Top Choices for HEPA Air Purifiers to Improve Your Home's Air Quality

Air purifiers are a great way to ensure that the air you breathe is pure and free from harmful bacteria, dust, and other particles. However, people may wonder if they truly live up to their claims. According to allergist and immunologist Purvi Parikh, M.D., HEPA air purifiers are effective for mold and animal allergies, but not for pollen or dust mites because they are too small for filtration. Despite this, once you start using an air purifier, you should notice an improvement in your allergy and asthma symptoms. Even if you do not have allergies or asthma, air purifiers can still be helpful for trapping particles from smoke and environmental pollution. They may even protect you against certain viruses and bacteria, depending on the size of the particle and the air purifier's capabilities.

When choosing an air purifier, the best option is to go for a device equipped with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. Such technology has the most proven efficacy for mold and animal allergies, as well as viruses, says Dr. Parikh. The HEPA filter can eliminate up to 99.97 percent of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns in size. If you're only investing in one air purifier, Dr. Parikh recommends placing it in your bedroom and sleeping with it turned on.

Here are some of the best air purifiers with HEPA filters:

• The Dyson air purifier uses a 360-degree air filtration system in addition to a HEPA filter. It oscillates 70 degrees to cover a larger surface area and can be used as a fan during summer months.
• The air purifier from Molekule removes 99.6 percent of viruses from a room up to 1,250 square feet in size. It operates silently with a Japanese-engineered EC motor and uses 90 percent less energy than typical air purifiers.
• The Medify air purifier can cover up to 500 square feet in just 30 minutes and 1,000 square feet in an hour, removing particles as small as 0.1 micron in size.
• The Levoit air purifier comes with a Core 300 filter to generally purify the air, a pet allergy filter to target pet allergens and dander, and a toxin absorber filter to remove smoke and volatile organic compounds. It is Energy Star Verified and operates silently on sleep mode.
• The slim HEPA purifier from Coway uses a four-stage filtration system and is equipped with a pollution sensor that adjusts as needed. It can filter up to 99.97 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger and has an LED display to let you know how clean the air is.
• The Toppin air purifier is a nightlight, essential oil diffuser, and air purifier in one. It can purify the air in up to 160 square feet of space and has three fan speeds. You can even drop in your favorite essential oils to diffuse throughout the room.

This air purifier will cover up to 465 square feet of space and will capture 99.97 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns in the process. It filters extra-large rooms up to five times per hour, which works out to 120 times per day. It's also backed with a five-year warranty if you're nervous to shell out a few hundred dollars for it.

An appealing feature of this air purifier is that it includes a washable activated carbon filter, which helps remove remove contaminants and impurities through chemical absorption. (With air purifiers that don't come with a washable filter, you should aim to replace your air purifier filter once a year.) The Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier can purify rooms up to 360 square feet and uses smart sensors to gauge the air quality and adjust automatically as needed.