Her work has appeared in publications like The New York Times, Media Psychology, Brit+Co, and Parents.com, to name a few. She’s also a mother of two young children, each of whom has a Levoit air purifier in their room. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves.
The built-in AirSight Infrared Dust Sensor automatically takes air quality readings to determine if the air quality is Very Good, Good, Moderate, or Bad. My puppy was curious about this device that promises to help with pet dander and hair. ZDNET’s recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research,
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On the other hand, if you look to use your device in a smaller space, it could be a waste of money to invest in a product powerful enough to handle larger spaces. Our “best for bedrooms” pick, the AROEVE Air Purifier for Large Rooms, quickly cleared polluted air within two to three minutes of operating during our lab tests. Although it’s recommended as our top pick for bedrooms, it could easily handle a larger room, such as a living room or kitchen, with a CADR rating above 300 CFM. The Levoit LV-PUR131S is an excellent option for those looking for a powerful machine, capable of cleaning the air in a medium-sized room.
Prior to conducting our product test, considerable research went into deciding which air purifiers to test. Air purifiers are similar to heaters and air conditioners in that they have coverage capacity. Most air purifier product descriptions list the room size they are intended for in square feet, so you should have an idea of the area of the room you would like to use your device in before purchasing an air purifier. After testing these purifiers in a controlled lab setting, we sent them home with volunteers, who used them in their homes for over three months. In addition to evaluating each purifier’s performance in all the tested categories, we asked them to consider how it improved their day-to-day living (if at all) and whether they noticed any long-term impact on their lives. This model is unique in terms of aesthetics, allowing you to choose from solid colors, such as black and white, and also from artistic designs, such as Starry Night, Water Lilies, and Great Wave (for an added fee).
Here are other air purifiers to consider, which we include here based on expert guidance from our previous reporting and Select reader interest. They may be worth considering if you need to clear the air in a larger room than mine or if you want a dual-function purifier. Coway’s Airmega AP1512HH model is one of the most striking designs available in air purification, with a retro, almost chrome look, available in both black and white models. Depending on your aesthetic, you could potentially disguise this as a speaker in your home entertainment setup. The newer AP-1512HHS model only comes in one color and loses the ionizer function, but for $70 more you can also get a wi-fi-enabled model with voice control.
One nice feature is that every purifier they offer comes with True HEPA filters — a fact that can’t always be said for every other manufacturer. Before using it, the only thing you need to do is remove the plastic bag from around the filter. Simply twist the shell counterclockwise to remove it from the base, take out the filter and lock the shell back in place. An important thing to consider is that this purifier does emit ozone through its negative ion generator. According to Rabbit Air, its purifiers comply with the ozone safety measures established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
It’s extremely powerful, delivering our recommended 4 ACH (air changes per hour) in spaces as large as 650 square feet (assuming an 8-foot ceiling). That means it can clean the combined living areas of many open-floor-plan homes. Its five-year cost of ownership—about $1,150 including the up-front cost and the annual cost of electricity and replacement filters—is comparable to that of most large-space purifiers. All that said, unless you need to clean an especially large space, the even quieter, smaller, and much more affordable Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty is a better choice.
All that said, in most parts of the country, simply opening your windows every few days is an effective way to flush out any VOCs. To sort purifiers into categories, we calculate their air changes per hour, or ACH, in hypothetical rooms of 150, 350, and 500 square feet (we assume 8-foot ceilings). Basically, that corresponds to bedroom, living room, and open-floor-plan combined spaces, respectively. We set 4 ACH as the minimum for a purifier to be considered adequate for each room size. Based on our years of real-world testing, we know that 4 ACH ensures rapid and nearly complete cleaning of highly and continuously polluted air—a big concern during, say, a nearby wildfire.
Use a damp cloth to clean the outside of the air purifier and leave it to dry. Also, be wary of using cleaning agents or abrasive chemicals on the outside of the air purifier. Consequently, unplug the air purifier and clean the exterior of the air purifier to give it a good wash later. Firstly, you want to make sure to put your air purifier in a room that is equipped to handle, size-wise. As for placement within the room, a central location will make for the most efficient air purification. In order to avoid tripping over it, however, it’s fine to put your air purifier in a more discreet location, just be sure to understand where its input and output vents are located and make sure those pathways aren’t blocked.