Compare Our Picks
Recommended With Reservations
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
BlueAir PetAir Pro for $500: As the owner of two cats, I really wanted to love Blueair’s PetAir Pro, a new addition to the growing market of pet-pitched air purifiers. The PetAir promises a unique pet-owner experience. It has a Pet Mode that senses when the pet is on the purifier, which quiets the fan speed and actual air cleaning capacity. It also has a pull-out prefilter that collects pet hair, an H13 HEPA, and a carbon activated filter to capture VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and odors. There’s even a storage space for toys. There are several things to consider regarding the PetAir. At less than 10 inches high, it sits at the ground level. If you’re looking for a pet-specific air purifier, then the fan/airflow placement might be ideal, and it can also effectively clean the air with the recommended five air exchanges per hour in a 260 square-foot-room. I prefer taller models, as they seem to react more quickly to air pollutants higher in the room like those created by cooking. Room placement is one of the reasons that diminutive air purifiers are often referred to as “tabletop” models, as they can get closer to breathing space. As for my two testers, I could not get either cat to lay on the bed, and my 30-pound dog was over PetAir’s weight limit of 25 pounds. I put catnip on the PetAir, then wondered if I had just created more particle pollution. I also physically put my cats on the purifier, hoping they would use it properly. They didn’t, but I did collect cat hair in the prefilter. For the money, I wish the PetAir had a built-in heated pet bed, as I am sure my cats would have used it for warmth. As any pet owner knows, pets do not always enjoy or use products designed for them.
Others We Tested
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Airthings Renew for $300: I wasn’t expecting to like the unassuming minimalist Renew from Airthings as much as I did. Its gray box design is so understated, quiet, and powerful that it was easy to plug it in and forget about it. The Renew is also the first purifier I’ve tested that gives the user three placement options: it can stand up with the air output facing up and sideways, and the entire box can lie on the floor. The Airthings app not only shows data graph style, but it also is a remote to adjust the purifier settings, including setting the panel lock, handy for cat owners. The control panel and the indicator light are barely there, and it’s not easy to see the tiny light letting me know my indoor air quality. At first, I thought the main drawback was size. The Renew is made for a bedroom, home office, or nursery. If you place it in a larger room, it’s going to have to run at its highest setting. The main drawback that I noticed after several months of use was the exterior prefilter. It did its job capturing pollutants, but I wasn't able to clean it. Unlike Blueair’s fabric exterior prefilters, which are machine washable, I was unable to effectively clean the Renew fabric cover, even with my vacuum.
Coway Airmega ProX for $999: The Coway Airmega ProX is the monolith your high-ceilinged home needs. If you’re living in an A-frame, double-height ceiling loft, or any home with a ceiling higher than 8 feet, the Coway Aimega ProX is for you. The ProX gives off a TARS robot from Interstellar meets giant stereo speaker vibe. It’s blend-into-the-room-mocha beige and can clean the air four times per hour in a 1,000-square-foot space when running at its highest setting. And even at its highest and therefore loudest setting, it hovers around 50 decibels, slightly louder than the sound of falling rain—making it one of the quieter large tower air purifiers I’ve tested. It also has a control panel lock that is a plus for parents and cat owners alike. However, even though the 50-pound ProX has hidden handles and built-in lockable wheels, it really is just too heavy for the home consumer.
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Coway Airmega 400S for $650: Coway has yet to make a bad air purifier, and the Airmega 400S is another banger from the air purifier innovators. The 400S checks all the boxes when it comes to features. It has a reliable auto mode that adjusts the fan speed according to the air quality using its built-in air quality sensor. It also has a timer to schedule one, four, or eight hours of running time. And while it has a serviceable app, its built-in air sensor and auto-adjust fan keep me from having to micromanage settings. The question is, can this air purifier do the job without me pushing buttons or checking the indoor air quality, and do it quietly? With the Airmega 400S, the answer is yes. I just wish its 15 x 23 x 15-inch dimensions didn't make it so hard to place in a room.
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