Welcome to the future, where clean air is a luxury. From pandemics to wildfires, air purifiers have become the gotta-have-it home appliance. Buildings let in a lot of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and vaporous chemicals. Indoor plastics, furniture, paint, and flooring off-gas noxious fumes too. There’s also evidence that air filters can help clean Covid-causing virus particles from the air.
Since your home might be your workplace, playground, meditation studio, dine-in restaurant, neighborhood bar, refuge, and movie theater, you want to ensure that the air you’re breathing for most 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 and allergy symptoms, 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 other guides, including the Best Robot Vacuums and the Best Mesh Wi-Fi Routers.
Updated May 2022: We’ve added the Bissell Air320 Max and Aura Air, and removed the Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool, as it’s been discontinued.
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