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The 7 Best Air Purifiers For Apartments
Clear The Air With HEPA Filtration At Every Price Point.
If you’re looking to improve the air quality of your apartment, finding an air purifier that’s effective but doesn’t take up a ton of space is key. The best air purifiers for apartments feature compact designs and powerful HEPA filters, and they’re available at a variety of price points to suit your budget. They also come with some cool extras such as air quality sensors and even aromatherapy pads to make your room smell fantastic.
What To Consider When Choosing An Air Purifier
When shopping, you’ll want to note how many square feet the air purifier is able to clean. Small air purifiers can typically clean rooms up to 200 square feet and are great for use in bedrooms, kitchens, and small living rooms. They typically have a smaller footprint and can be easily placed on a tabletop or shelf for optimal performance. Large air purifiers can clean up to 1,000 square feet and are ideal if you want a single unit to purify most of your apartment. Both large and small purifiers can boast advanced technology such as automatic sensing that’ll adjust the unit's power level to meet the current air quality needs.
Also consider the type of filter inside the purifier. The best air purifiers feature true HEPA filters (not HEPA-grade or HEPA-like) that trap at least 99.97% of all particles with a diameter of 0.3 microns or larger. Other types of filters can be added to a HEPA filter to increase its odor- and allergen-reducing power, such as carbon filters and pre-filtering liners.
The noise an air purifier makes is also an important consideration. Many units feature whisper-quiet designs (around 30 decibels, or dB) that let you easily forget they’re even there, while more powerful units may make more noise.
Shop The Best Air Purifiers For Apartments
In a hurry? Here are the top picks for the best air purifiers for apartments:
- Editor’s Pick: A Highly-Rated Air Purifier That’s Super Quiet: Levoit LV-H132 Air Purifier
- This Sleek Air Purifier With A 4.7-Star Rating: Coway Airmega Air Purifier
- An Air Purifier That Can Remove 99.99% Of Airborne COVID-19 Virus: Blueair 411 Auto Air Purifier
- A Mini Air Purifier You Can Move From Room To Room: Pure Enrichment Portable Air Purifier
- This Air Purifier You Can Control With Your Phone: Levoit Smart Core 300S Air Purifier
- This Air Purifier With An Essential Oil Pad: Levoit LV-H128-RF Air Purifier
- The Best Air Purifier For Extra-Large Rooms: Shark HE402 Air Purifier
To help remove dust, pet dander, and other allergens from your home, scroll on for the best air purifiers for apartments on Amazon.
1. Editor’s Pick: A Highly-Rated Air Purifier That’s Super Quiet
This small but powerful air purifier features a three-stage filtration system complete with true HEPA and activated carbon filters to remove smoke, dust, odors, mold, and other pollutants from the air. Bustle editor Cristina Sanza has two in her apartment (living room and bedroom) and wrote: “When it comes to reducing pet dander, dust, and other allergens floating around my apartment, this air purifier makes a noticeable difference. The filter lasts for months, and the purifier creates quiet ambient noise that I actually enjoy when falling asleep.”
The 100% ozone-free design delivers clean air while three fan settings produce sound levels as low as 25 decibels, which is even quieter than a whisper. There’s an optional night-light on the top of the unit, it’s available in either white or black, and the brand recommends changing the filter every six months, depending on usage.
One reviewer wrote: “It's especially hard removing smoke/pet odors being in such a small space with only one window but this has definitely helped and I would 100% recommend this air purifier to others looking for one. It's small size makes it ideal for our apartment, but for being a smaller unit it is very strong and efficient.”
Room size: Up to 129 sq. feet | Noise level: 25–50 dB, according to the brand | Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.9 x 12.6 inches
2. This Sleek Air Purifier With A 4.7-Star Rating
This highly rated air purifier boasts a sleek design and compact size that makes it easy to place almost anywhere in your apartment, and the powerful fan can clean the air in an 874-square-foot room in just 30 minutes. It features a three-stage filtration system with deodorizing and HEPA filters that remove up to 99.99% of particles and allergens and up to 99% of volatile organic compounds and odor. There’s also an optional ionizer to further reduce particles in the air and an auto-mode that will adjust the fan speed to purify your air as needed. What’s more, the purifier boasts an eco-mode that will automatically turn the fan off after 30 minutes but continue monitoring the air quality and turn it back on if pollution is detected. An optional LED light at the top of the unit lets you know how clean your air currently is, while a convenient timer setting allows you to set purification for one, four, or eight hours.
The filter replacement indicator will let you know when it needs to be changed (many reviewers note being able to get approximately six months of use from each filter), and with noise levels ranging from 24 to 53 decibels, you can keep this purifier in any room without distraction. It’s available in black or white, and there’s also a Wi-Fi-enabled version in the listing.
One reviewer wrote: “the features are fantastic, and I'm sneezing much less since I started using this product, so I know it's working. I have grass and pollen allergies, and would wake up in the morning with sneezing fits and red, scratchy eyes. I've been using the unit for about two weeks now, and my symptoms are Very Much Improved; I know it's working! I have a large one-bedroom apartment, and can easily wheel it from my bedroom to the living room as needed (total of about 700 square feet). It was easy to read the instructions and get the unit up and running, and the filter only needs to be replaced about every six months at an affordable price.”
Room size: Up to 874 sq. feet | Noise level: 24–53 dB | Dimensions: 16.8 x 9.6 x 18.3 inches
3. An Air Purifier That Can Remove 99.99% Of Airborne COVID-19 Virus
This air purifier boasts the lowest decibel rating of any on this list — just 18 decibels when operated on the low setting. The sleek and modern design makes it a welcome addition to any apartment, and it features a three-stage HEPA filter to remove 99.97% of airborne particles such as dust, pet dander, and smoke — it even removed 99.99% of airborne COVID-19 in Blueair’s tests. This Energy-Star-certified purifier has air quality indicator lights, and if desired, it will automatically adjust its settings to maintain optimal levels. Each filter lasts six months to one year, and there’s even a convenient option in the listing to purchase a two-pack of these purifiers so you can use them in multiple rooms.
One reviewer wrote: “I live in a small studio apartment and was noticing a lot of dust that triggered allergies, no matter how much i cleaned or vacuumed. This purifier has changed everything! I leave it on auto and there’s a huge reduction in dust particles! My allergies are better and so is my skin! I think it helps with my houseplants too. The noise level is fine for me, it acts as white noise. Highly recommend.”
Room size: Up to 190 sq. feet | Noise level: 18–48 dB | Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.9 x 16.7 inches
4. A Mini Air Purifier You Can Move From Room To Room
Want a purifier you can use in the kitchen while you’re cooking and then later place on your nightstand while you’re sleeping? Consider this mini portable air purifier that weighs less than one pound and easily moves wherever you need it. The two-stage filtration with a true HEPA filter removes 99.97% of dust, pollen, dander, smoke, and odors from the air and can clean up to 54 square feet. It has three fan settings, a noise level of 50 decibels (just slightly louder than the hum of a refrigerator), and features a rechargeable battery that will last up to 12 hours before needing to be recharged with the included USB cable. Plus, it comes in five colors, including blue, black, and blush pink, and the filter should be replaced every six months.
One reviewer wrote: “I love the mini size along with the handle. I live in a studio apartment and it makes it easy to move around and doesn’t take so much space. I also like that I can choose the various settings. The white color goes perfect with my decor. I also like that it can be charged easily.”
Room size: Up to 54 sq. feet | Noise level: 50 dB | Dimensions: 8.5 x 3.3 x 2.7 inches
5. This Air Purifier You Can Control With Your Phone
For the ultimate convenience, consider this air purifier that offers air quality stats on your phone and can be controlled through its free companion app or Alexa commands. It traps 99.97% of airborne particles with its three-stage HEPA filter and can clean the air in a 219-square-foot room in just 12 minutes. It features an auto-mode that senses changes in your air quality and adjusts the fan speed to bring it back to the desired level, as well as a color-coded air quality indicator ring on the top of the unit. Its ultra-quiet design runs as low as 22 decibels, and when it’s time to replace the filter (every six to eight months depending on use, according to the brand), there are four HEPA options to choose from: True HEPA, pet allergy, toxin absorber, and the smoke remover filter.
One reviewer wrote: “As someone with severe seasonal allergies that run March-November, and a pet cat & dog, PLUS asthma...I cannot recommend this product enough. [...] I used to see dust and hair slowly floating through the air in our house constantly, no matter how often we vacuumed, dusted, or changed the air filters for the HVAC system; I no longer see these, and my breathing improved exponentially, almost overnight, after initially running this purifier on high for a full day and night. Ever since, I've been running it on high with the timer set to 6 hours when I leave for work, and then on the sleep mode every other night.”
Room size: Up to 219 sq. feet | Noise level: 22–50 dB | Dimensions: 8.66 x 8.66 x 14.17 inches
6. This Air Purifier With An Essential Oil Pad
Not only is this air purifier a great size for apartments, but it can also help you unwind at the end of the day with an aromatherapy pad that allows you to add a few drops of your favorite essential oil for dispersed fragrance throughout the room. It uses a three-stage filtration system with a true HEPA filter to capture 99.97% of airborne particles and features a whisper-quiet design with sounds as low as 28 decibels, so you can forget it’s even there. There’s also a sleep mode, which turns the button light off within five seconds to help the room stay dark. The unit measures less than seven inches wide and 11 inches tall (a great size for tabletop use), and the filter should be replaced every six months. One aroma pad is included, and replacements are available.
One reviewer wrote: “Bought this due to all the California wildfires, but found it is very effective at clearing the air when I cook with onions and garlic. I’m in a small apartment and when cooking stews, baked chicken and sautéing with onions and garlic I would smell it for the next day, but with this air purifier, i noticed the smell is gone within an hour or so. It also has the added bonus of being able to add essential oils, so a big plus.”
Room size: Up to 161 sq. feet | Noise level: 28–44 dB | Dimensions: 6.69 x 6.69 x 10.43 inches
7. The Best Air Purifier For Extra-Large Rooms
If you’re looking for an air purifier with more coverage, check out the Shark HE402 Air Purifier, which is designed to rest on the floor and clean up to 1,000 square feet of space. This one captures 99.98% of airborne particles with its HEPA filter and is powered by four ultra-quiet fans (approximately 20 to 48 decibels, according to a reviewer) that help circulate the air. It features advanced air-quality-sensing technology that detects the level of contaminants in your air and auto-adjusts the power level to maintain optimal air quality. An odor guard filter helps remove stubborn smells, and a convenient remote gives you control from up to 15 feet away. Plus, you’ll be able to get approximately 12 months of use out of each filter.
One reviewer wrote: “This air purifier works perfectly, and I love the feature that shows your current air quality. Shocked how bad the air quality becomes in my small apartment when cooking on the stove!”
Room size: Up to 1,000 sq. feet | Noise level: Approximately 20–48 dB, according to a reviewer | Dimensions: 17 x 8.9 x 24.29 inches
