Top 10 Recommended Portable Air Purifiers (incl. HEPA)
Healthy living starts at home, but what if the air you’re breathing is polluted? From pet dander to mold due to wet conditions, you could be cycling air that’s much more harmful than what’s outside. Fortunately, whether it’s your home or a musty-smelling RV or car that’s driving you (and your allergies) crazy, a portable air purifier could be the perfect fix. Read on for recommendations on the best portable air purifiers for every need.
Source: gadgetreview.com
Buying Guide
Before you start shopping for a portable air purifier, check out these guidelines for picking the perfect product.
- What to consider: Air purifiers have varying price points, size specifications, and running volumes. Also, energy usage can vary widely, so looking for Energy Star appliances is often a smart choice.
- Determining what you need: If you have allergies, asthma, or pets, you may want a higher-performance purifier to avoid the effects of indoor air pollution.
- Choosing the right purifier for you: A minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) rating can tell you how effective your purifier is at blocking particles down to .3 microns—higher numbers are better. Clean air delivery rates (CADR) above 60 are generally satisfactory.
- Standard features in air purifiers: Most feature a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which “theoretically” removes 99.97 percent of airborne particles from your space.
- Additional options for purifiers: From activated carbon or mechanical filters to UV treatment systems, a range of purifier types are available.
Buying Recommendations
Best Budget Portable Air Purifiers
Our budget picks for portable air purifiers have plenty of features.
1. KOIOS Air Purifier and Night Light – Editor’s Pick
Range of Use: Up to 60 square feet
Type: HEPA, activated carbon
Noise: Under 50dB
- Compact size is easy to move
- Low power consumption is eco-friendly
- Night light function is ideal for nurseries and bedrooms
- Only two speed options
- Covers a relatively small square foot area
- TRUE HEPA AIR PURIFIER - Filters out dust, pollen, and pet dander. This air purifier filters particles as small as 0.3 microns and larger air pollution of PM 2.5, helping to improve overall health. Perfect for pet owners, babies, children, the elderly, or anyone wanting to improve the air quality in their home, office or hotel room. The perfect holiday, birthday, house-warming gifting choice for parents, adult children, colleagues, and friends.
- ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY AIR CLEANER - Equipped with 3-Stage Filtration system including Pre-filter, TRUE HEPA Filter, Activated Carbon Filter can effectively remove odor and smoke, such as pet odor, cigarette smoke and cooking odor around your living space.
- 360° DEEP PURIFICATION - Efficient air intake and discharge maximize fresh and healthy air provided to all directions, improving the air circulation in your room. It can clean 55 cubic meter air per hour in normal mode and consume less than 0.002 units of power.
2. ElecHomes Air Purifiers for Home
Range of Use: up to 215 square feet
Type: HEPA, activated carbon
Noise: 33dB in Sleep Mode
- Timers for 1, 2, 4, and 8 hours with auto-off
- Notification light for filter change after 3,000 hours of use
- Aromatherapy functionality
- “Sleep Mode” ranks at 33dB of noise
- Purify Your Room: 100% Ozone Free, the perfect choice for bedrooms, living rooms, offices, and more.
- HEPA Filter: Including pre-filter, ATP-HEPA protective filter, activated carbon filter, and H13 grade true HEPA filter.
- Quiet: Sleep mode, advanced noise-reducing, double ball-bearing fan blade and industry-leading motor, all these help to keep the noise levels as low as 23dB, turn off the indicator light, providing a quiet environment for your family.
3. MOOKA Air Purifier for Home
Range of Use: Up to 300 square feet
Type: HEPA, activated carbon
Noise: 35dB in quiet mode
- Night light feature
- Easy filter changes
- Energy-efficient in energy-saving mode
- In quiet mode, sound level is 35dB
- Night light does not turn off during operation
- [TRUE HEPA AIR PURIFIER]: Filters out dust, pollen and pet dander. This air purifier filters particles to improve overall health. Perfect for pet owners, babies, children, the elderly, or anyone wanting to improve the air quality in their home or hotel room. The perfect holiday, birthday, house-warming gifting choice for parents, adult children, colleagues, and friends.
Best Premium Portable Air Purifiers
These premium portable air purifiers are worth the investment.
1. IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier – Editor’s Pick
Range of Use: Up to 1,125 square feet
Type: HEPA (HyperHEPA), carbon
Noise: Ranges from 25dB to 69dB
- HyperHEPA filters particles down to .003 microns
- Programmable operation via the remote
- Long-lasting filters (from 18 months to four years, depending on the type)
- Replacement filters are expensive
- Most settings are quite noisy
- Unrivaled Performance: The HealthPro Plus is the #1 Rated room air purifier for homes, offices, schools, hospitals, industrial, and commercial sites. Has received more top reviews and awards than any other air purifier. Chosen by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority for both SARS-CoV-1 & SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Superior airflow with the 320-degree EvenFlow Diffuser efficiently filters all the air in large rooms and bedrooms numerous times an hour.
- Medical Grade H13 HyperHEPA Filter: Proven and certified by a third-party testing lab to remove and trap 99.995% of all airborne particles down to 0.003 microns, the HealthPro Plus supplies unequaled protection against bacteria, dust, mold, pollen, pet dander, smoke from wildfires, odors, harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, and more. True HEPA filtration. "Best Air Purifier for your money, according to Doctors", Money Magazine, Dec 2022.
- Long Lasting & Cost-Efficient Filters: Three different filters clean the air four different ways. Pre-filter traps coarse particles. Activated carbon adsorption and pelletized chemisorption filter odors and gasses. HyperHEPA traps fine and ultrafine particles. Long-lasting filters – 16 to18 months for the pre-filter, 2 years for the gas and odor filter, 3 years, 9 months to 4 years, 2 months for the HyperHEPA filter - helps save money over the air cleaner’s lifetime, and more eco-friendly.
2. Inofia Air Purifier with True HEPA Air Filter
Range of Use: up to 1,300 square feet
Type: HEPA, activated carbon
Noise: 27dB on Speed 1
- Automatically adjusts to address air quality issues (faster fan speeds)
- Controllable via app
- Timer button for auto-shutoff
- Low noise—maximum 52dB at top Speed 5
- More difficult to move than smaller purifiers
Best HEPA Portable Air Purifiers
Check out our top choices for the best HEPA-equipped purifiers.
1. Pure Enrichment PureZone Air Purifier – Editor’s Pick
Range of Use: up to 200 square feet
Type: HEPA, UV
Noise: 30dB on Low
- Auto-off timer settings for 2-, 4-, and 8-hour intervals
- Extremely portable with a built-in handle
- Low noise output at the lowest setting (50dB at highest)
- You can’t replace one filter at a time (three-piece construction)
- The LED lights do not shut off
- 4-Stage Air Purification: Perfect for medium to large rooms of up to 300 sq. ft.*, safely clean your home, bedroom, living room, nursery, or office air from dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke, and household odors. Stage 1: Washable Pre-Filter, Stage 2: Activated Carbon Filter; Stage 3: H13 True HEPA filter; Stage 4: UV-C Light
- Deep Clean Your Air: The powerful, True HEPA filter with the built-in UV-C light adds a deeper level of cleanliness. Captures 99.97% of dust and allergens, and eliminates up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. (Staphylococcus albus (95.8%), Escherichia coli (96.6%), Aspergillus niger (88.2%), H1N1 (99.9%) independent testing)
- 3 Fan Speeds & Quiet Operation: Use the easy touch-button control panel to find your optimal fan setting with low, medium, and high options. With a soothing white noise level at just 30dB, it’s quiet enough to sanitize while you sleep.
2. Germ Guardian True HEPA Filter Air Purifier
Range of Use: up to 167 square feet
Type: HEPA, UV
Noise: Low
- Combination of HEPA filter and UV light helps kill germs
- Energy Star certified and carb compliant
- AHAM verified for CADR calculations
- Charcoal helps reduce odors
- Only the lowest speed is “quiet”
- Filters are not washable/reusable
- HEPA Filter Air Purifier: Equipped with a protective True HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, this large room air purifier efficiently captures 99.97% of particles as small as 0.1 microns, trapping allergens like dust, pollen, and pet dander
- A Breath of Fresh Air: A must-have air cleaner for homes, apartments, offices, and dorms, this zero-ozone-certified GermGuardian air purifier uses Ultraviolet - C (UV-C) tech to reduce airborne contaminants, so you can enjoy cleaner, fresher air
- Home-Focused Filtration: An ideal air purifier for bedrooms and living spaces, this powerful home air purifier circulates and filters the air in small (153 sq. ft.) rooms 4.8x per hour and in large (743 sq. ft.) rooms every hour
Best Air Purifiers for Severe Allergies
For allergy sufferers, a robust filtration system is a necessity—here are our top picks.
1. Medify Air Purifier – Editor’s Pick
Range of Use: Up to 2,500 square feet
Type: HEPA, carbon
Noise: About 70dB at highest setting
- Has hidden wheels for easy maneuvering
- Easy to operate touch screen panel
- Filters particles down to .1 microns
- Can get noisy at higher speed settings
- MAXIMUM COVERAGE: Cleans large spaces up to 4,455 sq ft in one hour, 2,228 sq ft in 30 minutes (CADR 1009). Ideal for homes, apartments, bedrooms, living rooms, offices, schools, universities, classrooms, hospitals, restaurants, and other businesses.
- QUALITY TESTED & BACKED: CARB, ETL, and Energy Star certified. Backed by a USA registered Lifetime Warranty. The replacement filter (B07MTQKJ14) lasts 3,000 hours or about 6 months.
2. LEVOIT Vista 200 Air Purifier for Home Allergies
Range of Use: Up to 161 square feet
Type: HEPA, carbon
Noise: 26dB at lowest speed
- Nightlight function that toggles on and off
- Dual filtration and CARB/ETL certified
- Compact size fits anywhere easily
- Is quite loud on the highest setting (52dB)
- AFFORDABLE & EFFECTIVE: Let the Vista 200 Air Purifier meet your needs at an affordable price; Refresh your air using the 3 fan speeds, Sleep Mode, Check Filter Indicator, Display Off Button, and more
- TRAP ALLERGENS: The 3-stage filtration system helps you combat dry throats, nightly congestion, allergies, and asthma
- ULTRA-QUIET: No light, little to no noise, just air purification. Sleep soundly while the air purifier works as quietly as 26dB for light sleepers; Sleep Mode automatically dims display lights and reduces noise levels for uninterrupted rest
3. Blue Pure 211+ Air Purifier
Range of Use: Up to 540 square feet
Type: Fabric, carbon
Noise: 31dB to 56dB
- Three-stage filtration with machine-washable fabric filters
- Customizable color options make it a conversation piece
- Energy-efficient with low draw
- Only three fan settings
- SIMPLE ONE-BUTTON CONTROL: Easily adjust fan as-needed with one button to ensure optimal air quality, including lowering fan speed at night for uninterrupted sleep
- CLEAN AIR IN MINUTES: Blueair's HEPASilent technology, delivers clean air, faster, and much more quietly than traditional HEPA filtration alone; Quickly cleans 540sqft large room in about 12.5 min or up to 2592sqft XL space in 60min, on high
- ONE OF THE QUIESTEST AIR PURIFIERS: Quieter (31 dB) than whisper on low; ENERGY STAR rated - uses less energy (30W) than an incandescent lightbulb on low
Final Thoughts
Breathing safe and healthy air is crucial whether you’re at home or away from it. With these top picks for budget, premium, HEPA, and severe allergy air purifiers, there’s a system that can help clear your environment and even improve your health. You can start breathing easier by buying now.
Last update on 2024-12-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API