Everybody is stuck inside, and now our focus has switched from making hand sanitizer to protect us when we’re out to ensuring that our homes are squeaky clean for as long as this goes on.
Indoor air is dirty. Homes aren’t impenetrable fortresses of boxed air. Particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and vaporous chemicals seep in through our ventilation systems and the weatherstripping around windows. Indoor plastics, furniture, paint, and also flooring off-gas noxious fumes. An air purifier won’t do much good if you’re not vacuuming regularly and changing the filters in your home’s HVAC system, but if you live where there’s a lot of pollution or wildfires, it could help a lot.
These are our top air purifiers. We ran them in a polluted, poorly sealed New York City apartment and throughout Oregon during the wildfire season, in a series of living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. All of them provided significant anecdotal benefits, from stopping persistent coughs to helping us wake up with clearer sinuses and less-raspy throats.
If you’re looking for more home tips, take a peek at all of our buying guides for more.
Updated May 14, 2020: This story was updated to add the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool and to update prices and availability.
