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5 Great HEPA Air Purifiers for Homes

If you’re trying to figure out which is the best HEPA air purifier for a large room, such as a primary bedroom or living room, you’ll find out here.

If you have asthma, allergies to dust, pollen, pet dander, or want to reduce the spread of viruses in your household, HEPA can help so much. These machines are are designed to capture particles as small as 0.3 microns in a filter with an efficiency of 99.97% to improve your indoor air quality.

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Check out our favorites here. Or scroll down for in-depth reviews. You can also read more about how we choose products.

Top view of HEPA air purifier with controls

Why You Need a HEPA Purifier

Any household will benefit from having a HEPA air purifer or two. I have four – two upstairs and two down.

When the pandemic started, I wanted a way to let contractors into my home safely. I did a lot of research on HEPA and realized they could not only help stop viruses, but also the dust allergens that plague my existence. Here’s what I learned.

HEPA reduces the spread of airborne viruses and bacteria. Are you tired of catching respiratory viruses or norovirus (“stomach flu”) every time anyone in your household gets them? These units reduce the spread of those and other illnesses.

These purifiers will reduce allergens in the air, including pet dander.If you have allergies, they’re such a big help. You may even find they improve your sleep quality by reducing nightly post-nasal drip coughs.  

If you have asthma, improving indoor air quality is one of the best things you can do for your health. These units will reduce pollutants that trigger attacks.

They reduce pollutants from wildfires. If you leave in an area that has raging wildfires for a couple of weeks. Every year, these filters will greatly reduce the pollutants that come into your home.

How Does HEPA Work?

True HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are designed to remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles that are 0.3 microns or larger in size. This includes particles such as dust, pollen, pet dander, and some types of bacteria and viruses.

To qualify as a true HEPA filter, it must meet the standards set by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and be able to capture 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger in size. These standards are based on the most penetrating particle size (MPPS), which is the particle size that is most difficult to capture.

What to Look For in an Air Purifier for a Bedroom

When you’re choosing a HEPA air purifier to buy, one of the first things to look at is what room size they are recommended for. While any air purifier will eventually clean all the air in a given room, it needs to do that at least a couple of times an hour to be of much use.

And that’s why different units are rated for different sized rooms. This article focuses on the best HEPA purifiers for large rooms, such as living rooms, large primary bedrooms, etc.

Ionizers are not necessarily a plus! Obviously opinions differ on this, but some ionizers produce ozone as a byproduct, which can irritate the lungs and worsen asthma symptoms. And they don’t make HEPA more effective. The units with ionizers that I’ve included have manufacturers claiming they have been tested and don’t put out ozone.

Some units offer a UVC feature. UVC (ultraviolet C) light is a type of ultraviolet light that kills bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms near it. The problem with UVC is that if it’s not properly used, it can damage your skin and eyes. And while killing pathogens sounds great, it’s actually not as efficient as a filter that pulls them in.

Other things to consider include the cost and frequency of filter replacement for each model you’re looking at. For many units, you can get generic filters, but read reviews to make sure people who’ve tried them are happy with them.

The noise level also matters. Air purifiers usually have multiple speeds, and the higher ones are louder, but you shouldn’t need them all the time at home. If you’re going to put it in a bedroom, it’s gotta be quiet enough to let you sleep.

Some features to look at: multiple speeds, automatic shut-off, scheduling through an app (requires wifi) and air quality sensors (which turn up the fan speed as needed) can be good to have.

One last consideration: if you have central heat and air, and you use the higher grade filters to catch allergens, and you change them as often as you should, then you may be able to get by with a lesser HEPA unit. I do this

Best HEPA Air Purifiers for Small to Medium Rooms

Levoit Replacement Filters

Check out the Levoit filters for this unit. Note that there are also generic filters made for it that get good reviews.

BlueAir Replacement Filters

Here's the genuine BlueAir filter for this unit. These generic filters also get good reviews.

Coway Replacement Filters

Check out the Coway replacement filter, and also this generic version.

Honeywell Replacement Filters

See Honeywell's replacement filter options here. Note that Honeywell recommends you don't buy generics, but here's one generic filter with great reviews.

Bissell Replacement Filters