To stay focused and concentrate on your studies, you must breathe fresh air and instill good circulation, and that’s why a dorm room air purifier is an essential asset for college students. If you’re looking for the best air purifier for dorm rooms, check out this list I’ve tailored for you.
Best Air Purifier for Dorm Room
- Germ Guardian AC4825E
- PARTU HEPA
- Hamilton Beach 04384
- Germ Guardian GG1000
- TaoTronics TT-AP001
- Dyson Pure Cool Link TP02
The 6 Best Air Purifier for Dorm Rooms in 2021
1. Germ Guardian AC4825E
If you’re looking for an excellent dorm purifier that suits a small room size of no more than 167 square feet, the Germ Guardian AC4825 should be your choice with its slim, vertical design.
It’s equipped with a true HEPA filter and a pre-filter that can clear dorm room odors, both of which reduce air pollution and enhance air quality, minimizing factors that contribute to asthma or allergies like pollen, mold spores, dust mites, allergens, pet dander, and more.
Moreover, its UV-C feature works with titanium oxide to completely eliminate germs and microbes and clean the air. It also gives it a nice, blue glow when it’s turned on, which gives it a nice look.
What’s truly impressive about it is that it comes with a performance of 100+ CADR, which makes up for the fact that it doesn’t come with plenty of bells and whistles.
It has a 3-speed fan with seamless rotary control and LEDs that blink when it's time for a filter replacement. You won't have to go through the process a lot, and you can find third-party options that provide budget choices, which is excellent for college students trying to save on cash.
Pros:
- 3-speed fan
- Great value for money
- Excellent purification process
- Quiet operation for purifying indoor air
- UV-C feature for killing microbes and germs
- Reminder for filter replacement
- Dim LEDs when powered on
Cons:
- Lacks auto-off feature and auto-sensing modes
- Filter cannot be washed or reused
2. PARTU HEPA
If you have a pet in your dorm room, the PARTU air purifier would be the best dorm room air purifier you can get.
Firstly, it comes with a three-stage filtration for the purification cycle, relying on a pre-filter, a true HEPA filter, and an activated carbon one, enabling it to get rid of any pet dander, dust, pollen odors, smoke, and anything as small as 0.3 microns in size or PM 2.5 air pollution. And the best part is that it’s completely ozone-free and approved by CARB, ETL, and FCC.
Secondly, it comes with a lockset. By pressing the lock button for three seconds, you activate it, and it stops touch mode. You can also control the fan settings and adjust it to whichever of the three you want.
Moreover, a sponge is located below the air purifier outlet. You can add drops of essential oil and water to get a fragrance to flow into the room while enhancing air quality.
This dorm air purifier suits spaces of 107 square feet or less, with a noise level that ranges between 38 and 59 dB, which is good enough. You’ll need to change the filters once every 3 to 6 months, but the replacements aren’t pricey.
Pros:
- Very effective at getting rid of pet dander and dust mite waste
- Affordable replacement filters
- Excellent for pet owners
Cons:
- Needs some time to clean the air
- Might get noisy after a while of use
3. Hamilton Beach 04384
If you’re a college student on a budget -who isn’t- then the Hamilton Beach 04384 is just the dorm air purifier you’re looking for.
It comes with a 3-stage air purification process, and its HEPA grade filter does a good job of capturing most particles from the air. However, it's worth noting that it's not a true HEPA filter, so it's not the ideal choice for pet dander or particles smaller than 0.3 microns in size.
What’s more, the Hamilton Beach 04384 comes with two activated carbon zeolite filters that minimize dorm room odors and smoke around a room of 140 square feet. And though it’s pretty noisy at its highest setting, it’s generally a quiet air purifier that’ll keep your dorm room quiet during the night.
Moreover, the Hamilton Beach 04384 is quite easy to clean as its permanent HEPA filter can be vacuumed. It’s worth noting that you don’t have to buy replacement filters is very cost-efficient, making it ideal for college students.
Pros:
- Compact and versatile
- 3-stage air purification system
- Affordable price
Cons:
- Doesn’t have a true HEPA filter
- Lacks indicators for filter replacements
- The highest setting can be very noisy
4. Germ Guardian GG1000
As a college student, space is of the essence, and that’s why the Germ Guardian GG1000 is the best air purifier for dorm room if you’re tight on space. This air purifier is super compact and comes at a smaller size than pretty much any other dorm air purifier.
This is a 7-inch pluggable purifier for the dorm room, reducing any germs or odors resulting from cooking fumes, pets, or bacteria. You can fit it on a counter in the kitchen, bathroom, or a room size of 56 square feet.
What's more, this air purifier uses UV-C light to enhance air quality by killing staph, rhinovirus, influenza viruses, and it could also reduce the spread of the current Covid-19. With the help of Titanium Dioxide, it also reduces VOCs' presence (volatile organic compounds.)
The filter with the GermGuardian GG1000 is a permanent one, so it wouldn't have replacement costs except for the UV-C light bulb every 10 to 12 months. Also, the unit comes with a year's warranty, so you can rest assured that you'll get a reliable air cleaner for your college dorm.
Pros:
- Very compact design
- Quiet operation
- Reasonable price
- No filter replacements needed
Cons:
- Not a true HEPA filter
- Reduces smells but doesn’t deodorize
5. TaoTronics TT-AP001
If you’re looking for a dorm air purifier specifically designed for small areas and indoor air purifiers, the TaoTronics TT-AP001 is one of the best devices you can get for your dorm room.
It’s quite compact yet effective thanks to the 360-degree aerodynamic filtration it has to offer. On the inside, it’s equipped with a pre-filter, a true HEPA filter, and an activated carbon filter, which means that it’ll eliminate particles as small as 0.3 microns and eliminate any odors from the air in a room of around 161 square feet in size.
What’s more, it’s equipped with a reliable fan with four speed settings: low, medium, high, and turbo. The lowest one operates almost silently for a good night’s sleep, and there’s a blue night with three different brightness settings that you can adjust to your preference - it’s an ideal dorm room air purifier.
However, to get it working, you might have to put as much time into studying the instructions as you would for your college essay.
Pros:
- 360-degree aerodynamic filtration
- Fan comes with four speed settings
- Quiet operation
- Three brightness settings (night light)
Cons:
- Not the most powerful
- Instructions aren’t very helpful
6. Dyson Pure Cool Link TP02
If you’re looking for an incredibly versatile dorm air purifier, the Dyson Pure Cool Link TP02 would be an excellent choice. This air purifier comes with dual functionality, acting as an air purifier all-year long and as a cooling fan in the summer.
This HEPA air purifier is able to remove 99.97% of pollutants and allergens from the air, going as small as 0.3 microns. With this dorm air purifier, you can be sure that there will be no mold spores, bacteria, dander, pollen, or dust.
Moreover, there’s an activated carbon filter that works on capturing all VOCs and odors that could increase the symptoms of asthma or allergies.
Not to mention, it comes with the ability to monitor air and react accordingly, showing you real-time air quality reports around your dorm rooms. And the most impressive part is that it works with Alexa, though you’d have to buy the Echo Dot Smart Speaker to set it up. You can also use your smartphone’s standard data to control the machine remotely!
Finally, coming with a night time mode and sleep timer, the Dyson TP02 is an ideal dorm air purifier.
Pros:
- Incredibly high airflow
- Excellent performance
- Incredible value for the price
Cons:
- Basic digital display
- Takes up a lot of vertical room at 40 inches
Choosing an Air Purifier for Dorm Room
When looking for an air purifier, there are many things that you have to consider, but there are some aspects to focus on if you’re looking for a dorm air purifier. In this section, we’ll go over the most important ones: the activated carbon filter, a fan with a sleep mode, and a coverage area that isn’t too large, like the best HEPA air purifier for large rooms.
Carbon Use
A carbon filter is an important feature to have with an air purifier for dorm rooms, as this is the one responsible for eliminating odors and not the HEPA filter or the pre-filter. This is an essential aspect because dorm rooms can get crammed and therefore retain unpleasant smells.
Most filters use activated carbon filters to remove chemicals and purify the air effectively. Still, you must remember that those can be a little detectable if you're sensitive to them.
HEPA Filters
A HEPA filter is important, though not essential, regarding air purifiers for dorm rooms. They're responsible for trapping 99.97% of airborne particles, and that's why they're sought out when students want to get rid of mold spores, bacteria, dander, pollen, and others. However, they're not as effective as carbon filters when trapping VOCs.
Fan
The fan speeds and motors would be a solid indicator for you regarding how effective your air purifier is. The fan must be reliable and robust as it’s responsible for the tough job of sucking the air from the room and pushing it back repeatedly throughout the day.
Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) and Air Changes per Hour (ACH)
The clean air delivery rate is a measurement of your air purifier's purification power, and it should be a number that's ⅔ of the area of the room in which it'll be placed. So, if you want your air purifier to cover 90 square feet, you want a unit with 60 CADR.
Moreover, the air changes per hour refer to the regularity in which you'll be getting clean air. That's why you want the number to be around 4 or 5, but it's not advisable to go for lower than that.
Maintenance
As a college student, you don’t have much time and inclination to provide dorm room air purifiers with maintenance, which is why you want one whose filters don’t require frequent changes. Getting one with a permanent filter would be great, but those usually come with a HEPA filter which isn’t true, so you should stick to ones that require changes every 6 months or more.
Also, keep your eye on the filter replacement costs and how frequently you have to make them as you want to minimize both factors.
Other Factors
Air purifiers for college don’t get the most attention, so you want to get a unit with indicators that tell you when it’s time to change the filter. You also want it to come with automatic settings like a timer or a sensor that detects air quality and makes changes to the fan speeds accordingly.
Finally, the noise levels that your air purifier produces could make a huge difference to how convenient the unit is, so make sure you get one with a lower dB rating. You want something that ranges from 30 dB (as you’ll hardly find anything lower) and up to 55 dB.
What Filtration Technologies Are Found on an Air Purifier?
Each purifier comes with at least one air filtration technology, and some combine several ones. We’ve covered the basic carbon filters and optional HEPA ones, but that’s not it.
An air purifier could use UV-C technology, and the UV-C light works on the entrapment particles of viruses, germs, and bacteria inside the unit. Those are really effective at alleviating symptoms of allergy and asthma, as well as protecting you from flus and colds.
Moreover, you can find ionization technology on your air purifier, which would mean that the unit produces negatively-charged particles that stick to airborne particles, which are then sucked into the air purifier by the positively-charged plate on the inside.
However, this usually results in a structural change of the particles, making them end up on objects around your dorm room.
Finally, your air purifier could use ozone technology, which is quite effective but could be harmful. There's a lot of controversy around this issue, especially that no professionals endorse the use of an ozone air purifier, and the federal government agencies do not approve them.
Does an Air Purifier Have Side Effects?
Generally speaking, an air purifier won’t have any side effects on you. However, if yours uses ionization technology or ozone technology, they could be detectable if you’re sensitive to chemicals or if you suffer from allergies or asthma.
Can I Run My Air Purifier 24/7?
In this area, there's really no right or wrong; it depends on the air quality in your dorm room and how many people share it.
If you’re multiple people without enough windows, you might want to leave the air purifier on for most of the day.
Final Thoughts
Now that we’re done with reviewing the best air purifiers for dorm rooms, hopefully, you’ve managed to pick one out. If you’re still confused, here’s a quick recap:
If you’re looking for a great air purifier in general, the Germ Guardian AC4825 would be an excellent choice of a purifier for a dorm room for its 3-speed fan, effective purification, quiet operation, and UV light that eliminates germs and bacteria.
The Dyson TP02 is an awesome, versatile choice if you want something that doubles as a cooling machine in the summer. Its airflow is high, and it provides great value for its price.
However, it could be a little pricey for some college students, who would prefer the affordable Hamilton Beach 04384 for its compactness and ease of use. However, the HEPA filter on the Hamilton is not a true one.
If compactness is an important issue you want to address, you should go for the PARTU. This one can be placed on a tabletop as it’s as compact and lightweight as air purifiers come.
