John Holecek, who co-wrote and performed testing for previous versions of this guide, holds a master’s degree in earth science, with a focus on climate, aerosols, and analytical chemistry. He has conducted laboratory tests for Wirecutter’s air purifier reviews since 2014. Since 1999, he has studied particulate air pollution for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and in the private sector.
It’s perfect for 14×14, 16×16, and 18×18 rooms; and every house can have quite a few of these. Levoit LV-H135 is the only budget-friendly air purifier capable of such air pollutant removal efficiency. As always, bigger units like Levoit LV-H135 (max. levoit purifier noise level of 54 dB) will produce higher noise levels than smaller units like Levoit Core 300 (max. noise level of 50 dB). The exceptionally great quality of Levoit is that it gives you recommended coverage areas based on 5 air changes per hour.
The filtration system is the signature Levoit 3-stage filtration with a pre-filter for larger particles, a HEPA filter for small particles, and an activated carbon filter for adsorbing undesirable odors. There are only a few air purifiers that came achieve the 360 CADR rating; all of the other ones cost more than $400. Levoit LV-H135 is the only 350+ CADR rating air purifier that costs less than $300. The CADR rating is the most important air purifier spec; the higher the CADR rating, the better. They have to be changed every 6-8 months (if you run the Levoit air purifier 24/7, which you should). That means the maintenance cost of Levoit units is minimal; the only thing that’s better than this are the $500 units with washable filters like Airdog X5.
Join our newsletter to get notified of the best products available for your home. My wife and I usually go to bed around 10pm and are awake before 7am. If I crank the purifier up to high and put my face in front of it, the air coming out has a distinctly fresh smell to it. If you’re hoping levoit air filter to take the edge off the stench that’s wafting from a laundry hamper this can do the trick. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
But we expect this sort of design-forward, multipurpose purifier to become more common as improving air quality becomes a concern in many households. But it’s not as fast or efficient as our top levoit filter pick, the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty; the dense VOC filter causes this machine to work slower and consume more electricity. The HM400 is also notably loud, maxing out at 58 decibels on high.
As with any other air purifier, there are a few key steps to keeping the unit running smoothly. The size of any Levoit air purifier varies greatly depending on area coverage. To test the full performance of any air purifier that comes through our doors, we use the same testing process. If you’re looking for a more budget friendly air purifier that still has good area coverage , the Levoit Vista 200 may be the right choice. For a balance of size, performance, and usability, there are two models worth highlighting. In addition to its solid cleaning performance, this purifier has four different filters you can choose from.
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 . We do not dismiss purifiers that have ionizers in addition to HEPA filters, but we don’t look for that feature. Ionizers impart an electrical charge to air molecules that pass through the machine.