Best Air Purifiers for Small Apartments

The short answer

• Bedroom up to about 200 sq ft (19 m²): Levoit Core 300S.
• Living room up to about 350 sq ft (33 m²), anywhere: Levoit Core 400S.
• Living room in the US, if you prefer a long-selling design: Coway Airmega AP-1512HH.

Before you buy any purifier, deal with the source and ventilate. A purifier comes third. How to improve air quality in a small apartment explains the order.

Size it with the two-thirds rule

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) advises a smoke CADR of at least two-thirds of the room's floor area in square feet, assuming an 8-foot ceiling. Choose above the minimum for a bedroom, so the purifier can run on a quiet setting. The air purifier room size guide works out your number.

Side by side

Where they differ

Size and fit

The Core 300S is the smallest and fits on a bedside table or floor corner. The Core 400S and the Coway are floor units for living rooms. The Coway is wider and shallower; check where it will stand.

Performance

The Core 300S lists a CADR of 141 cfm, which suits rooms up to about 210 sq ft by the two-thirds rule. The Core 400S is listed by ENERGY STAR at a smoke CADR of 231, and the Coway lists 233, so both suit rooms of about 350 sq ft.

Running costs

All three run for hours a day, so check filter prices before you buy. Power use differs too: Levoit lists 23 W for the Core 300S, and Coway lists up to 77 W for the AP-1512HH. Work out the yearly cost with the electricity cost calculator.

Extras

The Coway includes an ionizer, which it calls a bipolar device. The US EPA advises avoiding air cleaners that deliberately produce ozone; check the manual for how to switch the ionizer off if you prefer.

The picks in detail

Mistakes to avoid

• Trusting the biggest room figure on the box. It may assume one air change an hour. Use the two-thirds rule instead.
• Putting it in a corner behind furniture. Air needs to flow in and out. Leave space around it.
• Forgetting the filters. A clogged filter cleans less. Note the date you fit each one.
• Running it with the window open. That is ventilation, which is good, but the purifier then cleans outdoor air too. Run it with windows closed.

Getting the most from it

Run it continuously on a low setting in the room you use most, usually the bedroom at night. Use auto mode if it has an air quality sensor. A smart plug can switch on a model without its own app before you get home; see smart plugs for beginners.

Running costs

Most small purifiers use little power on low, but they run for many hours, so efficiency matters. ENERGY STAR certified models are tested for both cleaning performance and efficiency. Filters are the larger running cost: check the replacement price and how often the maker says to change them before you buy.

Which should you choose?

Measure the room you will use it in, apply the two-thirds rule and go one size up for a bedroom. If you are in the UK, check that the model you choose is sold with a UK plug and that its CADR is listed in m³/h; one cfm is about 1.7 m³/h.

How we chose

These are research-based recommendations: we compared published specifications, maker documentation and the features that matter in a small home. We have not tested them hands-on. All three are named models; specifications come from the makers and ENERGY STAR. Versions can differ by country, so check the listing in your own store.