking smells, but it has been great in every nook to keep the air quality streamlined.

This is one of the most attractive air purifiers I've come across, thanks to the wood-style paneling and oval shape. The bamboo panels make it more likely to work in a farmhouse-style home. Like many of us design obsessives, I don’t like having home appliances stick out like a sore thumb. I’ve had this air purifier in two different apartments so far, and it’s a particular favorite because of how well it blends into its surroundings. My new apartment has hardwood floors and it almost looks like it was made to match my space. I love that I can keep it out whenever I have guests over since it acts like an extension of my decor. While I’m loving this design, there are two other options for shoppers: a moody navy color or a simple white color for the minimalists out there.

Design features aside, this has been a great air purifier straight out the box. I noticed immediately how quietly it operates, and I can hardly tell that it’s on—even if I’m on the phone or in a meeting. It also has a sleep mode setting that sounds more like white noise, so it can essentially act as a two-in-one sound machine and air purifier if you like soft background noise to catch some z’s. It will also provide visual cues on air quality with four light settings that indicate when you’re veering into an unhealthy zone post-cooking or using cleaning products. Out of all the smart features, I like using its eco mode most so I can keep it running all the time without worrying about tacking on to my electric bill. Like auto mode, the fan speeds adjust as needed based on the air quality. I notice the air cleaner revs up the most when I cook bacon, which is much appreciated so my space doesn’t smell like a diner. I keep the air purifier tucked far on the side of my living room, and it really does recognize changes in the air quality across the whole house. After cooking, the light usually changes from green to yellow and then yellow to red in about one minute and increases the fan speed for 10 minutes or so. I’m pretty big on my home having a balanced, clean aroma (hence why I have this air purifier in addition to the Coway Airmega), so I like how quickly this appliance can help zap odors from the air. It also boasts three-in-one technology that’s designed to take 99.97% of even the smallest pollen particles out of the air.

Fair warning: This air purifier is pretty heavy to lift (about 20 pounds) because of the included hardware and there isn’t an actual handle attached to it, so be mindful of where you unbox this appliance so you don’t strain yourself to move it around the house. As mentioned, I’ve had this air purifier in two different apartments, but our editors have tested it in our office too, so I can confirm that it’s ideal for small, medium, and large spaces. We have an open floor plan in our office and constantly have this air purifier running to keep everything from lunch smells to airborne particles at bay.

Whether you’re tech-savvy or a newer to the home appliance scene, this air purifier is easy to operate. You can even use the Windmill app that allows you to turn it on or off, schedule it, track the air quality in your home, and more.

Upsides

• Quiet even on the highest setting
• Quickly eliminates food smells
• Designed for big rooms

Downsides

• Requires several filter replacements instead of an all-in-one filter option

• Noise Level: 23 to 54dB
• Dimensions: 15.6”D x 8.5”W x 19.8”H
• Filter replacements: This depends on how regularly you use the purifier and how much pet dander and other factors it's filtering out, but Levoit says it should only need to be changed once a year. I’ve had mine under six months and haven’t had any indication lights come on as of yet. For some reason, Levoit offers three different replacement filter types (one for smoke, one for toxins, one for pet allergens) and I would hope that only one replacement would be necessary—why shouldn’t a single filter cover all three bases?—and they cost $60 to $65 each.

My space is kind of funky. It’s not very big, but it is U-shaped and divided by a narrow hallway, so I like to have an air purifier in my bedroom (a Dyson) as well as an air purifier in my living room, which is where I placed the Levoit. The Levoit model is the one closest to my kitchen and my dog’s bed, so it needs to be extra powerful to eliminate food smells and pet smells.

The Levoit site states that the Vital 200S can cover an area of up to 1,862 square feet and clear the air completely once per hour. This is significantly more than I need in my apartment, which isn’t even 800 square feet, so I can’t say I’ve fully put its capabilities to the test, but it has been very effective in my small space.

I have found the Vital 200S to be incredibly efficient at clearing cooking smells and smoke from my space, as well as making sure there isn’t too much pet dander lying around. I also appreciated the few times it has detected a source of pollution inside and outside of my apartment building and kicked into higher gear (once, it even noticed when my neighbor burnt their dinner a floor below). I’ve run it when I cooked extra smelly things like fish and haven’t noticed any lingering smells the next morning and I generally feel like my allergies are less aggressive when I’m in the living room.

Upsides

• Quiet operation
• Highly personalizable with several HEPA filters to choose from as well as woodgrain designs
• Filter doesn’t need replacing for over a year
• Asthma & Allergy Friendly certification

Downsides

• Pricier than some other purifiers in this list

• Noise Level: 49 dB
• Dimensions: 11.5"D x 18.5"W x 27"H
• Filter replacements: A new “pure” filter costs $99, suggested replacement every 12 to 15 months

I live with two roommates in a Brooklyn apartment. My bedroom is closest to the kitchen, so smells and smoke often waft into my room whenever someone is cooking. Our apartment also gets notoriously dusty—especially when we have the AC running—and my nose is fairly sensitive to dust. With both issues, the BreatheSmart 75i has been a game changer for clearing the air

This unit is intended for larger rooms, with coverage of 1,400 sq ft every 30 minutes. Our home is somewhat spacious (by New York City standards) but my bedroom is only 113 square feet. While this purifier is intended for larger areas like living rooms, I chose to use it in my bedroom to mitigate the stray smells and dust buildup. Was this probably overkill given the coverage of the 75i? Probably. Has it drastically improved the cleanliness of my room? Absolutely. Plus, the wheels on the bottom of the unit make it easy to wheel into the common area whenever we might need it.

Alen’s HEPA filter life lasts 15 months, and I haven’t yet needed to replace them. I have the base level “pure” HEPA filtration, but the brand offers two other varieties specifically geared towards smoke and odor. Each filter replacement starts at $99, with the specialized versions at $129 and $139, respectively. The purifier has a light on it to display the lifespan of the current filter, and the associated Alen app can also send you a notification when it’s time to change them.

With the 75i, my bedroom is finally free of fishy odors that often permeate my apartment due to my roommate's fixation on making salmon. Even if my door is open while she’s actively cooking, I hardly notice the smell. In the three months that I’ve had the purifier, I also noticed l don’t need to dust my room as frequently. For a fairly large unit, I’ve been shocked at how quiet the 75i is. I’m a pretty light sleeper when it comes to noise, and unless it’s on the highest possible setting, I hardly notice it’s running.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the purifier is the app connectivity. The app is simple to use, and you can set schedules for turning the machine on and off, increasing or decreasing speed, or whatever your routine requires. In addition to air quality, it also tracks humidity levels, which as an owner of many houseplants has been exceedingly helpful. Several of the plants in my bedroom have sprouted new leaves in the months I’ve been using the 75i, which is pretty atypical for my plants during autumn.

On an aesthetic front, I was resistant to getting an air purifier at first because it didn't feel worth sacrificing my style (or floor space) for a giant white cylinder. Alen offers five different colorways (for an additional cost) beyond the typical white 75i model, three of which mimic assorted wood grains. I went with the oak to coordinate with the light woods of my bedroom dresser, and while it doesn’t fully disappear as an appliance, it doesn’t feel glaringly out of place.

Upsides

• One of the quietest air purifiers on our list
• Lightweight (six pounds)
• Comes in a couple of cool, high-tech-looking finishes

Downsides

• Easiest to monitor air quality on the Dyson app versus the screen

• Noise Level: 24 dB
• Dimensions: 9.06"D x 9.06"W x 18.5"H
• Filter replacements: The 360° Electrostatic filter lasts up to five years.

This mini air purifier is my little sidekick at my office desk. It covers a bit over 200 square feet and truly barely makes a sound. I love it because it’s so easy to tuck under my desk and get rid of lingering lunch smells (especially after yet another homemade bowl of chili).

The patented Electrostatic filter is made to capture 99.97% of the tiniest particles, and I believe it. My desk looks a little less dusty with this air purifier around. The filter is supposed to last for about five years, so I’m excited to see how it holds up without worrying about replacements any time soon.

I’ve had this air purifier since it launched at the top of this year and have been happy with it—it gives my desk area a quick and easy refresh and barely makes a peep. I have it on a set-it-and-forget-it kind of setup every day. I just push the power button and let it do its thing, especially after I have a bite to eat, and it clears the air in about 10 or 15 minutes. The air quality doesn’t switch up much otherwise at my desk, but I do like that it does a quick job of clearing up food smells. It automatically revs up when it notices a change in air quality, but I honestly haven’t noticed because it hardly gets over the sound of a hum.

It’s super small compared to any other air purifier I’ve had (it looks almost ⅓ smaller than the tall Coway Airmega 350 Air Purifier I have when I put them side by side). If I had it in my apartment, I’d probably put it somewhere like my bathroom that’s tight on floor space. Even though it has a tiny footprint, I wouldn’t mind if it was a little bigger because the design is so cool. I have it in the black-and-teal color combo that feels pretty unique compared to some plain white purifiers, and it looks like a speaker that should be in a home theater. But the white-and-silver option is available too if you like something a little sleeker. It got my attention after reading that its design is inspired by jet engines too. The top has a star-like shape that’s made to keep noise at a minimum but still keep the airflow strong.

Call me traditional, but I like using the buttons and little screen on this air purifier to keep track of the air quality changes instead of pulling out my phone. But you can use the Dyson app if you want to get an air quality report or just want to keep an eye on things when you’re out of the house.

Upsides

• Smart air purifier technology has quick, real-time detection of pollutants
• Available in different colors
• HEPA filtration lasts up to five years

Downsides

• Bulkier in size

• Noise Level: 52 dB
• Dimensions: 13.2"D x 13.2"W x 22.5"H
• Filter replacements: N/A

I live in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. A pretty boring, square layout, my largest area is the combined living room and kitchen. My apartment can seemingly accumulate a new layer of dust instantly, even after I vacuum or deep-clean, there will still be dust by the next morning. I placed the Shark air purifier in a corner behind my favorite reading chair on an exterior-facing wall, the furthest spot possible away from the stove.

The air purifier is designed to clean 1,400 square feet of space in just an hour. In my 500-square-foot New York City apartment, I found that it can improve my air quality from something heavy (smoke-heavy cooking, harsh bathroom cleaners, incense) in under 15 minutes. When I recently spray-painted in my apartment, the air purifier was working overtime, but I did notice that I never got a headache or needed to open my windows, unlike during past DIY projects.

Boasting a “never-change” HEPA-type filter, the Shark purifier only requires a filter change every five years. This only refers to the internal HEPA filter at the center of the unit. The air purifier also has two smaller filters on the exterior of the unit. After about nine months or so, I got a notification to clean them. The process only requires a quick vacuum of the dust that has accumulated; no replacement units are necessary.

The best part of this air purifier is the auto-detect sensor. I’m a stickler with my electricity usage, so leaving a device running at all times made me a bit wary, but having it instantly kick on when I light a candle or accidentally burn my toast has given me greater peace of mind. My apartment building’s walls are thin—I always know when my neighbor is watching Pitch Perfect (again), or has decided to try a new spice-heavy recipe—and while I enjoy the strange sense of connection, it has made me self-conscious about my own habits. Scents are definitely something the air purifier has helped mitigate with its odor-neutralizing carbon filter.

The unit is large, and at first, sure, it was annoying to think about where I could position it without it becoming the unintentional focal point of my living room. However, any annoyance dissipated the first time it rid my apartment of candle smoke in less than five minutes. I also quickly realized that the size correlated with its power. And despite its size, the unit is quiet. Unless your air quality is in the red, the purifier stays silent. My apartment is under half the square footage the unit can handle, so my experience is definitely skewed.

Upsides

• Wide area coverage
• Quickly eliminates food odors
• Comes in two polished colors
• Positive Amazon reviews

Downsides

• It has a bulkier, heavier size and isn’t suited for small spaces

• Noise Level: 21.6db
• Dimensions: 12"D x 12"W x 26.3"H
• Filter Replacements: It’s recommended to replace the filter in this Coway once a year—at a minimum. The Airmega Aim Filter, which is a three-in-one pre-filter, True HEPA filter, and deodorization filter, is recommended to be replaced every eight months and comes in at $30

I already have a couple of air purifiers in my home, including one Coway, but I thought one for our office space could be a great addition—especially to rid it of food smells after team lunches. The office has a large, open floor plan, but all of us at AD Shopping essentially sit together since our desks are all side by side and our shared lunch area is also next to our desk space, so food smells are not uncommon. We also house and test a lot of home fragrances on our desks, so ventilation in our space is crucial.

Since it’s a large office, the 2,640 sq ft of area coverage, as stated on Coway’s site, is helpful.

Even though we work in an office with an open floor plan, I don’t think you can ever have too much filtration to keep the air clear. Standing at 26 inches in height, this is one of the tallest air purifiers in our list so far. For comparison's sake, I have the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH(W) True HEPA Purifier in my home, and it is lightweight and comes with a carry handle to easily move it to any nook that could use the air circulation. This one was a bit bigger—and heavier—than I expected coming out of the box, as the aforementioned Coway I have is just 18 inches tall. But because it’s equipped to cover thousands of square feet, I’m not surprised that it might have more internal technology to make sure it functions properly.

I use this air purifier on auto mode most often, and I love to see how seamlessly it can pick up on changes in the air quality. My filter is the included option, the Fresh Starter, which is designed to 99.5% of food smells, 99.99% of dust, 99.9% of mold, 99.9% of virus particles. The biggest use case is during lunch time, but it definitely comes in handy during routine snacking too. Sometimes if I have a snack with a strong scent, like peanut butter crackers, I’ll make sure the air purifier is turned on to keep our nook of the office from smelling like PB&J. Even more recently, a colleague and I had barbecue for lunch and it left a pretty noticeable odor. In both instances, the purifier changed from its blue (good, normal air quality) to green (moderate air quality) color as it recognized the food smells, and the fan speed picked up quickly to regulate the air. It took about a minute to clear the air. And while yellow (unhealthy) and red (very unhealthy) modes didn’t pop up to indicate even worse quality, these colors will change in the event of heavy pollutants like smoke.