Odors plague households. There’s so much activity and action going on in a regular home, and smells can come from anything. The most common problem is organic odors that come from food, humans, and pets. No one wants their homes to smell like fish, onions, garlic, pet dander, or body odor, yet these smells can pervade rooms and make it difficult to enjoy the comfort of home. So, we decided to review which air purifiers are the best at eliminating unwanted odors from rooms.
When searching for an air purifier that treats odors, it’s important to find a machine that includes multiple levels of filtration and is able to detect impurities in the air and adjust its own fan speeds. The products reviewed here always fit at least one of these criteria, although some were included when they lack one just because the quality was great and the purifier worked well for removing odors.
Best Air Purifier Reviews For Odors
- Hathaspace HEPA Air Purifier
- Winix 5300-2 HEPA Air Purifier
- GermGuardian AC4825 Full Room HEPA Air Purifier
- GENIANI HEPA Home Air Purifier
- VEVA 8000 Elite Home HEPA Air Purifier
1. Hathaspace HEPA Air Purifier
Specs
3 Fan Speeds
5 Filtration Levels
Treats 350 sq. ft.
Product Dimensions: 13.5 (L) x 7 (W) x 19.5 (H) in.
Weighs 12 lbs.
The Hathaspace HEPA Air Purifier is a powerful device that works great on kitchen and pet odors common throughout the world.
Pros
The Hathaspace HEPA Air Purifier is a machine with a HEPA certified filter to help remove the allergens and particles responsible for smells. It works especially well on kitchen odors from meats and spices and is great at removing pet dander and the unpleasant scents of things like wet dog. This particular model has five separate filtration levels that air pulled from the environment needs to go through before it can be released again into a room. Each device is capable of treating an area of roughly 350 sq. ft., which is slightly larger than the average bedroom in the United States.
The Hathaspace HEPA Air Purifier is white and black and possesses an easy to read screen that displays three different fan speeds. It will also diagnose the air quality of a room and display whether the air is good or bad by showing one of three colors: red, yellow, or green. The manufacturer claims the machine can capture 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns and can help alleviate asthma and allergy symptoms like nasal congestion and a runny nose.
Each machine is relatively inexpensive for the air purifier’s quality, costing between $160 and $170.
Cons
As with most electronics, there are some downsides to using the Hathaspace HEPA Air Purifier. In particular, this purifier can be a bit noisy even when running at the lowest level. It definitely isn’t great for people who want to run their machine while sleeping at night. The color choices for the speed of the fan can also be confusing. While green means good and red means bad when signaling air quality, the machine will display red for the highest fan setting and green for the lowest, which is an un-intuitive design choice.
2. Winix 5300-2 HEPA Air Purifier
Specs
4 Fan Speeds
3 Filtration Levels
Treats 360 sq. ft.
Product Dimensions: 14.9 (L) x 7.8 (W) x 23.6 (H) in.
Weighs 18 lbs.
The Winix 5300-2 HEPA Air Purifier is wonderful for individuals that struggle with chemical vapors or scents as well as general smells and irritants.
Pros
The Winix 5300-2 HEPA Air Purifier is a powerful device that features a certified HEPA filter to help remove contaminants from the air. The manufacturer claims the machine is capable of removing 99.7% of contaminants greater than 0.3 microns in size. This air purifier works particularly well on pet odors, chemical scents, and mold spores but will also eliminate dust, pet dander, and other allergens. It works especially well on chemical vapors, which can be irritating to a person’s eye, nose, and throat.
The Winix 5300-2 air purifier is meant to treat roughly 360 sq. ft., which is the size of an average living room and is an area larger than most bedrooms. One lovely feature of this machine is that the fan adjusts itself automatically to treat the level of pollution in the environment, so users don’t have to constantly change the fan’s speed. There are four fan speeds available, and the product also features three levels of filtration for maximum odor catching. One of the special features of this air purifier is that the fan speed essentially has what this review shall call Super Sonic Turbo Mode! (the exclamation point is necessary). This final fan speed, while noisy, is extremely powerful and can freshen a room in minutes. It works well for difficult odors like fish and onions.
There are some final perks to using the Winix 5300-2 air purifier. In particular, this is one of the only models that is Energy Star certified, so it won’t use up a ton of energy or cost a lot of money to keep running. Each of these purifier’s costs between $130 and $140.
Cons
Despite all of its good qualities, there are some annoying aspects of the Winix 5300-2 HEPA Air Purifier. Poor customer service is a major issue even though a warranty is available. Even just contacting a representative with questions about the device is almost impossible. Another problem is that the air purifier is terrible at eliminating the smell of smoke. Although smoke is not a common smell in many households, it will be an issue for individuals who smoke, accidentally burn their food, or have another problem related to fire.
3. GermGuardian AC4825 Full Room HEPA Air Purifier
Specs
3 Fan Speeds
Treats 167 sq. ft.
Product Dimensions: 7 (L) x 10.2 (W) x 21.5 (H) in.
Weighs 7 lbs.
The GermGuardian AC4825 Full Room HEPA Air Purifier includes numerous filters to help capture even the faintest of scents and odors, which is especially great for people who are sensitive to smells.
Pros
The GermGuardian AC4825 Full Room HEPA Air Purifier is a device that includes a certified HEPA air filter to capture 99.97% of pollutants that are greater than 0.3 microns in size. It works especially well on mold spores and odors that come from cooking, pets, and smoke. In general, it is a good product that includes a fan that reaches three different speed levels: low, medium, and high. The air purifier is quite small and only can treat about 167 sq. ft., which is smaller than the average bedroom. However, the sheer cleanliness of the air that leaves the machine is amazing, and the size of the product makes it small enough to sit in kitchens or near areas where people tend to sit and sleep.
Each of the GermGuardian AC4825 air purifiers comes with an automatic three-year warranty designed to cover manufacturer error and general wear and tear. This particular product also includes a UV-C light which sanitizes the air and can eliminate bacteria and other unpleasant substances. The filters only need to be replaced every 6 to 8 months, and the entire product is Energy Star certified.
In general, the GermGuardian AC4825 is a decent air purifier and the buyer receives an efficient product for a low price since each one costs between $70 and $80.
Cons
While the fact that the GermGuardian AC4825 treats a small area is an issue, the bigger problem is that this air purifier is currently dangerous to use. We thought we should review it because it is listed as an Amazon’s Choice product, but we noticed a serious construction error immediately. During regular use, the interior wiring of the air purifier has a tendency to short, melt the plastic, and create a small electrical fire inside of the device. Numerous users became aware of the problem when they started to smell the melting plastic and smoke. For safety purposes, do NOT buy this product until the manufacturing issue is fixed.
4. GENIANI HEPA Home Air Purifier
Specs
3 Fan Speeds
3 Filtration Levels
Product Dimensions: 9.6 (L) x 9.6 (W) x 13.5 (H) in.
Weighs 6 lbs.
The GENIANI HEPA Home Air Purifier is small, powerful, and inexpensive, but don’t let the price fool you. It’s one of the most effective and efficient air purifiers on the market.
Pros
The GENIANI HEPA Home Air Purifier is a powerful yet compact device that works especially well against cooking and pet odors, as well as the smell of smoke. The air is sucked into the machine and undergoes three different levels of filtration to eliminate 99.97% of contaminants and pollutants larger than 0.3 microns in size. One of the filters is a certified HEPA model. Another is a special carbon air filter designed to eliminate germs and bacteria from the air so people are less likely to get sick from airborne contaminants.
The GENIANI is a small white device that is short enough to sit in kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms without taking up too much space. It comes with a blue nightlight feature and will inform users on its screen when it’s time to replace a filter. Most filters last between 6 and 8 months. Another important piece of information that displays on screen is the speed of the fan, which controls how much air from the room is sucked into the filtration system. Like most machines, the GENIANI has three speeds: low, medium, and high. Each air purifier costs between $70 and $80.
Cons
When using the GENIANI air purifier, there are few cons. The machine runs well and is efficient despite its size and low price point. The only quality that might irritate users is that the device is louder than many other air purifiers, sounding a little like a humming refrigerator. This noise might be irritating for individuals who want to use the machine while sleeping, but it is the best odor eliminating air purifier and also one of the least expensive, which is why it tops this list.
5. VEVA 8000 Elite Home HEPA Air Purifier
Specs
3 Fan Speeds
3 Filtration Levels
Production Dimensions 9 (L) x 8 (W) x 23 (H) in.
Weighs 6.7 lbs.
The VEVA 8000 Elite Home HEPA Air Purifier is one of the most portable air purifiers currently on the market, which is great for individuals who want to move the device to treat a variety of odors.
Pros
The VEVA 8000 Elite Home HEPA Air Purifier is a tall and thin machine capable of capturing 99.97% of dust, allergens, mold spores, pet dander, bacteria, germs, and even PM2.5 particles. The certified HEPA filter works together with two others to eliminate impurities when the machine pulls air through its three-step filtration system. This machine works well on odors from cooking, pets, and even smoke. Although compact, the air purifier is efficient and can be kept in just about every room in the house. This is great for people who want to move the air purifier between rooms for different odors.
The VEVA 8000 includes a digital display that shows air quality and what speed the fans are currently on. There is no remote, but users can choose to have the device automatically shut off after two, four, or eight hours, which is great for users who want to let it run when not home. The entire machine is black and automatically comes with four extra replacement filters. The VEVA 8000 air purifier will display when the filter is ready to be changed, and the manufacturer recommends switching them every 6 to 8 months. Each product additionally comes with a two-year warranty that covers manufacturer errors and general wear and tear. Customer support is available 24/7 and users can always call for assistance even after the warranty has expired.
Despite being efficient, the VEVA 8000 is also inexpensive, costing between $95 and $105, and should last for years.
Cons
We found it difficult to identify a con with this air purifier, but there is one: Although there are three fan speeds, the general intake can be weak on the low and medium levels. For true efficiency, the VEVA 8000 Elite Home HEPA Air Purifier is best to run on its highest speed to treat an entire room within a decent time frame.
Conclusion
Out of the products we did a review here, the best one was the GENIANI HEPA Home Air Purifier. This particular device works on a broad range of odors that can plague a home, including wet animals, stale cigarette smoke, and the unpleasant kitchen smells like food that is going bad or fish.
Buying Guide
It’s easy to become confused when buying any sort of device for the home, and an air purifier is no exception. However, the process of picking one can be simplified. When choosing an air purifier for odors, the main element to look for is the number and type of filters.
Filters
Filters are the most essential element of an air purifier. These are the barriers through which air passes. Small particles, including those that cause odors, become trapped in the mesh, fabric, and fibers of the filter and are no longer present in the air when it is released back into a room. When picking an air purifier, it’s important to have at least two filters for double protection. You should also choose one that is HEPA certified because these capture the most particles. Otherwise, it’s up to you to pick how much extra protection you want.
Price
Once you know the filters you want, it’s time to factor in price. The standard air purifier can vary widely in cost as well as efficiency and square footage covered. Some can be bought for as low as $75, but they might only cover 100 sq. ft. The more expensive ones can be upwards of $200, but they can treat 400 sq. ft. You should sit down and determine how much money you’re willing to spend before choosing an air purifier. Once you have a budget in place, you can focus on finding the exact model that suits your needs.
What’s Next
Don’t let unpleasant odors get you down. Now that you’ve finished reviewing this guide, you know everything necessary to pick the best air purifier for you! You can learn more about the particular products recommended here by clicking on the links in each individual review.
If you’re not certain which model to buy for your home, be sure to read our general guide to the best air purifiers. It’s the best place to get tons more of reviews, recommendations, and even lifestyle tips. With all of this beneficial information, you’re ready to go out and breathe fresh, pleasant air.