What you need to know: Throughout these tests, one cube-shaped air purifier stood out above the rest. The Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Auto dominated the competition. This medium-sized air purifier will suit rooms up to 550 sq ft. It features an upright cuboid design, with a plastic upper section and a skirt fitted around the base, which acts as a pre-filter and comes in several colors. A HEPASilent filter is included, which uses both a carbon and particle layer. For me, it looked like a futuristic robot, which has a quality appearance compared to the competition. There are three fan speeds on offer as well as an auto function, plus a night mode is included for dimming the lights. The Blueair Blue Pure 411 Auto offers a small and effective design, measuring 16.7 x 7.9 x 7.9 inches while suiting rooms up to 190 sq ft. It has a neat and pleasing appearance — looking somewhat like a large battery with a fitted pre-filter skirt and a single button on top. There’s a range of pre-filter colors available, including pink, blue and green, so this could easily suit a kid’s bedroom. Size and portability is one of the 10 things you need to know before buying an air purifier. However, the AP300 will continue working in the dark—just not produce distracting light that can interfere with your beauty sleep. Instant Air Purifier AP300 Cylindrical 360° Design Blueair’s HealthProtect 7470i has all the technological bells and whistles anyone could ever want, including smart connectivity and extensive data on the air quality. It also provides an impressive performance when it comes to air purification, and is quiet in use, making it ideal for those who need to concentrate. However, for all of this it’s quite an expensive and heavy device. Although there haven’t been any specific air purifiers tested against the Covid-19virus, the CDC recommends most top-rated air purifiers have efficient filters capable of capturing pesky, particles similar to coronavirus, and “can help prevent virus particlesfrom accumulating in the air in your home”. Where is the best place to put an air purifier in your room?

ULTRA QUIET: Ultra Quiet-operation in Low Setting means undisturbed sleep and waking up with clean fresh air. Ease of use: With one button to control everything, ease of use couldn’t be more obvious. Although you will have to cycle through if you miss a setting, which I found a bit tedious. I found that it tipped over easily when programming with too much pressure too, which could be a nuisance on carpet. The filters are easy to switch out when needed though. Purified air is then shot upward and distributed to all four corners of a room, spreading fresh, breathable air everywhere. Instant Air Purifier AP300 Verdict; Compact, Heavy-Duty, Smart—A Must Have! Eco mode cycles the fan on and off every 10 minutes, if air quality is detected as good for 30 minutes, allowing 50% energy reduction (Energy Star certified) Some devices have HEPA-type filters, which work similarly but aren't held to the same performance standards. The IQAir HealthPro Plus uses a HyperHEPA filter, which is believed to capture even smaller particles than a True HEPA filter.

Optional Plasma Ionizer

Some devices have additional filters, like carbon or charcoal filters, that trap the petroleum-based gases known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Carbon filters also act as natural deodorizers, which makes them suited for the kitchen, too. If you’re thinking about buying an air purifier, bear in mind that this does mean it will be on open display in your room. You might want to opt for a design which is aesthetically pleasing or matches your décor as a consequence. For instance, you can replace the color of the exterior skirt on the Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Auto to suit your taste. Don’t buy a design that’s bigger than necessary for the same reason. If it’s only a small room, you don’t want a chunky design out in the open, taking up valuable space. While looks are important, don’t forget that performance always comes first, which is where our tests can help. There’s no point in buying an attractive air purifier if it makes little difference to the quality of the air. Should I get a smart air purifier? Dust, pollen, smoke removal is how well a model cleared air of fine clay dust and cigarette smoke when operating at a low speed that was typically one setting above the lowest speed. Many models have multiple speeds and the lowest is not as effective at cleaning the air. A model that scores well for dust removal should perform comparably for pollen. True HEPA-13 filter captures 99.97% of dust, dander, pollen, allergens and other ultrafine impurities in the air Advanced 3-in-1 filtration system: HEPA-13 filter captures 99.97% of dust, dander, pollen, allergens and other ultrafine impurities in the air; carbon layer in the filter helps reduce odours; antimicrobial coating prevents bacterial growth on the filter and protects it against degradation.

Air purifiers will naturally make some noise as they work. This can’t be avoided as a fan needs to run to rotate the air. Some may think of this as a real nuisance, particularly if they’re intending to sleep through it at night. But, some models do run more quietly than others, as our tests prove, and you can also opt for an air purifier which features a night mode to lower the fan speed and reduce the lighting on the appliance. Performance:A truly powerful device, the HPA300 scored second to the Blueair Blue Pure 211+ auto on the CADR test. With an average CADR score of 300, 320 and 300, it performed slightly better on dust versus pollen and smoke and would suit rooms of up to 465 sq ft. However, that performance comes at a price, because it consumed more energy than any other air purifier I tested, at 1.002 kWh over 24 hours, and it was on the noisier end of the spectrum, producing 59.6 dB on its loudest setting. The Blueair HealthProtect 7470i produced just 48dB on its highest fan speed by comparison. Ease of use: This air purifier is very straightforward to use, made all the easier by the useful remote control. I didn’t even have to refer to the manual during testing. The filters just snap into place when they require replacing as well. For Living Room / Large Rooms: Cleans up to 36 sqm 5x per hour or up to 180 sqm 1x per hour as certified by the Association of Household Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) Before settling on a particular air purifier model, it’s important to know how far the device can reach. According to Instant, the same brand that brings you top-quality slow cookers, the AP300 has a maximum reach (1 air change per hour) of 1,850 square feet, making it the perfect purifying device for home offices, small businesses, and dorm rooms.We then conducted a home test separately to compare the design and ease of use of each air purifier in a real world environment. For energy, we hooked up each device to an electricity usage monitor and ran it for a full 24 hours. To figure out the noise output, we used a decibel meter and ran the purifiers at a set distance of three feet away on both the lowest and highest possible fan settings. We also took an ambient room reading to make sure that the fan noise was not being overpowered by the outside world. Some features are more nice-to-have extras than absolute requirements. In general, pricier purifiers come with more features, such as filter indicator lights, dimmable lights and programmable timers.