WIRED Tests Dozens of Air Purifiers a Year. Here’s What We Look For (2025)

If I put a container connected its broadside and cannot grasp nan merchandise to assistance it from its box, past that’s nan first strike. WIRED considers accessibility, and this intends handles and wheels connected heavier aerial purifiers. When I reappraisal a unit, I deliberation astir those pinch little precocious assemblage spot moving nan appliances, and whether they'd beryllium capable to maneuver it astir their home. I move aerial purifiers each astir my apartment; I shouldn’t person to crook astatine nan knees to set a purifier's location.

After an aerial purifier is unboxed, it’s clip to brace it pinch its app. Not each nan aerial purifiers WIRED tests person an app, but if 1 does, nan pairing process should not beryllium complicated, nor should it require a batch of time. The champion personification acquisition is erstwhile an aerial purifier has a QR codification that opens nan app and adds nan device. An app pinch a elemental dashboard, chart that corresponds to nan AQI colour codes, and a smart distant is usually each that’s needed, though it’s a prize if nan app gives nan select life expectancy.

I for illustration a elemental powerfulness barroom creation that shows nan percent of select life used. And while aerial purifier models springiness recommendations for erstwhile to switch nan filter, for illustration each six months, aliases erstwhile nan switch select parameter ray glows connected nan appliance, thing thumps nan heads-up of knowing precisely really overmuch select life has been used.

Internal Air Sensors, Lights, and Scores

While immoderate aerial purifiers had soul aerial sensors erstwhile I first started testing successful 2018, nan mostly of existent purifiers we trial now person them. If nan purifier has soul sensors, location is usually an parameter light. Next question: Does nan aerial purifier person an easy-to-see aliases publication parameter ray aliases aerial value scale (AQI) score? If it’s a smart aerial purifier, past nan sensor's readings provender into nan device’s app. And I for illustration an parameter ray that follows nan EPA’s colour codes for nan aerial value index. That intends greenish for bully air, yellowish for moderate, orangish for unhealthy for delicate groups, reddish for unhealthy, purple for very unhealthy, and maroon for hazardous. There are immoderate companies, for illustration Coway, that person their ain return connected nan colour codes, which tin beryllium confusing.

While Coway’s aerial purifiers are consistently WIRED’s top-rated picks, if I could alteration 1 point astir them, it would beryllium their civilization colour scale, wherever bluish intends bully and greenish intends moderate. More and much aerial purifiers are besides displaying their soul sensors' aerial value numbers. Most times, aerial purifiers will show a reference of PM 2.5. If nan soul sensor senses an uptick successful PM 2.5, nan car mode will trigger a higher instrumentality speed, nan parameter ray mightiness show orangish and reddish on pinch nan PM 2.5 number for illustration 100. I should beryllium capable to spot that ray crossed nan room, and nan numbers should beryllium easy to read.

Then location are immoderate models, for illustration those from Shark, that usage their ain scoring system. A people of 100 represents bully aerial connected nan show of Shark's NeverChange, for example, but 100 PM 2.5 would beryllium considered unhealthy.

Noise and Size Matter

I deliberation nan labeling connected aerial purifiers is confusing connected purpose. Often nan quadrate footage listed connected a merchandise is for one aerial speech per hr astatine nan purifier’s highest setting. An aerial speech is really galore times an aerial purifier can cleanable nan aerial of a room successful an hour. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 5 aerial exchanges an hour. If you person a 200-square-foot room, your aerial purifier needs to beryllium capable to propulsion nan aerial of nan room into nan select utilizing nan fan. That aerial runs done nan filter, PM 2.5 and VOCs are captured by nan filter, and nan cleanable aerial is released backmost into nan aerial astatine slightest 5 times successful an hour. Often, WIRED won’t urge aerial purifiers that tin only cleanable unusually mini spaces. And while those tiny tabletop aliases miniature aerial purifiers look for illustration an easy solution, they are usually excessively mini to efficaciously cleanable nan aerial successful an average-size room.

WIRED besides uses a decibel meter to cheque nan manufacturer's decibel claims. Most of nan time, nan decibels are adjacent to those listed connected nan purifier’s personification manual. Sometimes they are louder. What’s excessively loud? The hum of a refrigerator is location betwixt 40 and 50 decibels; a speech is astir 60 decibels. Ideally, an aerial purifier should beryllium capable to cleanable nan aerial successful your room 5 times an hr without sounding for illustration a conversation. And if an aerial purifier is louder—a batch louder—than nan shaper claims, we’ll see that successful our reappraisal aliases won’t urge it.

If an aerial purifier is excessively large astatine its highest instrumentality setting, users are apt to move down that instrumentality velocity to a quieter and little effective setting, rendering nan aerial purifier into thing much than a wellness prop. Another rumor WIRED takes into relationship is erstwhile nan aerial intake overpowers nan outer vents, causing unsightly clumps of pet hairsbreadth to accumulate connected nan extracurricular of nan aerial purifier.