How to Clean an Air Purifier in 4 Easy Steps

Coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and Aspergillus niger mold on the filter after 60 minutes on high speed 4. The price for this product is set by the individual retailers and varies among them. Each retailer has a pricing policy that can be found on that retailer’s page. Please click on each retailer to see that retailer’s price for this product.

Along with its high upfront cost, the Air Mini+ is also expensive to maintain, requiring a $90 replacement filter every six months. As with its larger sibling, we do not recommend the Molekule Air Mini+. 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, levoit purifier 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.

Those figures slightly topped the results from our current large-space pick, the Blueair Blue Pure 211+, which came in at 99.3% and 99.2% on new filters and 99.3% and 98.4% on filters that had been run 24/7 for eight months. The two machines are similarly quiet, with the Airmega 400 registering 40 decibels on its quiet/high-medium setting and the Blue Pure 211+ measuring at 43 decibels on medium. But the Blue Pure 211+ comes out on top on cost, as it typically sells for $300 versus the Airmega 400’s usual price of $500.

After a full hour, there were only .003% of measurable particulates left. Simply remove the plastic covering from the filter, reinsert and switch on using the power icon button on the top of the unit. Two more buttons allow you to control levoit purifier the fan speed and the nightlight, while a ‘Check filter’ indicator button lights up when the filter needs replacing. The simple controls are easy to use and operate, making this a good entry-level air purifier for the home.

Key to this form of sterilization is the placement of the UV lamps and a good filtration system to remove the dead micro-organisms. For example, forced air systems by design impede line-of-sight, thus creating areas of the environment that will be shaded from the UV light. However, a UV lamp placed at the coils and drain pan of the cooling system will keep micro-organisms from forming in these naturally damp places. The most effective method for treating the air rather than the coils is in-line duct systems, these systems are placed in the center of the duct and parallel to the airflow. Keep in mind that even the largest model only has a coverage area of 500 feet.

The dual air intake design also ensures that this purifier is cleaning and filtering your home’s air as fast as possible. Our testers noted that the app compatible with this purifier was difficult to set up and more rudimentary compared to other purifiers we tested in The Lab. Refresh the air of your home with LEVOIT Personal HEPA Air Purifier Replacement Filter. The sturdy materials let this replacement filter last longer, but the prefilter should be replaced every two to three months, while the HEPA and activated carbon filters should be replaced every six to eight months. These replacement filters can help reduce odors as well, so you and your furry friends can enjoy fresh, fine scented air.

All that said, unless you need to clean an especially large space, the even quieter, smaller, and much more affordable Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty is a better choice. Within 30 minutes, the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty reduced heavy smoke pollution in a 135-square-foot, 1,215-cubic-foot New York office by as much as 99.6%. In past tests, it performed equally well in a 200-square-foot, 1,600-cubic-foot New York bedroom. It’s a great value at an up-front price often lower than $200, and its energy efficiency and only-once-a-year filter replacement keep its running costs lower than those of many competitors. The AP-1512HH’s compact form, quiet operation, and ability to shut off its display lights make it especially well suited to bedrooms.

In 2018, Tim also tested purifiers in Wirecutter’s Los Angeles office, attempting to simulate wildfire conditions. However, in the US air purifiers cannot be marketed as medical devices. That’s because it is exceptionally difficult to disentangle the known air-quality impacts listed above from other environmental and genetic factors that influence health. John Holecek, who co-wrote and performed testing for previous versions of this guide, holds a master’s degree in earth science, with a focus on climate, aerosols, and analytical chemistry.

While the design lacks any smart features, our tester said that this purifier was easy to operate because it has just one button to switch between its three settings. Air purifiers may be rated on a variety of factors, including Clean Air Delivery Rate ; efficient area coverage; air changes per hour; energy usage; and the cost of the replacement filters. 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. Filter HVAC at MERV 14 or above are rated to remove airborne particles of 0.3 micrometers or larger. A high-efficiency MERV 14 filter has a capture rate of at least 75% for particles between 0.3 and 1.0 micrometers. Although the capture rate of a MERV filter is lower than that of a HEPA filter, a central air system can move significantly more air in the same period of time.

levoit filter

Others have replaceable air purifiers that should be swapped out every few months. Your air purifier may have a special light to tell you when it’s time to replace the filter; otherwise, keep an eye on it after three months of use. The installed carbon filter removes odors from the air, and the UV light eliminates mold, bacteria, and viruses. The slim design on this purifier is great for smaller spaces and can easily be stored out of the way in your home.