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The Best HEPA Air Cleaners for Home UV Odor Allergens

For people with allergies, asthma and odor sensitivities, an air cleaning solution may provide relief when used with environmental controls including ventilation and removal of irritant sources. Clean surfaces frequently, launder bed linens in hot water and don't smoke in the home. (See References 1, 2, 4) When used with measures like these, air cleaners with HEPA and other features can reduce or remove smoke, allergens and many odors from indoor air. (See references 1, 4, pp. 44-46)

  1. Portable HEPA Purifiers

    • Consumer Reports ranks the Whirlpool AP51030K and the Hunter 30547 as "excellent" at high speed and "very good" at low speed for dust, pollen and smoke removal. (See References 4, p. 46) The Whirlpool model features 99.97% true HEPA .3 micron filtration, 4 fan speeds, and a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) rating of 315. This purifier sells for $350 as of February 2011. (See Resources 1) The Hunter Air removes 99.97% of particles and has a permanent washable HEPA filter and an activated carbon pre-filter. The unit exchanges the air six times per hour and retails for $420 as of February 2011. (See Resources 2)

    Portable HEPA with Activated Carbon

    • For allergens and odor removal, Consumer's Digest rates the IQAir HealthPro Plus as their top choice for HEPA with odor removal. The medical-grade filter removes particles as small as .003 microns, cleans 1000 square feet, has six fan speeds, HEPA filtration and a V5-cell module with five pounds of activated carbon. The purifier sells for $899 as of February 2011. (See References 6)

    Portable HEPA with UV

    • Some HEPA purifiers have UV or ultraviolet filters --- also known as UVGI or ultraviolet germicidal irradiation --- to target airborne bacteria and molds. The EPA states that UV lights on most home products have insufficient UV exposure time for effectiveness against viruses, bacteria and molds. (See References 1)

    AHAM and CADR standards

    • When purchasing a portable air purifier, buyers can refer to ratings by the American Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) for clean air delivery rate (CADR), which provides numeric figures on the air cleaning performance of the unit regardless of the filtration method. (See References 2, 3, 5) Factors that impact performance include room size, filter location, volume and quality of air, and particle size. (See References 2)

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