This Old House Reviews Team

Portable air purifiers help reduce toxins and improve air quality in your home, office, or on the go. Read about our top portable air purifier choices here.

Clean, breathable air is important for your overall health. Whether you frequently travel for work or suffer from a respiratory condition, The This Old House Reviews team researched various products on Amazon to help you find the best portable air purifier for your needs. Continue reading to discover our top recommendations.

 

Buying Guide

Portable air purifiers provide convenient, on-the-go air purification. From output to charging method and overall style, here’s what to think about before you make a purchase.

• Size and weight: Size and weight are primary considerations for a portable air purifier. The lighter and smaller the air purifier, the more travel-friendly it is. However, smaller air purifiers won’t be able to purify as much air as larger and heavier units.

• Power source: Most air purifiers utilize a USB charger, lithium-ion batteries, or a standard plug for their power source. While you can take the latter with you on your travels, it must be plugged into an outlet to operate. Air purifiers that are powered via USB or lithium-ion batteries are designed for true on-the-go use.

• Output: Small, lightweight air purifiers won’t clean the air in a large room very efficiently, but they are useful to purify the air immediately around you—ideal if you’re driving or flying. Conversely, heavier air purifiers that plug into an outlet are designed to clean the air in much larger spaces, such as an entire living room, kitchen, or garage. 

• Noise: Air purifiers typically use a fan, which generates noise. The larger the fan, the louder the air purifier. Look for a decibel rating to compare the noise level of different air purifiers. 

• Filtration system: Many portable air purifiers boast a multi-filter purification system designed to trap harmful airborne particles and put out clean, fresh air. However, more robust and effective air purifiers will utilize a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate absorption) filter. 

 

Tips For Reducing Allergens  

Air purifiers can be a big help when it comes to reducing the number of allergens you breathe in, whether you’re at home or on the go. However, there are also several other steps you can take to ensure you’re breathing cleaner air. 

• Dust frequently: Dusting furniture, office desks, and chairs, and heavily trafficked areas frequently can help reduce the amount of allergens in your house. Some other areas to consider dusting often are curtains, ceiling fans, door handles, and windowsills. 

• • Wash sheets and pillowcases often: At home, dust mites can congregate on your bed, which can cause you to pick up harmful allergens as you sleep. To avoid this risk, try to be diligent about washing your bedsheets and pillowcases a minimum of once every week. You should also wash and dry your pillow bi-monthly. 
  • Check closely for pollutants: If your allergies flare up in one particular area, such as in your home, office, or car, examine that area closely for what could be causing the issue. Some common causes of allergies include aerosols, chemical fumes, cigarette smoke, cold air or wind, dust, paint, mold/mildew, perfume/cologne, pollen, or even insects like cockroaches. If your allergies are worse in one location, it’s likely because there is something specific causing it that is less present in other areas. 

• Be careful with plants: Plants make for great decoration at home or in the office, but certain plant types can bring in harmful allergens that can cause a flare up. Plants such as weeping figs, ferns, bonsai plants, and chrysanthemums are a few examples of plants that could cause your allergies to flare up. 

 

FAQs

• How do air purifiers work? 

Air purifiers work by filtering the air as an internal fan draws air into the purifier, filters it by one of several methods, and pumps it back into the surrounding air again. The best portable air purifier will utilize a true HEPA (high-efficiency particulate absorption) filter, which stops up to 99.9 percent of all particles that are 0.3 microns or greater in diameter. Replacement filters are required regularly as they become laden with captured particles that inhibit airflow through the filtration system. 

• Why is it important to purify the air around me? 

Airborne particulates frequently circulate the air that you breathe. These particulates include airborne mold, mildew, pet dander, dust mites, and other allergens. Though these particles are almost always invisible to the human eye, they’re easy to breathe into the lungs, exacerbating underlying respiratory issues. A portable air purifier will clean the air around you, ultimately helping you breathe in higher quality air.

• Are air purifiers safe around my pets and children? 

Yes, air purifiers are safe to use around pets and children. In fact, air purifiers can assist in keeping children healthy, especially those with asthma or mold allergies. Many purifiers not only remove tiny particles, allergens, pet dander, and molds from the air, but they also clean the air of unsavory odors that trigger an allergic reaction in some children.

 

Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations. 

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase. 

 

 

The This Old House Reviews Team provides overviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, hands-on testing in select cases, and other objective criteria unique to a given product line. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for DIY or other non-pro users only. Editor’s picks are made by members of the This Old House Reviews Team.