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With Covid-19 cases rising due to the super transmissible Omicron variant, you’re most likely doing what you can to stay safe — which means voluntarily staying at home a little more often than usual now. If you’re looking for an easy way to make your work from home office a little more comfortable, or breathe a little easier in your cramped shared home spaces, air purifiers are the way to go. They may also help when it comes to viral circulation in the air indoors.
The best air purifiers can go a long way towards helping clear out and eliminate dangerous airborne germs and bacteria from the air. The CDC says air purifiers “can help prevent virus particles from accumulating in the air in your home”. This is particularly important when you can’t crack open a window during the cold winter months to get that air ventilation flowing around the house.
While currently, there haven’t been any air purifiers tested directly against the Covid-19 virus, most top-rated air purifiers will have efficient filters capable of capturing those pesky, tiny airborne particles similar to those that cause coronavirus. This has the added advantage of really giving your household air a good cleaning during general flu and allergy season.
Can running an air purifier protect the people in your home from getting Covid-19? Well, it’s complicated. The CDC says air purifiers can help “reduce the airborne concentration of the virus that causes Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2), which can reduce the risk of transmission through the air.” However, the agency says that even regularly using an air purifier or portable air cleaner is “not enough to protect yourself and your family from Covid-19.” You should still practice regular safety precautions, like washing your hands with soap and water (especially when returning from outside), using hand sanitizer when soap is not available, and wearing a face mask indoors when you have visitors who are at a higher-risk, or unvaccinated.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also cautions that “by itself, air cleaning or filtration is not enough to protect people from exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19.” But, they say that regular air filtration can be part of your household’s overall plan to reduce “reduce the potential for airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors.”
So overall, don’t think of air purifiers as an all-in-one solution or quick fix. No two air purifiers are the same, but one of the most important things to look for in the best air purifiers for viruses is the inclusion of a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. These filters can capture at least 99.97 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns, which includes most airborne pathogens. Not to mention, the CDC says these are the most effective on market for “trapping particles that people exhale when breathing, talking, singing, coughing, and sneezing.”
Looking for an easy and effective way to eliminate virus-causing germs and bacteria from your air? These are some of the best air purifiers for viruses to buy online.
This EnviroKlenz air purifier easily gives the biggest one-two cleaning punch to any home. Unlike other air cleaners, it uses both HEPA filters and UVC bulbs to provide germicidal irradiation while it eliminates bacteria from the air. The company says recent testing also showed a 99.9 percent reduction rate for viruses as small as 0.025 microns in size (about 1/4 the size of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and influenza particles, so quite useful for cold and flu season, too).
While the FDA hasn’t verified these claims yet, the results suggest that EnviroKlenz’s air cartridge could, at the very least, be an effective way to capture and filter out pathogens similar in size to the coronavirus, especially with airborne transmission being the main way Covid-19 infections happen.
But the added HEPA filter gives it an extra advantage in addition to warding off germs and viruses, as it can capture dust, allergens, pet dander, and other microorganisms. If you live an area where smoke and forest fires are common, the purifier’s four-speed blower can also help remove noxious odors and chemicals from the air. Two 9-watt UVC bulbs help provide additional internal cleaning of the system, and helpful indicator lights will let you know when the UVC lamps need to be replaced.
Buy Enviroklenz Mobile UV Model $799
Sleek and stylish, Coway’s newest air purifier that debuted at last year at CES is truly the future of smart home upgrades, delivering the the same stellar cleaning performance, only a little smarter.
You’ll get the same three-stage filtration process that Airmega line is known for, except the company claims this model’s filter can capture up to 99.999 percent of nano-sized particles down to 0.001 microns (that’s even smaller than most allergens, bacteria, and viruses). That’s a huge upgrade, but what’s an even bigger upgrade are the added features.
The IconS will be the first air purifier with a wireless charging station — located on top, the platter can charge up your smartphone or other Qi-enabled device. The air purifier will also be compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, and an energy-saving air quality monitor adjusts the fan speed to match the air quality in your room.
Coway says the Airmega IconS can cover up to a whopping 700 square feet of space, making it great for a main living room small apartment. We like the gorgeous modern design, which also happens to be water and stain-repellent.
Buy Coway Airmega IconS Purifier $559
The Winix 5500-2 is a filtration powerhouse, and while it may not have the most “smart” bells and whistles, its unique method of breaking down odors, allergens, and other pollutants makes it an excellent choice in our books.
With a four-stage filtration system that uses a HEPA filter (recommended for filtering particles like Covid-19) for eliminating 99.97 percent of airborne allergens as small as 0.3 microns, a pre-filter for large particles, and a carbon filter for odors, the standout, though, is the plasma filter. Winix says its “PlasmaWave” technology safely eliminates pollutants without any harmful ozone.
What you won’t find: voice commands, app control, or any superfluous features, but that’s the way we like it. It does have a handy smart sensor that gauges the air quality and adjusts accordingly, as well as a sleep mode for energy-efficient nighttime operation. Combined with a manual timer and filter status update lights, this minimalist air cleaner is a worthwhile buy for a reason.
Buy Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier $145.00
The Dyson Purifier Cool TP09 isn’t just a regular air purifier — it’s a cool air purifier, quite literally doubling as a cooling fan when it’s not working overtime as an expertly-designed bacteria-eliminator. Frequently sold out, this popular Dyson model recently got a major upgrade in the form of a sensor that detects and eliminates formaldehyde from from your carpets and rugs.
When it comes to everyday filtration, the Purifier Cool TP09’s HEPA H13 filter is also 99.95 effective at removing particles down to 0.1 micron, and 99.97 percent of particles down to 0.3 microns. To prevent these pollutants from leaking back into the air, the body is also fully sealed, so what goes inside stays inside.
But what we love is the unique design, which Dyson says projects out powerful circulation so it can capture and draw in air that purifies all the far corners of your room. The same design can cool you down when needed with fan that runs 77 gallons of air through per second.
With additional smart capabilities like hands-free voice control and air quality monitoring on the app, the Dyson Purifier Cool TP09’s versatility is still unmatched.
Buy Dyson Purifier Cool TP09 $649.99
When Blueair isn’t specializing in clearing your space out of pet hair and dander, the exceptionally silent performance combined with an intuitive auto mode of their Blue Pure 311 Auto means you’ll barely notice when its running — but the air quality around your home will let you know its getting the job done right.
Using electrostatic filtration, the Blue Pure 311 Auto works with the particle filter to remove 99.97 percentage of airborne particles down to 0.1 micron, like pollen, dust, and most importantly, viruses. When tested against particles from wildfires (where are larger, often 2.5 microns), the special fabric pre-filter could also remove up to 99 percent of them within 60 minutes.
This combination of filters makes it remarkably quiet, cleaning the air with a sound level equivalent to a soft whisper (23-53 dB). You’ll also get all the power of a top air purifier in one energy-saving package, since it runs up to 40 percent more efficiently than standard models.
While the auto mode can adjust to real-time conditions in any space based on a particle sensor, we recommend this purifier for medium-sized rooms like bedrooms, living rooms, or playrooms. For clean air without any complications, the Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto can’t be beat.
Buy Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto $249.99
LG AeroTower Air Purifying Fan
If you’re looking for an air purifier that doubles as a fan, choose the LG AeroTower Air Purifying Fan.
It’s got true HEPA filtration to rid your home of any bacteria as well as LG’s UVNANO LED which the brand says kills 99.99% of germs and bacteria found on the fan’s blades.
It’s also designed to offer 818 square feet of coverage — this should be enough for your home office, bedroom, kid’s room or even your city studio apartment.
Other features include whisper-quiet operation and an LCD display that provides you with real-time air quality ratings. If you’re looking for an all-in-one fan plus air purifier, this one from LG will work well for your space.
Buy LG AeroTower Air Purifying Fan $399.78