Best Air Purifier Ratings

If you suffer from allergies, you know that breathing the air inside your home can actually be more problematic than breathing outside air. Many otherwise perfectly healthy homes are plagued by dust, pollen, pet dander, tobacco smoke from neighboring units, and other particles that can wreak havoc on our allergies and compromise our health. Health-conscious individuals know the importance of using a high-quality filter to clean the air inside the home, but there are so many different types and models on the market, it can all be overwhelming. To help guide you through the process, we put together this brief air purifier buying guide to use in conjunction with our air purifier ratings which will help you choose the best air purifier that meets your needs as well as your budget.

If budget is your biggest concern, there is no need to fret. You can certainly find a high-quality air purifier that will do what you need it to do at a price that can fit in almost any budget. However, one thing you should be cautious of if you are on a budget is to get a reputable machine with reputable reviews, not a cheap, slipshod model that sells on price alone. Make sure you compare the features, many of the important once we will list below, of each model you consider at each price point.

Here are a couple of high quality air purifiers that should work for any budget:

Honeywell HFD-010 QuietClean Compact Tower Air Purifier

Honeywell 50250N 99.7% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier

The single most important feature when buying an air purifier is to make sure it contains a true HEPA filter. Many manufacturers will try to pass their cheap products off as having “HEPA type” filters, but there is no comparison. If you want clean, healthy air, you want a true HEPA filter, which will remove at least 99.97% of all airbone particles down to 0.3 microns in size. This includes dust, dust mites, pet dander, pollen, and tobacco smoke, among other things.

The good news is that there are high-quality air purifiers with true HEPA filters available at many different price points. That means, however, that you need to compare them and determine which one is giving you all the features you need at the lowest price. Make sure you study the features and how each purifier works very carefully. For example, some air purifiers have HEPA filters which can be removed and cleaned, then re-inserted and re-used. Others will need to be replaced periodically, and the replacement cost of the filter can vary from model to model. Also varying from model to model is how often these filters need to be changed, so these are things you should definitely take into consideration.

Another important criterion on which your decision will hinge is how big of a room or living area you need to clean. Air purifiers are designed to cycle a certain volume of air through the system within a certain amount of time, and most models will tell you the maximum square footage they are effective at cleaning. This can range from something as small as 100 square feet to over 500 square feet, so you want to pick a machine that can most efficiently and economically clean the area in need. If you have a very large living area you need cleaned, it may be more economical to use two machines. For example, we use one machine in the open space comprising the living room, kitchen, and dining room, and another, smaller machine in the bedroom. Another option is to use one machine and move it back and forth between different living areas. This won’t keep your home as consistently clean throughout, but it is better than nothing. If you choose this route, take into consideration that air purifiers come in different weights, so if the two areas you will be alternating between are on different floors, make sure you select a purifier that isn’t too cumbersome for you to move back and forth.

If you are looking for a more powerful air purifier to clean a larger living area, here are a couple good options:

Alen A350 Air Purifier

Whirlpool AP51030K Whispure Air Purifier

The most important criteria in selecting the best air purifier for your home are listed above. These are making sure the machine comes with a true HEPA filter, that it can efficiently and economically clean the living area you need it to, and that it will not be too cumbersome to move around if need be. As you read about different units, you will find other points of comparison that although they aren’t as crucial as the ones listed above, but that you should still be familiar with. For example, many air purifiers have a carbon prefilter in addition to the HEPA filter. The prefilter will trap large particles and keep them from entering and clogging up the HEPA filter. This will prolong the amount of time before you have to replace or clean the HEPA filter. Also, some units are equipped with a handy indicator light which will let you know when it is almost time to change or clean the HEPA filter. Otherwise, you will need to inspect it yourself periodically.

All of the air purifiers reviewed on our Best Air Purifier Ratings web site are true HEPA air purifiers with a real HEPA filter, not an inferior "HEPA-type" knockoff filter.

Some models also contain an ultraviolet light which will kill bacteria and other biological airborne contaminants. Some models contain ionizers which release negative ions into the air. Some people believe having a higher percentage of negative ions in the air makes it easier to breathe, and these ions can also attach themselves to airborne particles, making them easier for the HEPA filter to trap quickly. These are some of the things you want to take into consideration when you are comparing air purifiers side by side.

The best course of action to take is to use the criteria listed above to find a few air purifiers that work for your budget, then compare them side by side and determine which one provides the best value. It is also a good idea to read reviews and ratings that other users have posted about them. If you read them thoroughly, you’ll devour so much information it will almost be like bringing each model home yourself and trying them for a test run! Being armed with this valuable information will make it much easier for you to make a confident decision.