The air we breathe is crucial to our health. But with increasing traffic congestion and chemical product usage, the air both outside and inside our homes has become more polluted than ever. Over time, these pollutants, as well as dust particles, airborne germs, and cigarette smoke can have a serious impact upon your health as well as that of your family. This can be seen in the increase in allergies and asthma death rates, as well as recent studies that link air pollution to heart disease and strokes.

Thankfully, using an air purifier in your home can be an effective way to protect against the negative effects of air pollution. These devices remove troublesome airborne particles from the atmosphere in your home and trap them within a filter before circulating clean, healthy air back into the room. In this article, we take a look at 7 of the best air purifiers to help keep you and your family healthy.

  • HEPA filter catches 99.97% of particles sized 0.3 microns and above
  • Antimicrobial coating
  • Charcoal filter and UV-C light technology
  • Suitable for rooms up to 153 sq. ft.
  • Air changes up to 4x an hour.
  • 3-year warranty

  • Patented thermodynamic technology to remove pollutants
  • Filterless
  • 100% efficiency
  • Selection of soothing light colors
  • Completely silent operation.
  • Suitable for rooms up to 650 sq. ft.

  • True HEPA Filter filters out 99.97% of dust, allergens & more
  • Carbon filter removes odors
  • UV-C light technology kills airborne bacteria and germs
  • Suitable for rooms up to 150 sq. ft.
  • Multiple speed settings
  • 3-year warranty

  • Three stage filtration system
  • Removes 99.97% of dust and allergens sized 0.3 microns and above
  • Traps fine-particulate air pollution ‘PM 2.5’
  • Coverage up to 129 sq. ft.
  • Long lasting filters
  • 2-year warranty

  • Three stage filtration system includes pre-filter as well as High-Efficiency and activated carbon filters
  • Smart Circulation System
  • Quiet operation
  • Automated dimming mode
  • Suitable for rooms between 300 and 400 sq. ft.
  • 2-year warranty

  • High capacity filter captures up to 99% of particles 0.3 microns and above
  • Quiet operation
  • Very powerful for its size
  • Purifies 700 sq.ft of air in 30 min
  • Customizable design to match any decor
  • Lifetime guarantee

  • HEPA-Silver filter
  • 12 hour timer
  • Whisper Quiet technology
  • Cleans 500 sq. ft. rooms twice an hour
  • Easy to use control panel
  • Forever guarantee


The GermGuardian 3-in-1 HEPA Filter Air Purifier captures 99.97% of troublesome pollutants and allergens 0.3 microns or larger using a true HEPA filter. The HEPA filter has a special antimicrobial coating, which protects against the growth of any mold, bacteria or mildew on its surface. An additional charcoal filter reduces nasty odors, while UV-C light technology works to actively kill airborne germs, viruses, and mold spores which may be in your home.

Perfect for use in rooms up to 153 sq. ft., this air purifier is lightweight and features simple-to-use electronic controls as well as a handy ‘filter-change’ indicator so you’ll always know when it’s due. It has three speed settings, with the lowest speed running at an ultra-quiet level so as not to disturb you. The air filter can last an impressive six and eight months depending on usage and, depending on setting, the purifier can circulate the air in a room as much as four times an hour so troublesome pollutants and allergens won’t have time to accumulate.

Pros

  • HEPA filter catches 99.97% of particles sized 0.3 microns and above
  • Antimicrobial coating
  • Charcoal filter and UV-C light technology reduces odor and airborne viruses.
  • Filters last between 6 and 8 months.
  • Circulates air up to 4x an hour
  • Suitable for rooms up to 153 sq. ft.

Cons

  • Tall, slim design means it can be easily knocked over by pets or children.

The Airfree Lotus Filterless Air Purifier makes a good option for those who don’t want to worry about filter maintenance. This air purifier uses special ‘Thermodynamic TSSTM Technology’ to eliminate bacteria, dust mites, mold, viruses, bacteria, pollen, and pet dander from your home with 100% efficiency,  thus helping to reduce allergies and the risk of health problems caused by polluted air.

The Airfree Lotus operates silently, so it is a great choice for use in the bedroom. In fact, the variety of colored lights can be customized for a calming effect, which may help you to wind down after a stressful day. It has a very low energy consumption rate, too, so it won’t increase your bills too much. The completely filterless technology also means that you won’t need to spend extra money on filters over its lifetime.

The only small drawback to the Airfree Lotus is that it’s quite difficult to clean. Even though it doesn’t have any filters, there are spaces within the lotus flower design that may gather dust and are awkward to reach.  

Pros

  • Patented thermodynamic technology gets rid of many pollutants with 100% efficiency
  • No filter maintenance or replacement required
  • Selection of soothing light colors from which to choose
  • Completely silent operation

Cons

  • Awkward to clean

Another offering from GermGuardian, this GermGuardian AC4900CA 3-in-1 is perfect for those living in apartments or small homes who don’t have the space for a large air purifier but still want powerful effects.

With its True HEPA filter, it can remove up to 99.97% of dust, allergens, pollens, and much more so you can rest easy that you and your family are defended against troublesome pollutants. The GermGuardian AC4900CA also features innovative UV-C light technology that kills any germs or bacteria that may be in the air so you can worry less about getting sick during cold and flu season.

Furthermore, if you smoke or have pets, this air purifier utilizes a charcoal filter to get rid of these odors as well as any that might be caused by cooking or cleaning to leave your home smelling fresher every day.

The only drawback is that some users found this model to be a little noisy when on the highest setting, but there is a lower, much quieter setting which is more suitable for nighttime. In fact, some people found that the white noise actually helped them to fall asleep.

Pros

  • True HEPA Filter filters out 99.97% of dust, allergens & more
  • Carbon filter removes odors
  • UV-C light technology kills airborne bacteria and germs
  • Tall, compact design is perfect for smaller rooms

Cons

  • Can be noisy on the highest setting


With a three-stage filtration system, you can rest assured that the LEVOIT LV-H132 Air Purifier will provide a clean and healthy air supply. Using a pre-filter, True HEPA and activated carbon filters, this air purifier removes up to 99.97% of dust and allergen particles sized 0.3 microns and above and effectively removes fine-particulate air pollution known as ‘PM 2.5’. Even so, this doesn’t mean that you’ll have to buy new filters regularly, as each of the filters typically lasts between six and eight months depending on usage.

A further benefit of the LEVOIT LV-H132 Air Purifier is that it’s completely ozone-free. UV light can sometimes create trace levels of ozone gas, which some users may wish to avoid. Its small, compact size and sleek design make it great for small rooms or offices which are tight on space. In addition, this model offers three speed settings, is quiet and discreet, and includes a soothing night light to help you relax or drift off into a restful sleep.

Pros

  • Three stage filtration system includes pre-filter, True HEPA,  and activated carbon
  • Removes 99.97% of dust and allergens sized 0.3 microns and above
  • Removes fine-particulate air pollution ‘PM 2.5’
  • Unique size and design makes it great for small rooms
  • Long lasting filters

Cons

  • Higher speed settings are noisy

The Bissell air400 Air Purifier sets itself apart from the competition with its Smart Circulation System, which continuously monitors air quality and adapts itself accordingly so you won’t need to worry about adjusting the settings during the day.

The three-stage filtration system includes a pre-filter, High-Efficiency filter, and 1” thick activated carbon filter which all work together to remove up to 99.97% of the dust, allergens, and other polluting particles from the air in your home. The Bissell air400 is also super-quiet, running at only 30 db(A) when used on silent mode. This means you can easily leave it running all day and night without being disturbed. Furthermore, the automated dimming mode cleverly reduces noise levels at night, so you can sleep soundly without needing to turn it down before bed.

The Bissell air400 is one of the larger units on our list and is best suited for bigger rooms from 300 to 400 sq.ft. It is capable of cleaning the air in rooms this large as many as 3 times an hour so those irritating, unhealthy particles will have little time to accumulate. The only issue with this air purifier is that the air intake is on the opposite side to the controls and digital display. This means that you cannot push it up close to a wall but rather must leave some space so it can work effectively.

Pros

  • Three stage filtration system includes Pre-filter, High-Efficiency filter, and activated carbon filter
  • Smart Circulation System monitors air and adjusts settings accordingly
  • Quiet operation
  • Automated dimming mode reduces noise levels at night
  • Great for larger rooms
  • Fast air circulation

Cons

  • Design means you can’t back it up close to a wall

Despite being relatively small, the Alen BreatheSmart Flex Air Purifier offers a lot more power than you’d expect, making it great for use in rooms of all sizes. The HEPA filter effectively captures and removes 99% of pollen, dust, dander, and other airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns.

The Alen BreatheSmart Flex is able to purify up to 700 sq.ft of air in 30 minutes, all while working at an almost silent noise level so as not to disturb you and your family. Odors are quickly eliminated, as are troublesome VOCs and cleaning product fumes, all of which can make you feel unwell if exposed to them for long periods. Moreover, Alen has focused on ensuring that the BreatheSmart Flex can blend in naturally with any décor. As a result, they offer a huge range of colors and textures so that it can blend seamlessly within your home.

Pros

  • Very powerful for its size
  • High capacity filter captures up to 99% of particles 0.3 microns and above
  • Quiet operation
  • Purifies 700 sq. ft. of air in 30 min
  • Customizable design to match any decor

Cons

  • Front plate gets dirty quickly
  • Can be easily knocked over

Perfect for baby nurseries, the Alen T500 Allergy Air Purifier features a whisper-quiet ionizer which creates negative ions to attract pollutant particles and clump them together. These larger groups of particles are then drawn into the unit, becoming trapped within its HEPA filter layers. Once trapped, the silver-ion filter coatings have an antimicrobial effect, quickly killing and disabling mold, bacteria, and viruses.

Even though it’s only 22 inches in height, the Alen T500 is capable of cleaning all the air in a 500 sq.ft room twice per hour, so you can feel reassured that you’re breathing in pure and healthy air so long as it is working. The operating panel is easy to use and enables you to control the level of airflow around the room to suit your preference. This display lights up when in use but quickly dims once left alone, so you won’t have any disturbing bright lights when trying to relax. Furthermore, the Whisper Quiet technology keeps noise to a minimum so you can get a good night’s rest.

Pros

  • HEPA-Silver filter traps and kills airborne pollutants, germs, mold, and asthma triggers
  • 12-hour timer
  • Whisper Quiet technology
  • Cleans 500 sq.ft rooms twice an hour
  • Easy to use control panel

Cons

  • Replacement filters are quite expensive

Comparison Chart

FeaturesGermGuardian 3-in-1 HEPA Filter Air PurifierAirfree Lotus Filterless Air PurifierGermGuardian AC4900CA 22” 3-in-1 Full Room Air PurifierLEVOIT LV-H132 Air PurifierBissell air400 Air PurifierAlen BreatheSmart Flex Air PurifierAlen T500 Allergy Air Purifier
HEPA FilterXX
UV-C LightXXXXX
Antimicrobial PropertiesXX
Activated Carbon FilterXXX
Coverage (sq.ft)153 650150129300-400700500
Quiet ModeX
Weight (lbs)9.45 5.29.656.522.8 239
NightlightXXXXX
TimerXXXXXX
Self-AdjustingXXXXXX

Buyer’s Guide:

Air Purifiers For Family Health

Unpurified air may consist of a range of pollutants that are harmful. These can originate from outdoors, or from appliances, products and issues within your home, such as:

  • Dust
  • Pet dander
  • Cigarette smoke
  • Exhaust fumes
  • Mold
  • Cooking fumes
  • Cleaning products
  • Certain building materials
  • Pests

These pollutants and irritants exist either as particulate matter – in the case of dust and pet dander – or as gases, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. The use of household cleaning products can also introduce chemicals into the atmosphere in your home. These chemicals are also known as ‘VOCs’, which stands for ‘Volatile Organic Compounds’. These compounds often react with other gases they are present in the air, creating different chemicals which can further irritate your airways and impact your health.

Indoor air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of many dangerous health issues, such as COPD, lung cancer, pneumonia, heart disease and strokes. Unpurified air can also exacerbate allergies. Allergic reactions to dust, pet hair, and pollen are common. If you suffer from allergies, you will usually experience inflamed and itchy eyes and nostrils, painful sinuses, and even difficulty breathing. Persistent exposure to allergens can weaken the immune system over time, making you more vulnerable to other germs and viruses. Asthma is another condition that can worsen in the presence of pollutants and potentially increase the frequency and severity of asthma attacks.

Young children are especially susceptible to the negative effects of air pollution, as their respiratory system consists of narrower airways that are not yet fully developed. This means that any irritation and subsequent inflammation can have more serious consequences than those seen in adults. Exposure to pollutants at a young age may also lead to the development of asthma later in life.

Filtration Method: HEPA, Ultraviolet Light, Carbon Filters

HEPA Air Purifiers

By far the most efficient air purifiers to improve your health are those that use High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (HEPA) filters. HEPA air purifiers are very high quality and are designed to capture 99.97% of all pollutants and irritants larger than 0.3 microns. This means they are capable of removing dust, pollen, and even tobacco smoke. They are even more effective when combined with anti-microbial filters, which serve to kill bacteria which is trapped in the filter.

When shopping for a HEPA air purifier, you should be aware that only models that use the term HEPA or ‘True HEPA’ are genuine HEPA filters. Some manufacturers and models use the term ‘HEPA-Like’, ‘HEPA Type’ or ‘99% HEPA’ – these are not real HEPA filters and will not be as effective.

UV Air Purifiers

Sometimes combined with HEPA filters, UV purifiers utilize ultraviolet light waves to kill airborne viruses, bacteria, and other germs which are drawn into the air purifier. Therefore, HEPA + UV air purifiers are a very effective way of keeping your family protected against illness and infections.

Activated Carbon Filters

Activated carbon filters effectively trap pollutants which pass through them within the tiny pores in their surface. Once they have been trapped, the activated carbon then reacts with the pollutants to neutralize them, efficiently removing odors, smoke, and some troublesome chemicals from the atmosphere. Activated carbon filters alone, though, are not able to remove allergens and dust from the air. Therefore, if you suffer from allergies, an activated carbon filter is best used in combination with a HEPA filter. Many air purifiers will include carbon filters alongside the main HEPA filter for optimal results.

Noise Levels

When choosing the best air purifier for your health, you should check how noisy each model will be during operation. Some air purifiers emit more noise than others. If you are sensitive to noise, you are less likely to use such an air purifier for long periods or overnight as you may find it irritating and experience difficulty sleeping. Not only is a lack of sleep bad for your health, but switching off your air purifier to stop an annoying noise will mean you are not reaping its full benefits. Therefore, to get the most out of your air purifier, you should look for a model which works as silently as possible.

CADR Rating

The CADR rating describes the ‘Clean Air Delivery Rate’ of an air purifier. This is a reflection of the number of cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air which is cycled through the unit and has had all of the pollutants above a certain size removed.

Removal effectiveness is measured over three different types of particle sizes: dust, pollen, and smoke. This is because these are good examples of small, medium, and large particle sizes, respectively. The effectiveness is measured for each particle size, and the air purifier is then assigned a CADR score for each one. The highest possible CADR rating for smoke and pollen is 450, while dust has an upper limit of 400. The higher the score, the more efficient the air purifier is at keeping you healthy.

Ease of Cleaning

It is important that you clean your air purifier and change the filters as directed by the manufacturer. If you fail to do this, your air purifier will lose efficiency and may even start to become detrimental to your health. This is because when the filters become too full, they cannot trap any more pollutants and will instead simply blow them around your home.

Therefore, choosing an air purifier which is simple to clean is the best option for the health of you and your family. If this process is too difficult and time-consuming, you will be less likely to maintain it when needed, and may even leave it switched off until you can get around to it, thus leaving your home vulnerable to pollutants.

To sum up:

Perfect Air Purifiers To Keep You & Your Family Healthy

Pros

  • Reduce the number of allergens in the air
  • Limit airborne germs and viruses
  • Help to diminish irritation of the airways
  • Reduce of pollution particles to preserve good health
  • Protect against asthma triggers

Cons

  • May be difficult to maintain
  • Require frequent cleaning
  • Replacement filters can be expensive
  • Some modes can be noisy

  • How do air purifiers work to keep you healthy?
  • Air purifiers pull in the air from your home, filter out pollutants and irritants, and then circulate the clean air back out into the atmosphere. This process continues on an ongoing cycle so long as the air purifier is switched on. By removing these pollutants from the atmosphere, an air purifier reduces your risk of disease and allergic reactions caused by exposure to such particles.

  • Can some air purifiers negatively affect my health?
  • There are some concerns that air purifiers can make you sick. Amongst other things, this could be due to the fact that there are some air purifiers which use ozone gas to purify the air. Ozone is unstable and has been found to be highly damaging to the lungs if inhaled over periods of time. Therefore, we recommend that you avoid using air purifiers which utilize ozone.

  • How do I maintain my air purifier for optimum results?
  • Each air purifier is different, so you should ensure that you maintain your air purifier in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. It is important to note that, should you fail to change the filters when recommended, your air purifier will become less efficient and could even become detrimental to your health.

  • How long does an air purifier take to clean the air?
  • Generally, most air purifiers should be able to clean an average-sized room within 30 minutes to 2 hours, however the time it takes your air purifier to clean the air in your home will depend on its CADR rating and its effective range measured in cubic feet. The higher the CADR rating, the more efficient the air purifier. Therefore, an air purifier with a higher CADR rating will clean the air much quicker than one with a lower rating.

  • Where should I place my air purifier to get the best health benefits?
  • The best place to position your air purifier is wherever you spend the most time. For many people this is the bedroom, as this is where they will spend the most consecutive hours in any 24 hour period.

Final Thoughts

All of the air purifiers we have reviewed would make fantastic options to improve the quality of the air in your home, but our top pick is the GermGuardian 3-in-1 HEPA Filter Air Purifier. This air purifier features a high-quality true-HEPA filter, which is capable of removing 99.97% of pollutants and allergens as small as 0.3 microns. Once captured, the UV-C light technology works to kill any bacteria and viruses that are present, thus protecting you against infection and illness. Odors are also kept under control, thanks to an activated carbon filter.

If you are on a low budget and short of space, though, our pick would be the LEVOIT LV-H132. Compact and attractive in design, this air purifier can fit easily into the smallest of rooms, without compromising on effectiveness. The LEVOIT LV-H132 showcases a three-stage filtration system, which includes a HEPA and activated carbon filter. It can also efficiently remove pollutants in the dangerous PM 2. 5 category. When we also consider its quiet operation, three speed modes,and a soothing night light, this low-cost air purifier is a great budget choice to safeguard your family against the threat of airborne pollutants.

Further Reading

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Air Purifiers
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