The 4 Best Air Purifiers For Pets - Fall 2024

The best air purifier for pets we've tested is the Winix 5500-2. Despite this device's relatively small size, it has a good clean air delivery rate, making it an efficient option for larger rooms. It has a particle ionizer, which you can turn on or off depending on your preference, as well as a built-in air quality sensor that adjusts its fan speed in real time depending on ambient particle levels. There's also a multi-stage filtration system incorporating a HEPA-rated main filter, a washable mesh pre-filter to trap larger clumps of fur, and a carbon filter to minimize odors. That said, like most commercial air purifiers, this latter layer doesn't contain enough carbon to have much of an impact.

This unit lacks Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can't operate it while you're away from home. If that's a must-have feature, the Levoit Vital 200S is an attractive alternative that's also among the best air purifiers for pet hair we've tested. It delivers similar overall particle filtration performance, but it's worth noting that the Levoit purifier's main filter isn't HEPA-rated.

If you want to spend less on an air purifier for pets and don't mind sacrificing a bit of performance, the Levoit Core 300 is a great option. Unlike the Winix 5500-2, it doesn't have a built-in particle sensor that would allow it to adjust its fan speed in real time, and its pre-filter isn't washable under water, which can make it a little harder to clear away any larger clumps of fur. While the Levoit's default filter isn't HEPA-rated, it's just as good as the Winix in trapping small airborne particles like pet dander. However, it isn't as powerful a device, and its clean air delivery rate is significantly lower, making it far less efficient for bigger rooms.

On the upside, it has a smaller overall footprint than the Winix, so it's easier to fit into smaller spaces or even on top of a nightstand or dresser. It's also fully compatible with a more specialized '3-Stage Pet Allergy Filter,' which the manufacturer claims will provide superior pet dander filtration and reduce pet odors more effectively. You can buy the filter on Levoit's website. Alternatively, you could also consider the Levoit Core P350, a variant of the Core 300 that comes pre-installed with the 3-Stage Pet Allergy Filter and also has a control lockout function to prevent your cat or dog from brushing against the machine and accidentally turning it off. It'll deliver otherwise identical performance to the standard unit, so get whichever is cheaper at the moment.

If you're looking for an air purifier with the latest and greatest convenience features and don't mind spending more for the privilege, the NuWave OxyPure is among the best air purifiers for pet odors we've tested. Right off the bat, there's no denying that this is a very pricey machine; buying multiple Winix 5500-2 units and setting them up around your home would set you back roughly the same amount as a single NuWave. In terms of particle filtration performance, while this air purifier is better than the Winix at trapping fine particles and delivering clean air, the advantage still doesn't align with the price gap.

Instead, its main advantage lies in its unique multi-stage filtration system, in which almost every single filter inside is washable and reusable, so you won't have to replace the main filter like you would with other units. This system comprises a stainless steel mesh pre-filter that can easily trap clumps of hair, two 'Bio-Guard' filters (for mold, viruses, and bacteria), an ozone filter, and a HEPA/pellet-type activated carbon filter. Except for the HEPA/activated carbon filter, which needs replacing every year, these filters have a 20-year lifespan, only requiring a wash every couple of months, keeping recurring costs to a minimum. This air purifier is also Wi-Fi enabled, so you can operate it remotely using the NuWave Connect companion app, letting you check the quality of your home's air while you're away, set cleaning schedules, or change the device's settings.

What if you have several heavily shedding pets or require cleaner air in a large space? Are you not picky about looks or operating noise? If you answered yes to some or all of the above, you could consider building your own Corsi-Rosenthal Box! You can build this do-it-yourself solution by following this guide, which combines a quartet of MERV 13 3M Filtrete air filters with a Lasko 20-inch box fan. However, this isn't a do-it-all solution; unlike something like the NuWave OxyPure or Winix 5500-2, it's majorly lacking in terms of convenience features. Most Corsi-Rosenthal box designs lack a carbon filter to trap pet odors, and there's no particle sensor or Wi-Fi connectivity. Corsi-Rosenthal boxes also tend to be pretty noisy due to their large box fans — some users have gotten around this by using multiple PC fans instead of a single large box fan to reduce noise and energy consumption. However, we haven't tested a Corsi-Rosenthal box with this design yet.

That said, the Corsi-Rosenthal Box handily outperforms every conventional air purifier we've tested in terms of actual performance. It has a very high clean air delivery rate and exceptional particle filtration performance, so it'll have no trouble trapping finer allergens like pet dander. While it might hurt its performance, you can tape mesh filters to the outside of the furnace filters to trap any larger clumps of pet hair or dust bunnies.