The best smart air purifiers for allergy season

The best smart air purifier is the Levoit Vital 200s since it combines all the best features for improved air quality at a great price. It features an H13 True HEPA filter as part of its three-stage filtration system, can filter the air in a standard bedroom (up to 380 square feet) in only 12 minutes, and is quiet enough to stay on all night while you sleep. This smart air purifier is a breeze to set up, and the mobile app by VeSync is also quite easy to navigate. 

However, different preferences for price, coverage area, and noise level can affect which best air purifier is ideal for your situation. Here's how the best air purifiers stack up:

Choosing the right air purifier for you will depend on what your needs and priorities are, along with your budget. You may prefer a fashionable option or a quiet one, or you may not care what it looks like, just how well it does, or where you can install it. Either way, there's a choice out there for your needs. 

In addition, sound can be an important factor. If you plan on running an air purifier in a bedroom, one with variable fan speeds and a low-decibel sleep mode can make it more convenient to operate at all hours.

To choose the best air purifiers from the hundreds on the market, I looked at several important factors. Air change per hour (ACH) is one measure to check, as it determines how many times the air purifier can filter the air in a room in one hour. 

I also considered how powerful the best air purifiers are, especially to determine what room size they're better suited for. Many air purifiers, like the Levoit models, can clean almost any room, and they'll just take longer to finish the work for larger rooms. Other more compact options, like the Toshiba air purifier or the LG PuriCare Mini, don't have the most powerful motors, so they're more efficient in smaller spaces. 

Besides size and ACH, the incorporation of HEPA filters was an important deciding factor. Short for high-efficiency particulate air, it's a pleated mechanical air filter that can remove airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns. This covers 99.97% of the particles found in the air, including pollen, mold, dust, and bacteria. 

Other factors I took into account include design, price, personal experience, and customer reviews. 

While air purifiers cannot get rid of all the dust on the surfaces of your home, with frequent use, they can reduce the dust in the air and you may notice dust less often. As a result, they can help prevent or reduce dust allergies. 

In addition to air purifiers, using your vacuum cleaner at least once per week can help you remove dust from your home, especially if you have pets.

With flu season in full swing and society on the tail-end of a global pandemic, the demand for air purifiers has gone up. But do they actually work to stop the spread of viruses?

According to peer-reviewed medical studies, HEPA-filtered air cleaners can remove over 99.97% of airborne virus particles, especially when combined with other measures, even in school environments. Though it can help, the use of air purifiers alone isn't enough to stop the spread of illnesses like COVID-19, as they focus on removing potentially infectious aerosol particles from the air. Other measures, like masking and social distancing, must be followed in conjunction with air cleaners to make them effective at preventing the spread of illnesses.

When shopping for an air purifier, keep in mind where you'll be using it. There isn't a plug-in air purifier that can clean the air inside an entire household (unless it's a small living space) -- so it's best to isolate areas, such as a bedroom, kitchen, or living room. 

Once you know the size of the room you're working with, you can select an air purifier capable of efficiently circulating and cleaning the air in a room that size. A tabletop model is best for small spaces like a nursery or bathroom. A floor model can handle larger areas and may be portable enough to be moved from one room to another. 

A HEPA filter is short for high-efficiency particulate air filter. It's the finest type of filtration, able to capture particles as small as 0.3 microns. This includes bacteria, mold spores, pollen, dust, and nearly 99.97% of airborne particles.

HEPA filters are commonly used in the medical field due to the powerful filtration they offer. Activated carbon filters are also common in air purifiers and are effective at removing odors from the air.

An important consideration for air purifiers is filter replacement. Some models require regular replacements of expensive filters, which could end up costing you hundreds of dollars per year. 

Before you purchase a model, look into what type of replacement filters you'll need, how much they cost, and if you can afford to replace them as required. Otherwise, choosing not to replace filters as recommended could reduce the air purifier's efficiency. After all, they are capturing and trapping harmful particles, such as mold spores and bacteria. 

Some air purifiers feature washable filters, which make maintenance easier. However, the most effective air purifiers include HEPA filtration and carbon filters, which need to be replaced. You can find the manufacturer's requirements in the manual.

Some modern purifiers have an indicator light that warns you when it's time to replace the filters. As a rule of thumb, plan on replacing carbon air filters every three months, and other filters every six months. 

To determine the best air purifier based on the size of the room or area you're hoping to clean, look at a purifier's ACH rate and recommended room size. Most air purifiers will list the rate they circulate the entire volume of the room per hour by square footage.

And if you have an oddly shaped room, you might consider placing two smaller air purifiers to maximize air circulation. 

We chose air purifiers for both small and large rooms. However, if these options don't work for your needs, here are a few other choices to consider: