However, it has excellent clean air delivery rate (CADR) certifications from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, which in some ways is a more rigorous measurement. (Read more in How we picked.) And it has always delivered exceptional performance in our testing at the 0.3-micron HEPA standard, on both new and old filters. On its medium and comfortably quiet everyday setting, it delivers 3 ACH, keeping the air extremely clean under normal conditions.
The Mila works with multiple filters, some of which contain significant amounts of activated carbon for VOC removal. For particulate removal, all the filters are rated at the European HEPA standards H12 to H14. H13 corresponds to the US HEPA standard, but all are highly effective; the differences between H12 (99.6% removal of fine particles in a single pass) and H14 (99.995%) are so minor that in home usage they make virtually no difference. The higher-rated filters do restrict levoit purifier the airflow somewhat, however, which is why the Mila’s maker recommends them for bedrooms or small living rooms rather than large open spaces. If you simply need to remove particulates from your air in a large space, the Blueair Blue Pure 211+ is easier to live with—it’s quieter, smaller, and better looking, which is why it’s our main pick for large spaces. If you have specific concerns about VOCs, the HM400 is by far the best portable air purifier we’ve ever found.
This model is far more expensive to run, as well, requiring a $70 replacement filter every eight months (versus $50 once a year for the AP-1512HH) on top of its much higher energy consumption. At that fan speed, however, it’s far too loud for anyone to make conversation or watch TV nearby. Having that power available for an emergency situation, such as a nearby wildfire, is nice, but for everyday use you would probably want to run the machine on lower speeds and in a smaller room—350 square feet or so. Our budget pick, the Levoit Core 300, is meant for smaller bedrooms or offices about 200 square feet in size. In our 2020 test, it reduced a heavy load of smoke in our 135-square-foot test space by 97.4% in half an hour on high and 92.6% on medium.
Air purifiers provide both preventative benefits by helping you avoid long-term exposure to dirty air, and by treating ailments such as asthma and allergies. The manufacturer recommends replacing the product’s filters every 6 months. Positive user reviews describe the product as attractive, and buyers appreciate its small size. Negative user reviews found the product ineffective, expensive, and noisy. We updated this guide in April 2023 to ensure all of our recommendations were in stock and correctly priced.
It’s large and visually intrusive, too, consisting of a black tower almost 2 feet tall, 10 inches wide, and 18 inches deep. And it’s fussy to maintain, with three small HEPA filters to replace and a prefilter that you have to Velcro in exactly the right place—otherwise it will prevent the cover from levoit air filter reattaching. This model typically costs only slightly less than our top pick for large spaces, the Blueair Blue Pure 211+, which is a more powerful, more attractive, and quieter machine. TruSens, an air-purifier maker that launched in early 2019, made a splash in earning a RedDot Design Award.