What do you do when the air in your house stinks? Do you suck it up and gradually become immune to the odor, or do you try to do something about it? If you have an odor problem in your home that makes it unplesant to live in or keeps guests from visiting, it's time to consider air purifiers.
Best Air Purifier for Odor Elimination
- LEVOIT HV-H134 True HEPA Air Purifier
- Alen BreatheSmart Classic Large Room Air Purifier
- GermGuardian AC4825
- Rabbit Air MinusA2 Ultra Quiet HEPA Air Purifier w/WiFi
- Honeywell HPA300
5 Best Air Purifier for Odor Elimination
1. LEVOIT HV-H134 True HEPA Air Purifier
One of the best air purifiers for odor reduction on the market today is the Levoit HV-H134. It's a big unit, standing tall on rollers to make it easy to maneuver into position. But that size makes it terrific for cleaning large rooms quickly, and it has all the gadgets and additions you need to make it amazingly user friendly.
This Levoit air purifier uses a laser to determine the air quality in a room and automatically adjusts the fan to suck it all up, meaning you can clear an ample space within 30 minutes. It features three settings – automatic, sleep mode, and off. At higher configurations, with worse air quality, the fan is relatively loud. But the sleep setting operates so quietly you'll hardly notice it, while still performing at high efficiency to eliminate odor.
The top-mounted LED Display and timer helps the unit save energy and shows you a visual reminder of the current air quality while pumping out fresh filtered air. This unit is rated to PM2.5 and clears over 99 percent of all airborne particulates, making it one of the most efficient air purifiers available.
The Levoit is moderately priced compared with most air purifiers. But if you or a loved one regularly suffers from allergy or asthma, the cost is worth it for the efficiency. It also features a unique 360-degree intake design and cylindrical filters that take in air and odor from all directions at once, putting it through a standard carbon filter, an individual pre-filter, and finally, a true HEPA filter to get the finest particles.
Pros:
- A laser-activated automatic mode helps save energy by adjusting the fan speed automatically depending on the particulates found throughout a room.
- The PM2.5 rating removes and filters the smallest particles that cause allergies and respiratory problems like asthma.
- Sleep mode is very quiet while still providing plenty of odor filtration.
- The handy indicator ring helps keep you informed of current air conditions at a glance. Red means high particulate content, yellow is moderate, and green is low.
- An authentic HEPA certified filtration system gets rid of more than just odor.
- It has a unique 360-degree intake design, which sucks in air from all directions, giving a more thorough cleaning than other models.
- It cleans the highest total area of any of the air purifiers we reviewed. It purifies up to 1,170 square feet of space within 30 minutes and smaller spaces even faster at the highest setting.
Cons:
- Replacement filters are expensive compared with other purifiers but can be cleaned and vacuumed for better longevity.
- The fan for areas with high air saturation is loud and can't be adjusted unless set on Sleep mode.
- The purifier is more substantial and bulkier than comparable models, meaning you must consider where to put it. But it does have wheels to move it quickly and easily.
2. Alen BreatheSmart Classic Large Room Air Purifier
One of the problems you often find with air purifiers is that they LOOK like air purifiers. They're usually big and bulky, with dials and nobs, and no matter how hard you try, you can't quite get them to look like anything other than what they are. Fortunately, the Alen Breathesmart Classic is different.
This air purifier comes with a lifetime warranty and a wide choice of variable filters that all offer various benefits depending on your needs. Each filter is designed for a specific purpose, like removing odors from cat litter, or eliminating smoke and cooking odors. All of the filters remove particulates up to 0.3 microns, which reduces your exposure to lung infections or allergy-causing dust in addition to particles that cause odor. And each different filter is a HEPA type rather than a true HEPA filter, which helps keep noise levels down.
The Alen Breathesmart purifier not only cleans pet odors and pet dander but helps remove cigarette smoke using carbon filters. It runs extremely quiet, producing pink noise – a frequency of sound that mimics internal biological noise and enables you to sleep better. Depending on which filter you use, the Alen Breathesmart produces clean air for rooms up to 1100 square feet.
But one of the most exciting features of this purifier is its choice of sleek exterior finishes, which you can easily match with your existing furniture. There are eight different finishes to choose from, including four different wood grains or plain white, leaving you with a purifier that works in any living room.
Pros:
- Eight different finish options to choose from, including four wood grain patterns, to easily match this air purifier with your existing decor.
- Four filter options to tailor the Breathesmart to your particular situation. Filter out smoke from cooking or pet odors, or filter out dander and pollen to prevent allergies.
- Super quiet fan speed produces pink noise, which tunes to natural frequencies to improve sleep.
- The highest quality true HEPA filter cleans up to 1100 sq ft, which is excellent for large spaces like living rooms.
- The Fresh plus filter variant contains an activated carbon filter that absorbs smoke and the odor from cleaning solutions.
- EnergySmart certified to help save you money on utility bills.
- Includes an infrared sensor that gauges the quality of the air and automatically sets the speed to assist odor elimination.
Cons:
- One of the most expensive purifiers on the market with replacement filters to match. It's quite an investment.
- Not a true HEPA filter. It uses multiple filters to achieve the same level of performance, which helps keep the sound level down.
3. GermGuardian AC4825
Standing at a little over 22 inches tall, the sleek and small GermGuardian AC4725 may not be the best air purifier, but it's undoubtedly the best for the price at odor removal and germ cleaning. This air purifier uses a three-stage filtration system to control and clean air of odors, pet dander, pet odors, and even germs.
The first stage sucks air and odors into an activated carbon filter, which helps get rid of the most odors and particulates. This pre-stage carbon filter traps odor before moving the air through the second stage, a true HEPA filter that strains out any particulates under 3 microns. A HEPA filter, to be called a true HEPA filter, must remove over 99 percent of air pollutants.
But odor removal isn't the only thing the GermGuardian is good at. In the third stage, the purifier zaps airborne germs with cleansing UV light, which kills off many active bacteria before recirculating the air. Your air quality improves, and you can live in peace, knowing that you're at much less risk for respiratory problems and even colds.
Unfortunately, the blue UV light on this unit is relatively bright. Without it, you don't get the same protection from germs, but it can be disruptive during family movie night or quiet time with your significant other.
The GermGuardian is also smaller than many air purifiers, designed for rooms up to 167 sq ft. It's great for small spaces, but you may need more than one of them for a larger room.
Pros:
- A three-step process that stops and traps over 99 percent of all airborne contaminants, including pet dander, germs, and cigarette smoke.
- It contains an activated carbon filter excellent for removing odors.
- HEPA Filter works with a final stage of optional UV light to eradicate germs and contagions that cause allergies and asthma attacks. Like all HEPA filters, it traps up to 99 percent of particulates larger than 3 microns.
- Much less expensive than other, larger models of air purifiers while not losing performance.
- The lowest setting is quiet enough to provide soft white noise to help you sleep.
- Additional UV optional setting keeps cleansing the air of germs by zapping them out of the air, making them inert.
- Inexpensive replacement filters that even come in packs, making them both economical and easy to replace.
Cons:
- Not suitable for large rooms. May require more than one unit depending on how big the space is.
- Outflow fan only blows air from one side, which means it may take longer to purify the air thoroughly.
- Blue UV light is distracting and intrusive, but can be turned off if you want to sacrifice the germ elimination capabilities.
4. Rabbit Air MinusA2 Ultra Quiet HEPA Air Purifier w/WiFi
Entering the rarified and odor-free air of the more expensive units is this powerful and ultra-quiet unit from Rabbit. As one of the best air purifiers, it stands literally above the rest by offering the ability to mount it securely on a wall rather than trying to find floor space for it. And with several attractive finishes and customized front panels available, it may even double as an innocuous work of art.
Choose from a variety of panels, including Peanuts, Van Gogh, Hello Kitty, or others, to give it a sense of flair. But also pay attention to the simple and straightforward operating controls and display that gives it an elegant look that blends with the environment and decor.
The Rabbit Air purifier, like the GermGuardian air purifier listed above, uses several stages to provide comprehensive odor and particulate removal. But rather than operating with three filters as the GermGuardian does, the Rabbit Air Purifier uses six, including an activated carbon filter to remove pet odors and pump out the best air quality. The best air purifier filter of all six is the Advanced BioGS HEPA Filter, which traps 99.97% of all airborne material up to 0 3 microns and helps save energy.
This is one of the best air purifiers with a price point to match, but it can cover most rooms up to 814 sq ft and offers a customizable filter that you can swap out to fit your needs like pet allergies and odors, or germ defense.
Pros:
- The unique wall-mounted design gets this air purifier up off the ground and integrates well with your decor. You can also store it on the ground, making it versatile
- You can also get custom exterior art pieces to help augment the status of the air purifier into a work of art for your wall space. Designs include Van Gogh, Hello Kitty, and others.
- Six levels of filters including an activated carbon filter for odor elimination, a true HEPA filter, and a pre-filter to eliminate pet hair and dander.
- One of the layers of filters is a customized filter, which you can swap out to address your specific needs. Choose from a germ defense filter, pet allergy filter, toxin absorber, or odor remover.
- Specialized HEPA filter saves energy by working in tandem with all of the other layers.
- Beats most competitors in terms of how quiet it is. It's one-of-a-kind construction, and multiple layers of filtration mean it doesn't have to work as hard on air intake or exhaust while remaining extremely quiet.
Cons:
- Low overall fan speed, but it helps keep the sound down and doesn't necessarily affect performance.
- The Rabbit Air costs more than many other smaller units but balances it out with one of the best filtration packages available.
5. Honeywell HPA300
Last but not least, on our list of best air purifiers is the Honeywell HPA300. It's a sturdy unit, coming in at a respectable 21 pounds. But it's also built for quality, using a two-stage process including carbon filters to remove odor and a HEPA filter to get rid of most other pollutants. It may not be the best of those we've reviewed, but it's moderate price and ease of use should make it attractive to those who don't want to break the bank.
Like the other reviewed air purifiers, the Honeywell HPA 300 uses a carbon filter as a pre-filter for odor removal of pet smells, smoke, and trapping more substantial elements like pet dander. The air then goes to the HEPA filter, which takes care of whatever remains up to 0 3 microns.
Honeywell designed the HPA300 air purifier to be simple and straightforward, so there aren't many design frills or styles to consider. It looks like an air purifier and acts like one with four separate settings, including allergy, normal, germ, and turbo. There is no automatic function to limit the fan, but the entire unit is EnergyStar rated, so it still helps keep down your power bill.
The Honeywell is a big unit, so you need to consider where it fits in your house. It's also pretty heavy, so you probably won't want to move it around much. Fortunately, the replacement filters are reasonably affordable, keeping the unit running without too much additional economic pain.
Pros:
- Not too pricey and not too inexpensive. Just right. With all the features of more expensive competitors.
- Energystar rated will help save on your utility bills.
- It has an activated carbon pre-filter in its first stage, which helps with odor removal and cleansing pet odors before sending air on to the second stage.
- The air purifier has four modes of operation: General cleaning, Allergen, Germ, and Turbo, and it remains quiet at all operation levels, including turbo.
- Comes with an extended five-year limited warranty
- It cleans pet odor, smoke, allergens, and germs from a 465 sq ft room, making it a very capable mid-range air purifier.
- The control panel has a dimmer switch to control the brightness of the display, so it doesn't interrupt movie night with the family.
Cons:
- Heavy and bulky. At 20.8 x 10.83 x 22.38 in and almost 20 lbs, it's tall and heavy, which may make it difficult to store or place in a room. You won't want to move it around often.
- None of the filters last very long. You need to replace them regularly to ensure continued performance.
- Lacks any sense of style and will stick out in any room you put it in.
Air Purifier Buying Guide
Selecting the best air purifier isn't an exact science, even though there is a lot of science behind it. In this section, we'll cover things you should look for in air purifiers if getting rid of unpleasant odors is your primary goal.
Keep in mind, though, that air purifiers are good for more than just eliminating odors. They also remove dust, allergens, and germs that cause colds and respiratory problems.
It's All About the Filter
An air purifier works by drawing air in like a vacuum using an intake fan. Then, that air is processed through filters, which traps pet odors, smoke, and other airborne particles. If odors are your primary concern, you need to find an air purifier that uses activated carbon.
An activated carbon filter uses a process called adsorption, which chemically bonds the particles into a carbon matrix, storing it harmlessly until you change the filter. Every purifier we reviewed has a carbon filter for odor removal, usually in its first stage of operation. You need to change the carbon filter regularly, though, as they get saturated with particles over time and don't work as well. Pay attention to the cost of replacement carbon filters when choosing which air purifier to buy.
Activated carbon isn't just for odors and odor removal. It also helps remove other hazardous particles and odors from the air. Think of it like putting your air through smaller and smaller sieves, usually ending in a HEPA filter, before expelling the air back into the room, clean and free of any odor.
What Is a HEPA Filter and How Does It Help with Odors?
An air purifier best removes odor, as we said when working in tandem with other barriers. One barrier that you hear a lot about is the HEPA filter. HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air. It's a specific designation and certification for a filter, and to be considered a HEPA filter, the air purifier must meet stringent requirements.
Think of a HEPA filter as a super fine sieve. Like a carbon filter, it works to remove odor but is generally the last step of an air purifier before the exhaust fans return the air to the room. To be considered a genuine HEPA filter, it must remove 99.97 percent of all air particles under .3 microns. For reference, a human hair is roughly 50 microns.
While a HEPA filter is excellent for odor removal, its real benefit is getting rid of everything else you don't want in your air, like pet dander, germs, and allergens that cause respiratory problems.
Of Odors and Other Things
We get it. You're primarily buying an air purifier for odor issues. The smell from the cat litter is driving you nuts, or perhaps your pet likes to roll around outside in things you dare not speak about publicly. Or, maybe your great uncle Fred insists on lighting up a nasty cigar no matter how many times you've told him not to.
Odors are the most obvious sign that your home has an air problem, but they aren't the only reason to get an air purifier. As it happens, the best air purifier for odor elimination is usually also the best at helping reduce other pollutants.
If you're buying an air purifier for odor, think about other airborne issues too. Many of the air purifiers for odor listed below have additional features, including customizable filters to help contain other issues like allergens, germs, or cooking odors. Some even provide UV light to zap germs floating around, rendering them inert.
Other Considerations When Buying an Air Purifier
You're probably looking forward to breathing freely with no odors, but before you pick out an air purifier, there are other factors to consider. In addition to functionality, you should also think about style and placement. While aesthetics might not be your first consideration when the odor from the litter box is wafting into the kitchen, it helps to plan where you'll put your air purifier and how it will integrate with your decor.
The best air purifiers tend to be bulky. They often weigh up to 20 pounds and take up significant floor space. Some of the air purifiers mentioned here offer different finishes and styles, and one mounts on a wall while offering several different "skins" to make it look more like artwork.
Conclusion
Our favorite Air Purifier is easily the RabbitAir MinusA2. Not only is it incredibly effective at removing odors, it's a unique style, and wall-mounted design means you don't have to worry about a big, bulky device to find a space for or risk tripping on. It may sound superficial, but we love the ability to customize the air purifier with customizable skins to make it seem more like a work of art.
The RabbitAir's unique design means that it actually takes the air and odor in up higher, in the air that you breathe, rather than at feet level. You get air cleansed of odors where you live rather than pumped from the ground up where it has more chance of sucking up dirt and dust from the floors and carpet.
Also, the RabbitAir's six-stage filtration system does a fantastic job of cleaning up everything, not just odors. And with the customizable filter, you can focus on specific odors like smoke, or allergens. Many of the other purifiers do their jobs well, but none do it as stylishly or efficiently.
Regardless of which purifier you choose, any of them should do a great job at removing odors, so there is no need to fear the hefty price tag of the RabbitAir. But, if you're willing to spend a little to reduce the odors you experience, you'll get much more for your money.
