Reviews of Air Purifiers

There are several types of air purifiers on the market today. Some of them only work for pulling large particles like dust out of the air, some will pull tiny mold spores out of the air, and some will even kill bacteria.

The more features the air purifier has, the greater the price as a general rule. If you're looking for a purifier that kills bacteria and removes the tiniest particles, you're probably going to have to spend a fair amount of money for it.

Standard Air Purifiers

These are the least expensive air purifiers. If you want a cheap air purifier, this is probably what you'll have to settle for. These machines generally use paper filters or cloth filters to capture dust and larger particles in the air, but can't trap things like tiny mold spores.

HEPA Filters

Some standard air purifiers are equiped with High-Efficiency Particulate Arresting filters, known as HEPA filters. These filters can trap particles as small as .3 microns in size at up to 99% efficiency. A HEPA filter can trap dust, mold, and bacteria, but they can't trap gases and chemical fumes.

Carbon Air Purifiers

Carbon air purifiers use activated carbon to trap particles. They can trap smaller particles than HEPA filters, and can also trap odors. These filters are especially effective against things like smoke or bathroom odors.

Ozone Air Purifiers

Ozone air purifiers work by releasing ozone into the surrounding area. Ozone purifiers are great against odors such as smoke, bathroom odors, and even bacteria. Unfortunately, they're not as effective against allergens like mold and dust, and they can also release other toxins into the air and make the air worse if they're not used properly.

Ionic Air Purifiers

Ionic air purifiers work by putting a negative charge onto the particles in the air. The negatively-charged particles become to heavy to stay in the air, so they have to settle, like dust. Most ionic air purifiers also have special filters that catch these particles.

UV Air Purifiers

UV air purifiers use ultraviolet light to kill harmful organisms in the air. They don't actually filter out any particles. They're used solely for killing harmful organisms like bacteria, viruses, and mold.

Honeywell Air Purifiers are generally considered the best of the best as far as mid-range air purifiers. They are strong, durable, efficient, and relatively quiet. Overall, Honeywell purifiers perform very well.

The Honeywell 17000 QuiteCare Air Purifier

This model is considered the Rolls Royce of the Honewell purifiers. Although this model has a relatively small coverage area, only about 250 square feet, it performs remarkably well for its size and price range.

Consumers report that this model is very useful for eliminating allergens, and works against pet allergies, dust allergies, and pollen. This model is made for filtering in a single room, and works very well in bedrooms, smaller living rooms, and bathrooms.

The Honeywell 50250 HEPA Filter with Germ Reduction

This model is more expensive than the Honeywell 17000, but the Honeywell 50250 Air Purifier is made for not only filtering allergens, but also for reducing germs.

It does a good job of filtering and cleaning the air, and comes with reusable filters which saves money in the long run. The only real downside of this particular model is the fact that it's a bit noisier than the 17000. And of course the price is a bit higher.

Honeywell is considered the best brand of air purifier because of their quality and durability, but there are other popular brands as well.

Hamilton Beach - Relatively inexpensive, lower quality.

Bluair - Expensive, higher quality.

Shaper Image - Ionic Breeze and similar models. Expensive, quality.

Hunter - Midrange price and quality.

Holmes - Midrange price and quality.