5 Best HEPA Air Purifiers for Allergies Dust Pollen and Mold Spores

The quality of air you breathe can have enormous impact on your life. In fact we all breathe polluted air daily. The question is how much of it can you tolerate? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posited that indoor air is one of the top 5 public health threats to Americans. Some of the common pollutant that can be found in indoor air are pollen, dust, bacteria, fungi, viruses, pet hair, mold spores etc.

There are many things you can do to prevent air pollution indoors like do not smoke indoors, clean your home frequently, use vacuum cleaner once every day, do not use air fresheners, check your HVAC system regularly etc. Or, to make it really simple, you can buy an air purifier.

Deciding to buy an air purifier is easy. The difficult part is to choose one form the 1000’s of them. There are various types of air purifiers out there. All have its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore you must choose according to your need.

Here, in this article, we discuss about the best HEPA filtration air purifiers to prevent allergens, smoke, dust, pet dander and mold spores.

HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. This technology can trap up to 99.97% of all airborne particles which means it traps down to 0.3 micron sized particles. HEPA air filters are the most recommended filters by Allergists and Doctors because our natural defense mechanism can only trap down to 0.5 microns.

HEPA filters can remove

• Dust, pollen, mold spores, allergens, dust mites, most of the bacteria etc.
• The once captured particles are trapped efficiently. It won’t be released to the air.
• Filters need regular replacements.

However there are some cons too

• HEPA filters cannot remove odors, smoke and chemical fumes.

Go on, Choose the Best :)

#5 Honeywell Compact Air Purifier with Permanent HEPA Filter, HHT-011

This is the best air purifier under $50 and one of the best sellers. Honeywell HHT-011 is ultra light weight weighing only 7 pounds, compact and portable. But this can be used for small rooms only. Still, you can buy more of these for large rooms.

I think HHT-011 is the most value for money air purifier in the market today. There are plenty of features for the money. One of them is the filter cleaning indicator. You don’t need to keep track of the filter. The quiet operation and top of line ACH rating (5 times) makes this a steal.

Although there are a lot of features for the price, there are drawbacks too. HHT-011 offers only basic protection against dust, smoke and pollen. Small contaminants such as germs, bacteria mold spores won’t be filtered out effectively. It also consumes much more power than others in the list. Honeywell offers 3 year warranty.

Pros

• Cheap
• Lightweight and portable
• Higher ACH rating
• Quiet operation

Cons

• High power consumption
• Do not expect perfect air purification

Rating: 7.7/10

Price:$48.64

#4 Winix WAC5500 True HEPA Air Cleaner with PlasmaWave Technology

The new WAC5500 air purifier with PlasmaWave technology from the well-known manufacturer Winix is mostly suitable for medium-sized rooms. It can be used in bedrooms and kitchen also. The WAC5500 uses the ionic air purifying technique to get the job done.

The ion air purifier uses an ionizer to electromagnetically charge air particles which is then easy to capture by filters. As the air particle gets charged, opposite charges get attracted and eventually clubbed together to form larger particles. This gets filtered easily on the next pass through the filter.

As continuous exposure to charged particles is not recommended, it can be harmful to health. But this is where Winix’s PlasmaWave technology comes to the rescue. This feature ensures weak charge to the particles which dissipates quickly. The powerful fan helps to capture the charged particles spontaneously thus reducing the exposure and keeping us healthy.

The purification process is done in 3 stages. First there is a carbon pre-filter which filters larger particles such as dust and lint, fibers and pet fur. It reduces odors too.

Then comes the HEPA filter which removes smaller dust, pollen and allergens.

The 3^rd and final stage is the ionizer which is explained above.

The filter monitor is a useful feature which alerts you when the filter gets worn out. The air quality sensor automatically adjusts fan speed according to the amount of allergens present. There is a remote control too.

Pros

• Excellent pollen and odor removal
• Best suitable air purifier for pet owners

Cons

• Noisy
• You cannot schedule the working time. There is no operation timer and sleep mode.
• Not good for people with breathing issues, the ionizer may aggravate your lungs. Although there is PlasmaWave technology, there is a limit.

Winix offers 1 year warranty for the product.

Rating: 8.0/10

Price: $199.00

#3 Coway AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier with True HEPA and Eco Mode

Coway AP-1512HH is most suitable for small sized rooms but can be used for medium rooms also. This Energy Star certified air purifier uses only 78W at its highest setting and 5W at its lowest setting. You don’t need to worry about electricity bills anymore. There are many features for the price.

First of all, AP-1512HH is very compact, light weight and portable. Its operation is quieter than you think yet very efficient. It can purify 268 cubic feet of air per minute, a rating you cannot see in this price range. The powerful fan makes sure of it consuming less energy.

The whole process is a 4 stage filtration and purification system. First, the pre-filter filters larger particles. This pre-filter is washable. You need to periodically dismantle and clean it. Second stage is the carbon filter which removes odors and gases. The third stage is the HEPA filter which eliminates pollen, allergens and micro particles. There is a 4^th stage, Vital Ion filter, which is optional. Since EPA does not recommend ionizer use, those who have breathing problem can turn off this and still get efficient air purification. The Coway air purifier has simple controls too. It’s really easy to set up and operate.

Pros

• Compact and portable
• Less energy usage
• Quiet operation
• Simple controls
• Optional ionizer

Cons

• No scheduler and timer

Overall, Coway AP-1512HH is the best air purifier for small to medium rooms. Coway offers 3 year warranty for the product.

Rating: 8.5/10

Price: $249.99

#2 IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier

This premium quality air purifier is incredibly easy to use and comes with a bundle of useful features. IQAir’s patented HyperHEPA filter is one of them. While ordinary HEPA filters trap 99.7% airborne particles, up to 0.3 microns, IQAir’s HyperHEPA filter traps up to .003 microns particles. This Grade-A HEPA air purifier uses a special gas and chemical filter called v-5 cell for odor elimination.

These features combined with the high performance centrifugal fan make HealthPro Plus one of the best air purifier in the market. It pulls large amount of air at once making air purification faster than most of the others and makes it suitable to use in large rooms too. HealthPro Plus can easily handle 1000 sq.ft with 8-1/2 foot ceilings.

IQAir’s HealthPro Plus uses a 3 stage filtration system. Pre-filter, HyperHEPA filter and V-5 Cell gas filter. Since the purifier does not use ionizers, using the machine is perfectly healthy for anyone. It comes with a remote control and IQAir offers 5 year warranty foe the product.

Pros

• HyperHEPA filter
• V-5 Cell odor eliminator
• Extremely quiet operation
• Ozone free
• Rated as the most effective air cleaner

Cons

• Costly
• Boxy appearance
• Replacement filters are also costly

Rating: 9.0/10

Price: $799.00

#1 GermGuardian AC4825, 3-in-1 Air Cleaning System with True HEPA, UV-C and Odor Reduction

This one is another incredibly quiet air purifier out there. It is also lightweight and can be easily transported. You can feel the air actually smell and feel fresh once you install it. This sleek looking air cleaner is best suitable for small rooms (125 sq.ft ) and is Energy Star rated for low power consumption.

One of the advantages of AC4825 is its simple controls and powerful fan.The pre-filter is washable and replaceable. It filters out the large particles like pet hair and dust.

The next stage filtration is the True HEPA filter, which you cannot see in air purifiers under $100. It efficiently traps allergens, pollen and other micro sized particles. The HEPA filter should be replaced when it turns dark; there is no other indicator for this. Filter replacement is easy by the way.

Gemguardian AC4825 is mostly useful for pet owners and it does not use any ionizers. The cleaning system consists of UV photocatalytic oxidizers which does the cleaning job. This is perfectly healthy and does no harm to the environment too. It is very effective is destroying airborne mold spores. The AC4825 is known for its powerful odor removal and allergy relief.

Pros

• Low price
• Powerful odor removal
• Good for mold spores
• Allergy relief

Cons

• Frequent filter replacements
• Not meant for chemically sensitive people as it uses PCO for purification

Rating: 9.5/10

Price: $96.46