If you’re really giving an air purifier a workout with dusty conditions, smoke, cooking oil and pet hair, it’s wise to stick to the annual replacement schedule. Levoit used to simply claim that this air purifier was suitable for rooms up to 129 square feet. They’ve since updated their marketing to include a theoretical CADR of 40 cubic feet per minute, which means you’d filter the air in a room that size just more than twice per hour. With dust coming in the door or a person moving around, you could easily have more dust coming into the room and swirling around than the Levoit can keep up with. If you want to save some cash, you could instead go with the Govee Smart Air Purifier for $67 after clipping the on-page coupon. Here you’ll get Alexa and Assistant integration with a similar HEPA H13 filter to trap airborne particulates.
That’s a nice additional use for an appliance that will sit in your living room or bedroom. But the horizontal airflow also creates a constant breeze in the room when the machine is operating, which might not be desirable. I brush off the outer filter monthly and love that the app lets me know what percentage of the available filter life is left. I’m spoiled with the app that lets me control the unit from anywhere in my home… The air quality light indicator has been very accurate with its performance.
HEPA purifiers, which filter all the air going into a clean room, must be arranged so that no air bypasses the HEPA filter. In dusty environments, a HEPA filter may follow an easily cleaned conventional filter which removes coarser impurities so that the HEPA filter needs cleaning or replacing less frequently. HEPA filters do not generate ozone or harmful byproducts in the course of operation. There are two types of air purifying technologies, active and passive. Active air purifiers release negatively charged ions into the air, causing pollutants to stick to surfaces, while passive air purification units use air filters to remove pollutants. Passive purifiers are more efficient since all the dust and particulate matter is permanently removed from the air and collected in the filters.Several different processes of varying effectiveness can be used to purify air.
Photocatalytic oxidation systems are able to completely oxidize and degrade organic contaminants. For example, Volatile Organic Compounds found low concentrations within a few hundred ppmv or less are the most likely to be completely oxidized. Uses short-wave ultraviolet light , commonly used for sterilization, to energize the catalyst (usually titanium dioxide ) and oxidize bacteria and viruses. PCO in-duct units can be mounted to an existing forced-air HVAC system.
For more on that, see the reports linked in the opening paragraph. It’s an attractive machine, too, with its simple cylindrical form and tweedlike fabric covering (which also acts as a prefilter; you can launder it to keep the prefilter performing at its best). The purifier comes standard levoit purifier with a gray covering, and several other colors “inspired by the natural landscapes of Scandinavia” are available for purchase separately. These filters also match the Coway replacements in fit and filtration ability, and the package includes a two-year supply of HEPA and VOC filters.
And we like the AC5900WCA’s clean looks and its clever night-light feature, a small blue circular LED that glows through the machine’s seamless white faceplate. This model is far more expensive to run, as well, requiring a $70 replacement filter every eight months (versus $50 once a year for the AP-1512HH) on top of its much higher energy consumption. With a CADR of 350 cubic feet per minute on high for smoke, pollen, and dust, it handily outdraws most purifiers in its price range and many competitors that cost far more. On its quiet/medium setting, it delivers performance at a CADR of 231 for smoke, pollen, and dust—roughly what the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty offers on high. In a 500-square-foot space with 8-foot ceilings, that means it makes 5.3 ACH on high, well above our 4 ACH threshold. And on medium, it reaches a rate of 3.5 ACH, more than enough to keep the air clean under normal conditions.
Manufacturers typically list how much square footage a purifier is designed to cover. You might see multiple areas listed, say one for the coverage provided in one hour and another for the coverage provided in five hours. Our experts recommend using the lower number since you’ll likely want a device that delivers quick purification. Keep in mind that even the largest model only has a coverage area of 500 feet. So if you’re looking to clear the air in a very large space, check out our winners with coverage areas in the 800 to 1,300 square feet range.
Last, on the respective machines’ everyday, medium fan settings, the Blue Pure 211+ draws a lot more power than the AP-1512HH, consuming 46.8 watts versus 8.1 watts. That’s 1.1 kilowatt-hours a day, 33 kWh per month, or 401 kWh per year for this Blueair model versus 0.2 kWh, 6 kWh, and 73 kWh, respectively, for the Coway machine. If you’re using a Blue Pure 211+ to purify a space that the AP-1512HH can handle, that’s a lot of wasted electricity. This Bissell MyAir purifier clears pet dander and other small particles from the air with an activated carbon filter and also removes pet odors . It has three levels of fan speeds and runs fairly quietly, even on high. Aside from its effectiveness and quiet functionality, this purifier also has a night light if you choose to use this in a common area or a child’s bedroom.
To clean the air in a small space—a bedroom, office, or dorm room up to about 200 square feet—it’s a solid choice. In our 2019 tests, in just 30 minutes the Blue Pure 211+ reduced a heavy load of 0.3-micron smoke particles by 99.3% and 98.4% on high and quiet/medium, respectively, with filters that had seen eight months of 24/7 use. With new filters, it reduced particles by 99.3% and 99.2%, respectively.
The total five-year running costs are thus just $200, about 60% less than the costs of the Levoit Core 300. Add in the Blue Pure 411 models’ quiet operation and good looks, and they are an attractive option for small spaces. It’s important to note that the calculation for our 4 ACH minimum is based on the maximum volume of air that a purifier can move on its highest setting. You would use that setting in an extreme and ongoing pollution situation, such as when you’re dealing with smoke from a nearby fire. But on their highest setting, most air purifiers are too loud—above 50 decibels, where we draw the line—to be tolerable as a background for conversation, sleep, or TV watching. So we always confirm whether our picks can keep the air clean on their medium or quiet setting in a room of the recommended size.