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Finally, and repeatedly, so does the Air Pro’s cost—something that alone would lead us to dismiss it, even if it performed beautifully in every way. It typically retails for $1,000, and replacement filters (“average use 6 months” per the Molekule site) are $160. If you kept up with that cycle, you’d spend $1,440 on replacement filters over the course of five years. Add the cost of electricity and the purchase price and you’d spend well over $2,500 on a machine that performs no better on particulate pollution than the inexpensive HEPA air purifiers we recommend.
Due to the below average performance and potential health risks, Consumer Reports has advised against using ozone producing air purifiers. IQAir, the educational partner of the American Lung Association, has been a leading industry voice against ozone-producing air cleaning technology. As with other health-related appliances, there is controversy surrounding the claims of certain companies, especially involving ionic air purifiers. Many air purifiers generate some ozone, an energetic allotrope of three oxygen atoms, and in the presence of humidity, small amounts of NOx.
Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. While different people will find different levels of noise more or less tolerable, we measured how loud each machine is using a decibel reader. When set to high, the Core 300 produced 60 decibels, making it one of the louder machines we tested. It’s completely perforated around the outside to pull air in from any direction.
Two other important factors to consider are the length that the filters are expected to last and the noise produced by the various settings that the purifier runs on. However, real-life testing of portable HEPA/UV air filters in COVID-19 wards in hospital demonstrated complete elimination of air-borne SARS-CoV-2. Aside from its quiet operation, this purifier also has smart capabilities with a user-friendly app that connects to Wi-Fi to control the purifier. The app has the same capabilities as the magnetized remote that comes with the purifier and tracks the room’s air quality over time. The top of this purifier also oscillates to evenly move air and clean it while the unit is in use.
Our tester did note that while the VOC filtration system was effective, the indicator light was confusing to understand between the cleaning stages. This purifier is also one of the most expensive models we tested, but our levoit air filter tester noted that its quick purifying process and attractive design made it worth the higher price tag. This purifier boasts quiet operation even as it cleans the air in a room up to 1,100 square feet every 30 minutes.
With noise levels around 25dB, this air purifier is quiet enough for light sleepers or for little ones sleeping in a nursery. To give you an idea of the amount of noise you can expect, a whisper is around 30dB, and a refrigerator hum is about 60dB, according to the CDC. Additionally, users can select from four fan speeds and two night light brightness settings to further manage their sleep environment. If pitch black is your preferred light level for a good night’s sleep, you can also press and hold the lightbulb icon to turn the light off. To properly make selections for this list, The Spruce tested 38 different air purifiers inThe Labin Des Moines, Iowa, evaluating each unit’s effectiveness, noise levels, ease of setup, design, features, and value. We tested the air purifiers over two days and used data and hands-on, practical experiences from our tests to provide numerical ratings for each air purifier’s qualities.
“While these filters also need to be replaced, they are generally easier to replace than HVAC filters, and their replacement helps ensure maximum effectiveness.” If you need an air purifier the size of a box of tissues, this is technically a product that will clean your air. The housing and controls are designed well, and you can turn off the blue light if you run it after dark.
The LV-Pur series comes with a honeycomb-shaped activated carbon filter. Levoit explains this filter can drive out odors 30% more quickly and 30% more efficiently than their standard air purifier filter. This model comes with a special pet allergy filter that breaks down dust and dander.