I’ve been a member here for a while, mostly lurking, but I wanted to jump in and ask for some advice. First off, a huge thank you to @Ethan or creating and maintaining this forum – it’s becoming a great resource and space for discussion!
I’m looking to get a couple of air purifiers for my house. I’d like one for our main living area (a joint living room/lounge area) that can pretty much stay put, and then another one that’s a bit more portable, so I can move it between the bedrooms as needed. However, I’m a bit overwhelmed with all the options out there and honestly, I don’t really know where to start.
Are there any go-to resources or articles you’d recommend for someone trying to get a good handle on air purifiers? And, on the topic of recommendations, are there any particular models that stand out? Living in an area that unfortunately sees wildfires some years, my main concern is definitely PM2.5 and other particulate matter.
Through my research, I’ve also been hearing a bit about Corsi-Rosenthal boxes. Are these a good option to consider? I’m not super concerned about the cost (within reason, of course!), but I definitely prioritise performance over “smart” features.
Any guidance or suggestions you all could offer would be amazing!
It’s nice to see you commenting again! I hope you’ve been well.
Honestly, I don’t have too much experience with air purifiers, but I think I can still help you and point you in the right direction!
When it comes to air purifiers, I always check https://housefresh.com. Their team thoroughly tests the devices, and they don’t accept free purifiers for review which means they are unbiased when it comes to their content. In a world full of misleading reviews, I think HouseFresh is the best place to find the perfect purifier for your needs. They also have an article which covers the best air purifiers you can currently buy.
Based on their recommendations, if you’re looking for a purifier for a larger space (I’m assuming the joint living room/lounge is relatively large), it looks like the Levoit Vital 200S (not the Core 200S - be careful as it can be easy to confuse!) might be a good bet. For the smaller rooms, you could get something smaller (or just get a second Levoit model to keep things simple!). They also look to be quite affordable.
This is a great question, and it really comes down to what you prefer. CR boxes have the benefit of being affordable and (generally) highly performant since they have such large fans and filter surface area. I recently reviewed the AirFanta 3Pro and I really liked it, you can find my full thoughts here:
Kits like this have the advantage of having compatible components included and they largely remove the DIY aspect. While you can definitely make CR boxes yourself for cheaper, the 3Pro retains a clean look (the CR boxes I’ve built often look a bit janky!). Whichever you opt for, CR boxes tend to perform well, but they do lack any kind of extra features.
How large are the areas that you’re looking to put the air purifiers in? Furthermore, do you already have some kind of air quality monitor?
Thanks so much for the detailed response and the helpful resources! It’s great to hear about HouseFresh – an unbiased review site is exactly what I need. The Levoit Vital 200S sounds promising for the living area, and I appreciate the insight into CR boxes as well.
To give you a better idea of my situation, I have an Airthings View Plus, which I’ve been moving around the house for about a year. While my average indoor PM2.5 concentrations are generally good (below 10 µg/m³), I’d like to bring them down further. Wildfire smoke concern is also a big driver, as we do get affected some years.
I’m also wondering about VOCs. While my monitor suggests they aren’t a major issue for me, I’m still interested in whether a carbon filter would be a worthwhile addition for an air purifier. I’ve read about the caveats with VOC monitoring, but having some level of VOC filtration could be worthwhile, especially given the wildfire smoke.
The main living area (joint living room/lounge) is approximately 40 square meters, with no door between them. The bedrooms are standard sizes and would likely be fine with a smaller, portable unit.
So, my main question for you now is: although reducing PM2.5 is my biggest concern, do you think a VOC (carbon) filter is worth it for me?
That’s understandable. After all, the lower the better! It’s also good to have some purifiers on hand in case you are impacted by wildfire smoke in the future.
From what I know of VOC filtration, it’s quite tough. Most air purifiers that come with a VOC filter (activated carbon filter) have relatively little surface area and it’s tough to judge exactly how effective these are. On top of that, there is only a finite amount that activated carbon can adsorb, meaning these filters lose performance over time. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell exactly how well they filter and equally difficult to tell when they need to be replaced. With that said, besides the extra cost that normally comes with these filters, there’s no downside to also having a carbon filter alongside a traditional HEPA filter!
Based on the performance figures of the Levoit, it should easily be able to handle a room this size.
As mentioned above, I think you should still focus on decreasing PM levels if possible. However, if a device that’s also performant for particles comes with a carbon filter (or has one as an optional addition), there’s no harm in also using one!
I’ve been following this thread and it’s been really helpful - thanks @Ethan for the HouseFresh recommendation, I’ve been going through their reviews this week.
I’m in a somewhat similar situation to @AirCritic but with a twist. I live in a 1960s ranch house in Northern California and this place leaks air pretty badly. We’re also in one of those areas that gets hit with wildfire smoke quite regularly now - last year we had orange skies for a few days straight and I could barely go outside. I ended up buying a bunch of box fans and taping filters to them, which actually worked okay but looked ridiculous and were super loud.
My living room/kitchen area is maybe 400 square feet, totally open. Two bedrooms around 130-160 square feet each. I don’t have any monitoring setup yet (probably should fix that) but I can tell when things get nasty as my eyes start watering and I get this scratchy throat feeling.
@Ethan would that Levoit you mentioned handle my main space? From what I can see, it can clean the air in a room that size around three times every hour. Is that enough?
also, do you have any recommendations for the bedrooms? I’m thinking something smaller and portable that I can move around if needed. Would getting two of the same model be better or is there a different unit that’s better suited for smaller rooms?
Budget’s around $300-400 for everything. Don’t care about smart features or apps, just want something that works and won’t keep me awake. The bedroom unit especially needs to be quiet because I sleep very lightly.
Before we even discuss air purifiers, I think it would be worth looking at what other steps you can take to reduce the number of particles in your home. There are two steps to this: reducing the particles that can enter your home, and then reducing the sources of particles within your home. You mentioned that the house leaks a lot of air - is there anything you can do to seal it better? Even taping around doors and windows can have quite a significant impact. If you can minimise the particles entering your home as much as possible, an air purifier will be much more effective.
As for the purifier itself, it sounds like the Levoit Vital 200S would also be a good choice for you. It’s capable of cycling the air even in your larger living room area, four to five times every hour, and it looks to have a decent filtration efficacy, too. While they did have to retract their claims about being HEPA 13, all of the tests that I’ve seen of the purifier point to it still being quite effective. With that said, since the room is larger and it sounds like you get pretty severe particle concentrations at times (from the wildfire smoke), it’s possible that the Vital may struggle during these worst-case scenarios. You mention not having an air quality monitor yet, so it’s hard to tell without knowing exactly how bad your indoor air quality is during these times, but I would lean towards recommending a more powerful purifier to be safe.
Unfortunately, air purifiers that are significantly more powerful tend to also be a lot more expensive. The Levoit Core 600S could also be worth a look, as it offers significantly improved performance without too much extra cost. The SmartAir Blast is a lot more powerful, but it’s also a lot more expensive. Then, you have a bunch of other purifiers at similar price points, but they all offer quite similar (or worse) performance.
As for the bedrooms, you could get away with something significantly less powerful. If you want to keep your devices the same (or at least within the same brand), you could get a Vital 200S for these rooms. If you would like to save some money (although it’s not too much cheaper), the AirFanta 3Pro could be a good choice. I reviewed the device here:
For a significantly lower price, it looks like the Winix A231 could also be worth looking into!
Hi Mike. I understand about living in a mid-century house in California, I’m in the same boat. With the walls having no insulation and old tongue in groove that is shrunk over time there is no way to seal the house properly. I’ve used the airfanta pro since its origin and I have been so impressed with it. It’s not the prettiest thing but having parrots and their dust also its has done an amazing job.
