Forms of Air Purification

Most air purifiers these days work with a filter system. That’s because True HEPA filtration has been proven to be the most effective way to purify the air in your home. The technology has become very common and affordable in air purification. It has been around since the 1940s and there are two types to look for when buying a purifier – Grade H12 can pull 99.97 percent of airborne contaminants out of the air or 0.3 microns. Grade H13 pulls 99.99 percent of the smallest airborne irritants out of the air or 0.1 microns. (To give you some perspective, our eyes generally can’t see anything smaller than 40 microns.)

Aside from HEPA filtration, there are new technologies emerging and you can expect to see them on the market when looking for an air purifier for your home.

• Activated carbon is becoming popular in air purification. It works by absorbing odors, gases and chemicals in the air and neutralizing them. Activated carbon will not get rid of airborne particles so it has to work in conjunction with a HEPA filter.
• Ultraviolet light (UVC) isn’t a stand-alone form of air purification either. Air purifiers that use HEPA filters for particle contamination, may also be equipped with UV lamps to kill bacteria, viruses and fungal spores floating in the air. For UV light to be effective, it has to target the bacteria, viruses and fungal spores for a significant amount of time or it won’t kill them. If the air purifiers move the air through too quickly, the UV light won’t be able to do its job.
• Bipolar ionization creates positive and negative charged particles to rid the air of viruses and bacteria. This is still a relatively new technology and the EPA says there is very little research to show whether it works.

Air Purifiers with App-Integration

Everything these days seems to come with an app, and air purifiers are no different. Many air purifier brands make models that will connect to Wi-Fi and can be controlled through the company’s app or even Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. Air purifier apps are important to provide feedback on the air quality in your home and ensure the unit is working as it should.

What the app will allow you to do depends on the make and model you buy. But most will allow you to turn the air purifier on and off, set up scheduled times for the purifier to run, tell you the current quality of your air inside, let you know when the filter(s) needs to be replaced, and order replacement filters from the company. Some apps integrate technology that will tell you the air quality outside, as well.

Blueair, Levoit, RabbitAir, Dyson, Winix and AirMega are just a few of the brands that offer air purifiers with this app-based technology.

Wearable Air Purifiers

Air purifiers are getting more personal, and wearable models are gaining attention. In the last few years, the market for wearable air purifiers has expanded, and in 2025, products continue to evolve.

• LG has further refined its wearable air purifier, which uses HEPA filters and features a respiratory sensor to adjust airflow based on breathing patterns. This product is designed to prevent glasses from fogging, making it more practical for users who wear glasses.
• Ible, a Taiwan-based company, offers a wearable air purifier in the form of a neckband that doubles as headphones. This purifier lasts up to 30 hours on a single charge and purifies the air around you, though it uses ionization, which can potentially produce unhealthy ozone.
• Kaltech continues to innovate with wearable air purifiers, offering models that hang around the neck, clip to car visors, or fit inside lightbulb mounts. These devices use photocatalytic oxidation to purify the air.

While wearable air purifiers are still a new concept, their development is progressing steadily, and we expect more innovations to come.

Mountable Air Purifiers

If you live in a home with not much square footage, an air purifier can take up precious floor space. Many companies are taking that into consideration and now making more compact, lightweight units that can mount to the wall. Aura Air, RabbitAir, Germ Guardian and Medify are among the companies now offering mountable air purifiers.

New Features on Air Purifiers

Air purifiers have come a long way from the days where there may have only been an on/off switch. Lots of companies are adding new features to make life easier and attract new buyers.

• Air Quality Sensors: Many air purifiers are now equipped with built-in air quality monitors that assess the room’s air and adjust the purifier’s operation accordingly.
• Aromatherapy Chambers: Some models, like those from Levoit and Intelable, offer chambers where you can add essential oils for a calming effect while purifying the air.
• AI Technology: Some air purifiers, such as LG’s PuriCare models, now feature artificial intelligence that detects pollution levels and can rotate the purifier to target areas with higher contamination.
• 360-Degree Rotation: LG has also developed models that rotate 360 degrees to ensure more efficient purification, with features like cooling fans and heat blast modes for added comfort.
• Large Coverage: VeSync now offers air purifiers capable of cleaning up to 3,000 square feet in an hour, making it possible to purify the entire home with one device.

How Do I Know It Works?

Air purifiers can be a significant investment. Many of them cost several hundred dollars, so you want to make sure you’re not wasting your money and the unit does what it says it does. Since HEPA filtration has been around quite a while and has proven time and again to be effective in purifying the air – you can be assured an air purifier that works with a HEPA filter will clean the air in your home.

An easy way to know if an air purifier is working is to look at the filter. The filters are designed to trap all the allergy triggers floating around in your home. If the filter looks dirty, then you can easily determine the purifier is pulling impurities out of your home and making it easier for you to breathe.

Many purifiers will come with color-coded sensors to let you know the particle level in your home. The unit will then automatically adjust to clean the air. But if the one you have or buy doesn’t come equipped with this technology, you may want to consider investing in an indoor air quality monitor (IAQ) for your home. IAQs will alert you to unsafe levels of air in your home and help you determine when to switch on the air purifier, if you don’t run it continuously.

Best Air Purifier of 2025 – Living Room

Pros	Cons
True HEPA filtration	Larger size compared to other models
Cleans up to 1,300 sq. ft.
Lifetime warranty

Read our full review of the Alen 75i

Best Air Purifier of 2025 – Bedroom

Pros	Cons
Ideal for rooms up to 500 sq. ft.	No ionizer
Activated carbon pre-filter reduces odors/VOCs	Slightly noisier than other models
Affordable

The Bottom Line

When looking for an air purifier, it’s best to decide up front what you’re looking for. That will help narrow down your search. A few things to keep in mind – make sure it will cover the amount of square footage you have and look for technology that will meet your needs. Also – make sure the unit you buy is quiet enough that you will use it regularly. You don’t want to spend several hundred dollars on a purifier that’s too noisy for your lifestyle. And when buying an air purifier, make sure you buy from a company that will let you return it if you aren’t satisfied.