Air Purifiers For Your Home That Won't Break The Bank

When it comes to living well, there are few things that have a bigger influence on your overall well-being than the air that you breathe. Poor air quality can have a negative impact on both your lifespan and quality of life. Pair this realization with the fact that we spend 90% of our time inside, and it becomes abundantly clear that it is imperative to focus on fresher indoor air. Regardless of what location you live in or the specifics of your actual dwelling place, adding a quality home air purifier can be an important step on the path to better breathing. Even if you do everything in your power to keep your home clean, there's nothing quite as powerful as an air purifier to help eliminate bad smells and prevent dust from accumulating. But with hundreds of seemingly good models on the market, where should you begin?

Before deciding what particular air purifier you want for your home, it's a good idea to have a general idea of what an air purifier does. Most air purifiers clean the air by drawing it through a filter that removes the majority of allergens and debris that you'd otherwise breathe in. The air that is then returned to the room is cleaner and of better quality for breathing. Whether you need an air purifier for a small or large room, one that is capable of filtering pet dander, an energy-conscious model, or one that operates without a filter, the following list of options under $350 can help you find the right purifier to improve your home's air quality.

If you live in a small space and are wanting to boost your indoor air quality, you can achieve this with the Shark HP102 Clean Sense IQ Air Purifier ($149.99 from Amazon). Despite being highly affordable, its performance is something that might turn heads: capable of purifying air in rooms up to 500 square feet, it works with a Nanoseal Filter (HEPA technology), which stops 99.98% of particles, including dust, airborne odors, air pollutants, pet dander, and smoke. The filters for the HP102 need to be replaced every 6-12 months and cost $69.98. 

Customers who have purchased the Shark HP102 are pleased with the features on the purifier, including its quiet operation, as well as how small the model is. They also praise it for making a noticeable difference in their indoor air quality. One Amazon customer writes, "The effectiveness of this air purifier is beyond impressive. It works around the clock to capture and filter out dust, allergens, pet dander, and other airborne particles, creating a noticeably fresher and cleaner atmosphere. I keep it in 'Auto' mode and it's impressive how the machine immediately begins to work harder when cooking, lighting candles or dogs begin to run around it."

Larger spaces have more air to clean, meaning that it's important to have a powerful enough purifier to tackle the square footage. Luckily, Blueair's Blue211+ Air Purifier is capable of handling a space up to 2,640 square feet in an hour, which is as large as many homes. With an affordable price ($278.79 on Amazon), it offers impressive performance, removing 99.97% of particles in your indoor air, including viruses, pet dander, odors, smoke, and dust. The manufacturer of Blue211+ recommends that the filter, available for $59.99, be replaced every six months in order to ensure optimal performance.

Customers who have purchased the Blue211+ rave about its overall operation, saying that it is quiet, improves the air quality, and doesn't look like an eyesore in their room. One Amazon customer writes that even when operating in a large, open area, the air purifier works very well: "This runs in our open living room/dining room/kitchen space. The result is that all our puppy smells are gone, the air feels clean, and it runs quietly in the background. I can just forget about it."

If you have a furbaby (or babies), you know how lovable your pets are. You also know how they can diminish your air quality. Even if you've gotten used to the smell of your retriever or your cat's litter box, those odors in the air are bad signs for your air quality. Fortunately, the Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier is a powerhouse when it comes to battling your pet's smells. Currently priced at $179 on Amazon, this air purifier is capable of cleaning the air in a space up to 360 square feet. It uses a true-HEPA filter to remove 99.97% of the pollutants in your air (including pet dander, dust mites, and more). For the best performance, the brand recommends that you replace the HEPA filter (available for $40.91) once every 12 months, as well as the carbon filter twice annually.

Pet lovers who have chosen the Winix 5500-2 say that it has reduced the smell of pet odors and amount of fur in the air, which is a huge plus for anyone used to living with animals. One particular review on Amazon states, "This air purifier is simply amazing. Me and my wife purchased this due to our two dogs (Husky mix and a Shiba Inu) constantly shedding to the point you could visibly see hair floating through the air. While running one of these in our living room (which exceeds the 360 sq. ft. rating of the purifier) is not the end-all solution to the shedding, it has drastically increased the air quality."

If you're in the market for an air purifier that is both affordable and energy efficient to run, you'll likely be impressed by the Levoit Core300-P Air Purifier ($78.99 on Amazon). It's capable of cleaning a space up to 1,095 square feet in size and boasts both discrete operation (24 dB on the quietest setting), and approval by a number of energy certifications, including the EPA and Energy Star. It's ideal for filtering out 0.1-0.3μm airborne particles by 99.97%. For best operation, you should replace the filter every 6-8 months (available for $23.99 on Amazon), but the low cost of Levoit's filters makes this less of a hassle.

Customers of the Core300-P love everything about this purifier, giving it an 82% 5-star average on Amazon. They specifically mention that it is very quiet, takes up little space despite working incredibly well, and reduced allergies. One Amazon customer writes, "The air purifier's coverage area is impressive, efficiently purifying the air in my bedroom without any strain. I've noticed a significant reduction in airborne allergens, making it easier for me to breathe, especially during allergy seasons."

While most air purifiers work by using a HEPA filter to get allergens and pollutants out of the air, there are a handful of models that have been specifically designed to operate sans pricey filters. Airfree's Iris 3000 is one of the better-reviewed models in this category of filter-free purifiers, and is available on Amazon for $319. According to the product information, it uses a ceramic core to heat the air up to 400 degrees, thereby sterilizing it before cooling it back down and sending it back into the home. The product specifications say that it is suitable for rooms up to 650 square feet, and that it is appropriate for pet owners as well as individuals seeking relief from mold and other dangerous allergens.

This product has a 66% 5-star rating on Amazon, and customers who are pleased with the purchase confirm that it was successful when it came to combating mold and mildew odors. One Amazon reviewer states, "We had water damage in a small bedroom and could not get rid of the mold and mildew smell even after repairs. After a few days of using this purifier, the mold smell was greatly reduced, and after a week it was gone completely. We leave it in that room and the smell has never returned. We also keep one in our master bedroom and it keeps the room air very clean."