The 4 Best Air Purifiers For Bedrooms - Fall 2024

The best air purifier for bedrooms we've tested is the NuWave OxyPure. This premium model is remarkably quiet at lower fan speeds, making it an ideal fit for overnight use. Its bulky footprint makes it hard to fit into smaller bedrooms; however, there's no contesting that it performs remarkably well, providing a high clean air delivery rate and superb particle filtration. Instead of conventional replaceable filters, most of the NuWave model's filters are washable and reusable. This system comprises a stainless steel mesh pre-filter, two ‘Bio-Guard’ filters for viruses and bacteria, an ozone filter, and a combined HEPA/pellet-type activated carbon filter. Except for the HEPA/activated carbon filter, which you need to replace every year, the manufacturer advertises these parts to have a 20-year lifespan, requiring only periodic washing.

It features a bevy of particle sensors and a few fully automatic operating modes, allowing it to adjust its fan speed in real-time based on current ambient particle counts, so there's no need to wake up and make any adjustments if air quality takes an overnight dive. It's also Wi-Fi enabled, so you can operate it remotely using the NuWave Connect companion app. If you're looking for another high-end air purifier, the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde BP04/BP03 is a solid option that's even quieter at its highest fan speed compared to the NuWave. That said, its overall air purification performance is inferior.

Look at the Levoit Vital 200S for a less expensive air purifier. It runs almost as quietly as the NuWave OxyPure at its lowest fan speed, so it's just as discrete when running it later at night. It also features a built-in light sensor, which turns off the display when you bring it into a dark room; that said, there's no quick way of activating this function, as you can only enable it through the Levoit VeSync companion app. The app also lets you monitor air quality in real time. Another minor downside is that it has a slightly simpler filtration system compared to the NuWave OxyPure, with no extra 'BioGuard' or ozone filters. Its main filter isn't HEPA-rated, though this unit is just as capable as alternatives in trapping fine airborne allergens like pet dander.

Still, if you want a device with a HEPA-rated filter, the Winix 5500-2 is a stellar alternative that also delivers excellent overall particle filtration. It operates just as quietly and is similar in dimensions. However, unlike the Levoit, the Winix has a built-in ionizer. This system imparts a negative charge to smaller airborne particles, causing them to stick together and fall out of the air, where you can then dust or vacuum them away. Unfortunately, these systems also produce ozone as an operating byproduct, which can irritate your respiratory system. Thankfully, you can easily turn off the ionizer with no significant impact on particle filtration performance.

If you want to spend less on an air purifier for use in bedrooms and don't mind sacrificing some smart features, the Levoit Core 300 is a great option. Unlike the Levoit Vital 200S, it has no Wi-Fi connectivity and no built-in particle sensors; in real-world terms, that means you can't operate the device remotely using your smartphone, and it's incapable of automatically adapting to air quality changes in real time.

That said, this simpler air purifier has got it where it counts. It has a smaller overall footprint than the Vital 200S, making it easier to fit in smaller rooms or on a nightstand or shelf. It also delivers good overall air purification performance, though admittedly not when the device is running at its lowest possible fan speed. All the same, this won't be a huge issue if you leave it running all night.

The Levoit Core 200S is the best air purifier for a small room we’ve tested. This device is even more compact than the Levoit Core 300, allowing you to fit it even more easily in areas where space is at a premium. However, it lags behind its bigger sibling in raw performance. It does a worse job of trapping the smallest airborne particles, and its clean air delivery rate is a little on the lower end of the scale. It also runs slightly louder at its lowest fan speed, though even then, its operating noise is only as loud as light rain falling against your window, so it isn't likely to keep you up at night.

Unlike the Core 300, the Core 200S is Wi-Fi enabled, which allows you to change device settings, set operating schedules, and send filter replacement or cleaning notifications through the VeSync companion app. However, there's no particle sensor, so the device can't automatically adapt to real-time changes in ambient particle levels. You also can't monitor air quality yourself.