It’s not much quieter or less expensive than the Winix, and it draws more power to do the same job, but it will fit more easily in the corner of a small bedroom. The Levoit took 10 minutes longer to clean half of the thick cloud of dust particles out of a small room, and after 40 minutes at top speed it still didn’t take out as much as the competitors on their lowest speed settings. The High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter standard means a filter can capture 99.97% of the tiny, most-difficult-to-trap particles in the air — tiny means 0.3 microns in diameter, the size of some virus and bacteria bodies.
Using a True HEPA filter, this Dyson air purifier claims to clear up to 99.97% of airborne pollutants, including smoke from wildfires, as well as various odors and toxins. Our ease-of-use tests also found a bunch of family-friendly extras on the unit. Unlike other fans, it has no accessible blades, so it’s safer for small hands. There’s also a nighttime mode and a sleep timer as part of its 10-speed settings.
For rooms that need heavy-duty cleaning, the UV-C light technology sanitizes air by working with Titanium Dioxide to kill airborne bacteria, viruses, germs, and mold spores. When our family was looking for an air purifier a couple of years ago, we did a ton of research to find one that wasn’t all hype. Based on Consumer Reports testing and recommendations, the size of our home, and our budget, we ultimately settled on the Blueair 211+ Auto Air Purifier Large Room(opens in a new tab) and love it.
The filter is sandwiched inside the unit between a washable pre-filter panel and a high-efficiency activated carbon filter. The front cover simply pops off, so you can remove and clean or replace these filters when necessary. People can determine how effective a particular air purifier will be for specific allergens. They can look for a device with a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR), and an efficacy rating from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). The CADR number shows the volume of filtered air a purifier can clean, with higher numbers meaning a device can clean certain pollutants more quickly.
It’s crazy to introduce a new pollutant when the goal is to reduce pollution overall. Ionizers produce a small amount of ozone as a by-product, but as laid out by the strict California Air Resources Board, none of our picks with an ionizing function exceed the limit of 0.05 part per million (50 parts per billion). No air purifier can do anything about allergens, bacteria, or viruses that have settled on furniture and other surfaces. To remove allergens such as levoit air filter pet hair and pollen, you need a vacuum cleaner or dust mop. If you don’t want a large, intrusive rectangular air filter sitting out of place in your otherwise color-coordinated room, the Blueair Blue Pure 311 Air Purifier is a good alternative. The fabric pre-filter that covers it doesn’t just look and feel nice (and comes in different colorways), it works to remove larger particles from the air and has an activated carbon layer to absorb unpleasant smells.