Having the best air purifier in the home can help to remove potentially dangerous pollutants, reduce stifling allergies and eliminate nasty odours from the air.
Rather worryingly the air inside could be worse than the outdoors. Yep. Indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outside, so it’s important to clean the air in your home efficiently. With central heat set to come on soon (if it hasn't already), a change in seasons and some of us still working from home, an air purifier will be just to the ticket to a cleaner, and healthier, home.
To help you hone in on the vast number of air purifiers available to buy, we have done the due diligence to not only compare the best air purifiers on your favourite retailer sites, but to also review them ourselves in our own homes. This will mean that whichever air purifier you opt for, you can buy with confidence that it'll do a good job.
Prefer to just keep your air cool? No worries: check out our best fan guide for our pick of the top floor fans, desk fans (and more) to keep you cool.
What is the best air purifier?
The best air purifier (in our opinion) is the Dyson HP04 Pure Hot + Cool Fan Heater Air Purifier, which is available to . Our reviewer LOVED how effectively it cooled, heated and purified the air in their home during tested. And, with it's smart capabilities, means that it can be controlled hand-free from wherever you are in the room thank to voice control.
The best air purifier buys: ranked
1. Blueair Classic 480i Air Purifier
Best air purifier (over all): it can handle large rooms up to 40m2
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Our top choice is also our Real Homes Awards winner for the best cleaning product. Yep, it's one of the more expensive on our list but it's a great product so worth it (honest!)
The Classic 480i certainly has a presence and is the heaviest on our list, but this means that it can purifier more air in a larger room (up to 40m2 in this case). On it's lowest setting it can be set to run already and not rack up your energy bills either as it uses the equivalent amount of energy to that of having four LED light bubs on all day.
To use, the Classic 480i will need to be set up through an app which allows you to both control and, more impressively, monitor the results of the purifier.
Real Homes rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
2. Dyson HP04 Pure Hot + Cool Fan Heater Air Purifier
Best air purifier for all seasons: it's a fan, heater AND air purifier so it's perfect for year-round use
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Our second choice of the best air purifier is this 3-in-1 machine which will cool, heat and purifier the air in your home. The sealed HEPA filter in the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool™ purifier claims to remove 99.95% of allergens and pollutants, whilst being ultra family-friendly with no blades. It also has an Auto mode and Sleep mode, too, so it can maintain the air quality and temperature every day (and night) of the year without you having to lift a finger.
To control it, all you'll need to do is download and use the Dyson Link app for real-time reports on indoor and outdoor air quality, temperature, humidity and filter life.
Real Homes rating: 5 out of 5 stars
3. Blueair Blue Pure 411 Air Purifier
Best air purifier on a budget: a fantastic value option which doesn't compromise on performance
Specifications
Reasons to buy
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Next up is another option from Blue Air and this one claims our spot for the best value for money. It's a top choice for small bedrooms and spaces up to 15m2 which will completely filter the room air every 12 minutes, lowering particle levels and creating a comfortable home environment.
It's small in statue measuring 42cm in height and is super quiet (something reviewers love). The three speed settings get louder as you crank it up but only up to 46dB and it will remove three common particles – smoke, dust and pollen – which will go a long way in helping to provide some relief to allergies.
4. Dyson Pure Cool Me Purifying Fan
Best air purifier which is small and cooling: it's easily portable, too
Specifications
Reasons to buy
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If you want to keep cool whilst having the air purified then this is the best option for you. It's been engineered to help improve your air quality with a sealed filter which combines an activated carbon and glass HEPA layer to capture gases and 99.95% of ultra fine particles. Such pollutants include pollen and allergens, VOCs and household cooking odours.
It features 10 speed settings, Dyson Core Flow Technology so you can direct the air flow and oscillation capabilities which will help to circulate the clean air round the room.
5. Homedics TotalClean PetPlus AT-PET02A-GB Air Purifier
Best air purifier for homes with pets: it offers good value for money, too
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Just as with the Dyson Pure Cool Me, this Homedics air purifier also outputs cool air but has a range of settings to suit your requirements, if you need. It will remove up to 99.97% of airborne allergens, even those which are as small as 0.3 microns. This includes pollens, allergens, germs, pet dander and PetPlus odour filtration.
It's ideal for rooms up to 17.5m2 and where your furry friends reside the most so it will help the whole family to breathe easy. Reviewers love how quiet and stylish this air purifier is, too.
How do I get the right-sized machine?
Air purifiers operate up to a maximum floor space so the best thing to do here is to measure your space in m2 to give you the best indication of the model you need. Ceiling heights are much of a muchness but if you're lucky enough to live in a grand Edwardian or Victorian home then it may be worth allowing for this when you come to hone in on your options.
How much should I spend on an air purifier?
It really depends on the room size you want to purify the air in. For one room, we would recommend a budget of around the £150-mark. And if you want to clean a much large space then £500-or-so should do the trick.
