The Best Smart Air Purifiers to Buy in 2024
Why buy an air purifier? Take your pick: smoke from widespread wildfires, airborne viruses, pet dander, and generally poor air quality from car emissions. If you are looking to invest in an air purifier, I would say it is better to invest in a smart purifier.
This new class of air purifiers are Wi-Fi enabled and usually have an app that allows you to turn the purifier on and off remotely or by triggering an automation system. They also tend to give you more detailed information about what they are extracting from the air and, most importantly, can tell you exactly when to replace the filter. This is usually a rule of thumb every six months, but it depends on how often your cleaner was used and what conditions it was exposed to. The price of these filters can increase over time, so knowing better when to replace them means you’ll get the most out of your purifier.
I’ve tested all the air purifiers on this list and I really like them all—it’s important to determine which one is best for you. Below I have highlighted a few factors to consider.
What types of filtration should you pay attention to?
Most purifiers have a number of filters, including a pre-filter (which removes larger particles such as dust or pet hair), a HEPA filter, and a carbon filter. While we focus heavily on HEPA filters, HEPA does nothing about VOCs, odors, and gases; that’s what you need carbon for.
How powerful a cleaner do you need?
Most purifiers will state right on the label what size room they are designed for, but this is expressed in square feet; Since purifiers purify the air in a room, this math must take into account the cubic feet of air in the room as well as the height of the room.
According to Mike Feldstein, founder of Jaspr, a smart air purifier company, there’s another factor you should consider. According to him, what you really need to know about your air purifier is how much air it moves and how fast it does it, because this will allow you to figure out how many room air changes you’ll achieve at one time. hour. For the average home, four to eight exchanges per hour is enough, Feldstein said. (For healthcare facilities, you will need 10–15 exchanges.)
The rate at which air moves is called CADR (clean air delivery rate), and the CADR number indicates how many cubic feet of air are moved per minute. If it’s not in the product manual, you can usually search the product specifications online and find that information there.
So how do you apply this to your room? You’ll have to do a little math. Take the CADR from the purifier specifications and multiply it by 60 (60 minutes per hour). Now divide this by the volume of your room (height x length x width). For example, if the CADR is 430 and your room is 10x10x15 feet, the math would be:
(430*60 )/ (10*10*15), which simplifies to or 25800/1500, which is equal to 17.2.
This result is your ACH (air changes per hour). This means that the air in the room changes 17.2 times per hour, which is more than necessary. In this case, the purifier can accommodate a much larger space or will work at a lower power.
Location matters
Purifiers should not be hidden or leaned against walls. To perform at their best, they need to be in the center of the space. This can be frustrating because purifiers have cords that can cause you to trip. For this reason, it may be worth considering purchasing several smaller purifiers that can be placed on countertops instead of larger floor units in fewer places.