What are the best air purifiers for small rooms? In this post, we’re going to check out air purifiers, for small rooms.
And one interesting question we’re going to answer is:
Do you even need a small air purifier for a small room?
The answer is absolutely counterintuitive.
And, as an electrical engineer, it is my mission to spread the truth about small-room air purifiers.
So, let’s start.
Small Room = Small Air Purifier?
There’s a misconception about air purifiers that seems hard to grasp for most people. But it’s actually quite simple:
Even if you live in a small room, you don’t necessarily have to get an extra small air purifier.
Many other devices such as heaters or air conditioners have to fit the room’s size.
An air purifier does not have to fit your room’s size.
A regular air purifier that can purify the air in large rooms can just as well purify the air in a small room.
Benefits of Using Regular-Sized Air Purifiers in Small Rooms
A regular-sized air purifier filters through the air much faster than a small air purifier. You get clean air much faster.
With the shorter running time, you also get less electricity cost. And, due to the shorter running time, the overall noise exposure is much smaller.
On top of that, with a regular-sized air purifier, you are much more flexible. You can move rooms and it will still work as expected.
A small air purifier, on the other hand, will work in small rooms only. Small air purifiers unnecessarily restrict you.
That’s my philosophy.
Small Air Purifiers Are Worse by Design
Small air purifiers not only take much longer to filter air, they also have design flaws.
Air purifiers are devices that force air through filters.
So, the key component of an air purifier is the fan. And the key determinant of energy efficiency is airflow resistance.
Some resistance is determined by the filter you use. A good HEPA filter will, of course, have some air resistance.
But another large portion of air resistance is determined by the design and dimensions of the air purifier.
A large air purifier has much larger air intake holes. And also, the filter area is much larger.
Small air purifiers have small air intakes and a smaller filter surface area, which makes them inefficient.
So, it is not always the best decision to pick a small air purifier for a small room.
Oftentimes, and I’d even say usually, picking a regular-sized air purifier is still the best choice.
The key takeaway from this section:
You should only pick a small air purifier for your small room if you have severe size constraints. In any other case, a regular-sized air purifier is the much better choice.
Best Compact Air Purifiers for Small Rooms
Of course, there are great small air purifiers. But usually, regular-sized air purifiers (or at least compact air purifiers) are a much better choice.
So, we are not talking about big and bulky devices here! All of the air purifiers in this list still fit neatly in a cramped corner of a small room!
Let’s have a look at the three absolute best air purifiers for small rooms:
1. Best Overall: Levoit Core 300S
The best overall air purifier for small rooms is the Levoit Core 300 (click here to view it on amazon).
I have this same model myself. It fits neatly into every corner of a small room. You can even place it on a shelf.
The Levoit Core 300 is technically a very neat air purifier. It can filter your entire small room’s air thoroughly in under one hour. And you will notice the difference!
It has a great HEPA + activated carbon filter that does not only pick up tiny particles, pollen, and bacteria, but it can also absorb gases and odors.
There are two variants: The Core 300 and the Core 300S. The S-variant comes with smart home integration and is controllable via an app.
Personally, I don’t need those fancy features. So, I decided to get the simpler (and cheaper) Core 300!
2. Best Compact: Blueair Blue Pure 511
A bit smaller than the #1 air purifier, but with equal air purifying power is the Blueair Blue Pure 511 (click here to view it on amazon).
The Blueair Blue Pure is perfect for small rooms. Possibly even better than the Levoit Core 300 if your room is very small.
It is a compact air purifier, but it is still large enough to have all the advantages of regular-sized air purifiers.
So, if you have size constraints, consider getting the Blue Pure 511 instead of an extra small air purifier!
I like in particular that the Blueair Blue Pure air purifier does not have the traditional air intake holes. Instead, it comes with a washable pre-filter that covers largely open-air intakes.
It’s also a nice choice if you value design. The Blueair Blue Pure just looks good.
3. Best Quality: Coway Airmega 150
I honestly feel weird putting the Coway Airmega 150 (click here to view it on amazon) on rank 3.
It is an absolute compact beast of an air purifier. Coway produces great quality air purifiers with very good filters.
Although Coway is more expensive, their air purifiers provide so much value. The Coway Airmega 150 is one of the smaller models of the Airmega premium series.
It comes with built-in air quality monitoring and auto mode, which allows this air purifier to run fully autonomously without you having to turn it on and off manually.
The large Coway Airmega models are, in my opinion, too expensive. But the Coway Airmega 150 is a good bang for your buck.
So, if you can invest a bit more, I recommend this air purifier. Otherwise, get either the Levoit or the Blueair air purifier.
Best Extra-Small Air Purifiers for Small Rooms
If even the compact air purifiers from the previous section are too large for you and you prefer an extra-small air purifier, this section is for you.
Let’s have a look at the best small air purifiers for small rooms.
And, if you know this blog, you know I don’t tolerate bad products at all.
So, here are 3 small air purifiers with the best possible performance:
4. Extra-Small Allrounder: Levoit Core Mini
The Levoit Core Mini (click to view it on amazon) is, in principle, the exact same air purifier as the larger brother, the Levoit Core 300 (which I ranked #1 in this list). It’s just smaller.
The difference:
It takes up about half as much space as the larger Core 300. And you can really only use it in small rooms.
Although the Core Mini is ~50% smaller, the air purification coverage decreases by ~70%. That’s due to the smaller filter surface area and the smaller built-in fan. And that is exactly why I don’t recommend these extra-small air purifiers in general.
If your room is under 300 sq. ft. the Levoit Core Mini will work just fine.
But you should always prefer the larger compact models!
5. Extra-Small & Extra-Cheap: ToLife Air Purifier
The last small room air purifier I want to mention is this ToLife air purifier (click here to view it on amazon).
It comes with a HEPA filter (just like any other air purifier), so it purifies the air thoroughly. And it comes at a much lower cost than the other purifiers in this list.
Personally, I don’t like the futuristic design of it. And the touch control panel “hovers” above the fan’s opening, so it disturbs the airflow.
That’s not ideal.
It’s a good air purifier, especially if you want to save money, but not a great one.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a complete guide to selecting the best air purifiers for small rooms. Let’s summarize what we’ve learned:
- Size doesn’t necessarily matter: Even in a small room, a larger, regular-sized air purifier is often the better choice. They’re faster, more energy-efficient, and more versatile than their smaller counterparts.
- Benefits of Regular-Sized Air Purifiers: They offer speedy air purification, less electricity cost, and lower noise exposure. You’re also not boxed into using them only in small spaces, adding to their flexibility.
- Small air purifiers are limiting: While there are good small air purifiers, they are often less efficient and can only be used in small spaces. They should only be your pick if you have severe space constraints.
- Best Picks:
- Best Overall: Levoit Core 300S
- Best Compact: Blueair Blue Pure 511
- Best Quality: Coway Airmega 150
And if you absolutely need an extra-small air purifier, I’d recommend the Levoit Core Mini for its respectable performance in tight spaces.
Remember, it’s not just about getting an air purifier that fits your room but one that suits your needs. Make an informed choice, and breathe easy.