5 Best Air Purifiers That Filter Dust, Pollen, and Viruses from the Air
Clear the air of dust, allergens, and viruses (including Covid-19)!
Do you have a pet you adore, but who makes your eyes puff up? Does dust seem to constantly settle on the surfaces around your home, making you sneeze? Do you live in an area affected by wildfires and worry about the air quality in your home? And perhaps most importantly these days, are you concerned about viruses, including Covid-19, circulating in the air? Good news! Having one of the best air purifiers running in your home can help ease your mind — and stop you from sneezing, too.
The best air purifiers filter pollen, pet dander, dust, viruses, and other pollutants out of the air, so you can breathe easy (and dust less often!). Homes and offices that run air purifiers smell better and fresher than spaces that don’t use any type of air filtration, which is just one of the reasons why these machines have long been popular. (Indoor plants make great, low-tech air purifiers as well!)
However, there are a couple of other, more urgent reasons that the best air purifiers have been flying off shelves lately. One is the wildfires that have been raging across the western United States, and the other is the mounting evidence that air purifiers can be an effective tool to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
Can the best air purifiers help protect against Covid-19?
We’ve probably all seen the illustrations showing how far a cloud of droplets spreads after someone sneezes, and how long they linger in the air. That’s why the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that we wear face coverings to help protect ourselves and others from the coronavirus.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that, “By themselves, portable air cleaners and HVAC filters are not enough to protect people from the virus that causes Covid-19.” However, they go on to say that, “When used along with other best practices recommended by CDC and others, filtration can be part of a plan to protect people indoors.”
In fact, there is mounting evidence that air filtration and top-of-the-line air purifiers can make a difference in the transmission of Covid-19 indoors. And since there are plenty of other benefits to having an air purifier in your home, why not invest in the best one you can afford?
Whether you’re looking for an air purifier to help protect against Covid-19, or an air purifier to bring you relief from allergies, there’s one that’s perfect for your needs. Keep scrolling to shop our picks for the best air purifiers that help protect against Covid-19 and other viruses, dust, and other allergens.
What are the best air purifiers?
Molekule Air Pro
best air purifier for Covid-19
Buy on Molekule (now available for preorder, $1199)
Why we like it:
- Patented PECO technology destroys airborne viruses, bacteria, mold, allergens, and chemicals
- Designed for larger spaces, up to 1,000 square feet
- Woman-founded, owned, and operated company
If you’re serious about leveraging the benefits of air filtration to help protect against Covid-19, check out the brand new Molekule Air Pro (now available for preorder and shipping November 1, 2020). It’s a professional-grade air filter that’s designed to work in large commercial spaces up to 1,000 square feet — but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it at home.
What sets this unit apart is that, rather than using HEPA filtration (the standard for most consumer air purifiers), which simply captures viruses, mold, and other airborne troublemakers, it uses patented PECO nanotechnology (that’s Photo Electrochemical Oxidation) to actually destroy those pollutants.
With its anodized aluminum housing and vegan leather handle, this air purifier won’t be an eyesore, either. It’s a stylish piece that can also put your mind at ease about the air you breathe.
We also love that Molekule was co-founded by a woman, Jaya Rao, and is woman-owned and operated. The company is donating air purifiers to schools, businesses, and people in need during the twin crises of the Covid-19 pandemic and the wildfires raging across California and the Pacific Northwest. (The Woman’s World review unit was donated to my daughter’s high school in New York City, along with a six-month supply of air filters.)
Dyson Pure Cool TP04 Purifying Fan
Best air purifier for allergies
Buy on Dyson ($499.99, originally $549.99)
Why we like it:
- Combined activated carbon and HEPA filters capture 99.97 percent of airborne allergens and pollutants
- Adjusts to flow backward or forward, depending whether you want a cooling fan effect or not
- Automatically detects air quality and exports data to the Dyson Link app so you can monitor
If you suffer from seasonal allergies or sensitivity to mold, pollen, and other indoor allergens, the Dyson Pure Cool tower air purifier will be your new best friend. This sleek machine, which is touted as “the only purifying tower fan to clean a whole room properly,” filters out 99.97 percent of microscopic allergens and pollutants that otherwise might have you sneezing, sniffling, and rubbing your itchy eyes.
This best-selling air purifier can be used as a fan to cool your space — an adjustable oscillation angle projects purified air around the whole room from 45 to 350 degrees — or you can direct the airflow backward when you don’t want to feel a breeze.
“I have allergies and have experienced sinus and chest congestion for years. I didn’t know how congested I was until I plugged my TP04 in and within a matter of a couple of hours experienced a relief in sinus pressure and sneezing due to the bad air quality in my home. I enjoy the ability to monitor the air quality from my iPhone after down loading the Dyson Link app.”
Molekule Air Mini
best air purifier for viruses
<br>Why we like it:
- Smaller, more affordable version of the Molekule Air Pro
- Destroys viruses and other allergens, rather than just capturing them
- Ideal for smaller bedrooms and offices
If you love the idea of the Molekule Air Pro, but don’t have a large space (or a large budget), the Molekule Air Mini might be just the thing for you. Like the Air Pro, the Mini uses Photo Electrochemical Oxidation (PECO) nanotechnology to destroy viruses, allergens, bacteria, and mold — but it’s designed to be used in a smaller space, like a bedroom or home office. It’s got five speeds to choose from, is portable enough to carry with you from room to room (or bring with you on the road and use in your hotel room), and connects to WiFi so you can control it with your smartphone.
“Recovering from a season full of illness and entering allergy season, Molekule has freshened my home and helped my family be more comfortable as flowers bloom. Not only that, it removed a weird smell coming from a room one day when I turned it on. It’s easy to move around and sleek, as to not disturb the aesthetic of our home. Love it!”
Dyson Pure Cool DP04 Purifying Fan
best air purifier for pets
Buy on Dyson ($399.99, originally $469.99)
Why we like it:
- Cools the room with optional oscillating action, or purifies air without a breeze — it’s your choice
- Compact, perfect for a desktop
- Connects to the Dyson Link app to give you real-time data about your air quality
Like the Dyson Pure Cool tower, this desktop Pure Cool air purifier uses HEPA filtration to clean the air of up to 99.97 percent of pollutants. If you have pets, this is a great one to put on your desk or near your work space. It will keep dander out of the crevices in your electronics, and help you breathe easy while you work. Also like the other products in the Pure Cool air purifier line, it comes with a magnetic remote control that sticks to the top of the fan, so you won’t lose it, and a smart screen that shows you what the machine is filtering out of the air, and delivers that information to the Dyson Link app on your smartphone. If you’re looking for a compact, high-tech air purifier at a reasonable price, this is the one — especially if you have furry friends in your life.
“I have a household with three cats, and after we got the cats we found out my husband and two children were allergic to cats, so we have HEPA filters all over the house. This purifier is by far the most intelligent filter we have (and we also have the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Link Purifier). It automatically detects when there are a lot of pollutants in the air, turns on, and filters accordingly. The display is a nice feature so I can tell when the air quality is poor in the room. I am always cold, so I love the fact that there is an option to switch the air flow to avoid cooling the room even more.”
Levoit Air Purifier
best air purifier for dust
Why we like it:
- Affordable and effective
- 3 fan speeds
- Timer lets you turn it to “sleep mode” which is nearly silent
How often do you have to dust your home? If you live in a city or an older home, the answer is likely, “constantly.” No matter how often and how thoroughly you clean, that layer of dust builds up again all too quickly. But there’s another way to tackle your dust woes, besides breaking out the can of Pledge and microfiber cloth on a regular basis. An air purifier can significantly reduce the amount of dust in the air — and therefore, the amount of dust that settles on your bookshelves, picture frames, and windowsills. This Levoit air purifier, besides being the most affordable of our roundup, is also a workhorse when it comes to cleaning the air and keeping your home free of dust and other allergens. With three fan speeds a filter that’s easy to change, and a timer that allows you to set a “sleep mode” that’s whisper-quiet, this no-frills air purifier gets the job done for less.
“I live in an older house that was built in the 1960s, and dust is a big problem. It gets everywhere, I vacuum my bedroom several times a week, but there’s just no getting ahead of it. Every 24 hours, every tabletop is covered in a thin layer of dust, even though the windows and door are closed almost all day and night. … This is the first air purifier that actually makes a marked difference in terms of dealing with the dust that plagues me so. Unlike [other air] purifiers, I can actually see the dust being sucked in through the device and into the filter, which is very satisfying. On top of being extremely effective, this air purifier is far more compact and attractive than any other I’ve owned.”
