Breathe Easy—We Found the Best Air Purifiers

Welcome to the future, where clean air is a luxury. From pandemics to wildfires, air purifiers have become the gotta-have-it home appliance over the past year and a half. Buildings let in a lot of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and vaporous chemicals. Indoor plastics, furniture, paint, and flooring all off-gas noxious fumes, too. There’s also some evidence that air filters can help clean Covid-causing virus particles from the air. 

Since your home is still your workplace, playground, meditation studio, dine-in restaurant, neighborhood bar, refuge, and movie theater, ensure the air you’re breathing most hours of the day is clean. These are our top air purifiers. We ran them in a New York City apartment; a Long Island apartment; a Dallas-area apartment; and a Portland, Oregon home. We tested them during wildfire season and in living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. All of these purifiers provided significant anecdotal benefits, from stopping persistent coughs to helping us wake up with clearer sinuses and less raspy throats.

Not sure if you need an air purifier or something else? We have a guide to all the different devices that can help you improve your indoor air quality. For more home tips, take a peek at our guides to the Best Robot Vacuums and the Best Mesh Wi-Fi Routers. 

Updated October 2021: We’ve added the Coway Airmega 250, Blueair Pure Fan Auto, and IQ Air HealthPro air purifiers, as well as the Airthings View Plus air quality monitor. We removed older picks that are now out of stock. 

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