On its medium setting (speed three, out of a total five), the Air Mini+ reduced smoke levels by just 58.7%, versus the Levoit’s 92.6%. And even on its highest setting, on which it produced an intolerable 66 decibels, the Air Mini+ only reduced the smoke by 91%; the Levoit captured 97.4% on high, while measuring at 54 decibels. That’s a bit too loud for continuous use, but less than half as loud (in terms of human perception) than the Air Mini+. Finally, and repeatedly, so does the Air Pro’s cost—something that alone would lead us to dismiss it, even if it performed beautifully in every way. It typically retails for $1,000, and replacement filters (“average use 6 months” per the Molekule site) are $160.
Over a longer timeframe—and especially if kept running on medium 24/7, as we recommend for all our purifier picks—they will create and maintain very clean air in a typical home office or bedroom. Our budget pick, the Levoit Core 300, is meant for smaller bedrooms or offices about 200 square feet in size. In our 2020 test, it reduced a heavy load of smoke in our 135-square-foot test space by 97.4% in half an hour on high and 92.6% on medium.
With each new day, new airborne allergens are introduced to
your home. In one noticeable instance, smoke from sauteed chicken cleared up in less than 15 minutes where the kitchen and living room connect. In the bedroom, it even took care of hair spray (which registered surprisingly high in PM 2.5) and some unpleasant smells from a three-bean salad prepared that night. “We live in the heart
of Manhattan and we bought this particular product [because] I can smell cigarette smoke coming through the walls,” said the shopper who also suffers from a stuffy nose. Carolin Lehmann is an expert in health, fitness, furniture, apparel, gift guides and books for CBS Essentials. Some of her current favorites include Stanley cups, Alo Yoga workout sets and the Cuzen matcha maker.
Without it, the room smelled mustier and we woke up with scratchier, itchier throats. If you’re looking for confirmation of that, though, you won’t find it on the unit (short of looking at the filter). The air purifier doesn’t have any indicator lights or reporting mechanisms, and since it may take a while to collect enough particles for the filter to look visibly dirty, you won’t be able to see results
for several weeks. In addition, this purifier also has an auto mode setting that detects real-time air quality and helps adjust the fan speed to accommodate changing air conditions. Department of Energy, which means it can remove at least 99.97 percent of particles in the air. Three filtration stages ensure your air is pollutant-free, including removal of bacteria and pet dander from the air.
For users with allergies, an air purifier can lessen symptoms and help you breathe easier—a big sigh of relief if frequent cleaning just hasn’t been cutting it. These gadgets can range in cost from under $100 to well over $500 depending on the size of the space it can clean. Below, we dig into the Levoit LV-H132, an under-$100 pick we recently tested.
While the Levoit LV-H132 is slightly less expensive and has less are coverage (129 sf max), I still found the Core 300 to be the better value for small spaces. We’re breaking down and comparing virtually every Levoit air purifier on the market. 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.
The Levoit LV-H132 Air Purifier is a great option for price-conscious buyers who have a small, relatively clean space to filter. If you have a larger home, however, it likely won’t be powerful enough. To measure the operating cost of each machine, we hook them up to a watt reader and measure how many kilowatts per hour they consume. When set to medium and used for two hours, the Core 300 used .05 kilowatts.
In fact, our years of testing have shown that any appropriately sized purifier will distribute filtered air evenly, into the farthest corner of a room. To qualify as great, however, an air purifier doesn’t just need to work well; it also needs
to be robustly engineered and thoughtfully designed. After nine years, during which we’ve tested more than 50 different air purifiers, we believe that the exceptional Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty is the best among them—as we have since 2015.