The Levoit Vital 100’s compact design makes it perfect for your bedroom, living room, kitchen or any large space. With modern white casing and blue indicator lights, the Levoit could easily be mistaken for a countertop voice assistant or speaker. Since it’s small, the purifier is also subtle and likely won’t draw attention no matter the room it’s placed in. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to someone in a small space who doesn’t have anywhere to “hide” it.
But don’t count on air purifiers to protect you from virus particles if you’re cohabitating with a contagious person. When CNET spoke with Richard Shaughnessy, director of indoor air research at the University of Tulsa, in 2022, he said transmission of COVID usually happens due to close contact with an infected person. If you’re sitting on a couch and chatting with someone who is infected, an air purifier across the room isn’t going to remove all the harmful particles exhaled before they have a chance to reach you.
As seen before, the LV-H133 will do a great job with a living room (the device is effective for no more than 538 square feet), but it will take longer to clean the air in a significantly larger area. The cost of a replacement filter for the LV-H133 is about a quarter of the overall price of the device, so it’s not really the cheapest, nor the most expensive filter on the market. The manufacturer emphasizes on the fact that the LV-H133 is 100% ozone free, so it doesn’t use UV-C light or anion purification methods to clear the air. The devices that produce ozone (O3) are very successful at eliminating odors, but, since it is a very reactive gas, it can easily irritate the respiratory system and it does have a very bad effect on people suffering from asthma. Since I do suffer from this condition, I am happy that more and more manufacturers have steered clear of using ozone and really, there is no excuse to still rely on this method of eliminating odor in 2019.
The 200M has a square grille rather than a round one, but that’s the only major physical difference. If you prefer the 200M’s looks or if you find it at a better price, we recommend it just as highly. This time the NO2 and CO levels were in the safe zone, and the incense odor was much milder.
And it performed very well in our tests, as you might expect when you run a large-space machine in a small room. However, on its medium-high and high speeds, it produced a persistent rattle that we could not ignore, nor could we fix
the problem by repositioning the machine and making sure that the filter was properly seated. Along with its high upfront cost, the Air Mini+ is also expensive to maintain, requiring a $90 replacement filter every six months.
The Coway and Blueair models, in contrast, scored 87.6% and 99.2%, respectively. The Dyson Pure Hot+Cool HP04, which incorporates a space heater as well as a purifier, in theory should have performed somewhat better than the TP04 because it can move a slightly greater volume of air. But in our tests it performed significantly worse, achieving just 77.4% and 55.1% reduction
on its highest and medium (speed 6) settings, respectively. We cannot recommend either Dyson purifier, especially considering their high price relative to those of our much higher-performing picks. We have also found no evidence that the machines’ fan function, as Dyson claims, makes them superior to other purifiers in the distribution of filtered air throughout a room.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
This minuscule amount of power relates to approximately $15 expenditure over a year, making it one of the most energy-efficient purifiers we’ve come across. This performance, fueled by excellent HEPA filters and powerful VortexAir fans, makes the 600S a brilliant option for removing smoke from your space. Whether from your local environment in wildfire smoke, or closer to home from cigarettes, weed, or vaping, this unit will remove harmful toxins found in smoke, whilst the Activated Carbon filter will adsorb the nuisance smells that also come hand in hand. Another great aspect of ensuring sound sleep is that this air purifier produces relatively low noise levels. With a CADR rating of 141 cfm, the Core 300 is suitable for purifying the air in small and medium-sized rooms.
It’s a popular purifier, with a design that has gone largely unchanged for years, but even many of its adherents acknowledge that noise is an issue. The HPA300 performed well in our tests but was also extremely loud, topping out at 62 decibels on its highest setting and measuring 53 decibels on the higher of its two medium speeds. It’s large and visually intrusive, too, consisting of a black tower almost 2 feet tall, 10 inches wide, and 18 inches deep. And it’s fussy to maintain, with three small HEPA filters to replace and a prefilter that you have to Velcro in exactly the right place—otherwise it will prevent the cover from reattaching. This model typically costs only slightly less than our top pick for large spaces, the Blueair Blue Pure 211+, which is a more powerful, more attractive, and quieter machine.
The best air purifiers are relatively quiet, but some can be a bit noisy. We scoured customer reviews to find nice, quiet options for our best air purifier list. This on-sale, battery-powered air purifier can remove dust, smoke, odors, pet dander and bacteria from the air for up to four hours. The CleanLight Air Pro includes a cup holder attachment for use in the car, on the plane or in a stroller.