Best Portable Air Purifier Reviews (Buying Guide 2021)

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These days, most people spend a big chunk of their time indoors. It is inevitable you can say, especially with home offices, online businesses and homeschooling becoming popular day by day. However, as we spend more time inside our houses, the chances of getting exposed to germs, allergy causing pollen and odors go up drastically.

Fortunately, the prices for air purifiers are now at an all-time low, and the many portable designs that offer incredible efficiency, convenience ease of use and high value are very much available in many online stores. To help you get an idea of what you should look out for when buying these devices, continue reading to get a review of some of the best portable air purifiers below and get to see if there is any among them that could suit your house and your needs.

• Holmes HAP726
• True HEPA filtration 99.97% efficient
• For room size: up to 256 sq ft
• Fan speeds: 4
• CADR rated: 169
• Dimensions: 17.7 x 9.3 x 18.7

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• GermGuardian AC5350B Elite
• True HEPA filtration 99.97% efficient
• For room size: up to 234 sq ft
• Fan speeds: 5
• CADR rated: 125
• Dimensions: 9.06 x 6.69 x 27.56

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• Whirlpool AP51030KB
• 99.97% effective True HEPA 0.3 micron filtration
• For room size: up to 500 sq ft
• Fan speeds: 4
• CADR rated: 315
• Dimensions: 10 x 20.5 x 24

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• GermGuardian AC4100
• HEPA Filter 99% efficient
• For room size: up to 120 sq ft
• Fan speeds: 3
• CADR rated: 60+
• Dimensions: 7.5 x 6.5 x 11

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• PurePlug
• Ozone output system
• For room size: 30-100 sq ft
• Fan speeds: 1
• CADR rated: -
• Dimensions: 5.1 x 3.9 x 3.2

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• ClimateRight iAirQ450W
• 3-stage filtration: pre-filter, HEPA and carbon
• For room size: up to 450 sq ft
• Fan speeds: 3
• CADR rated: 115
• Dimensions: 15.6 x 9 x 23

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Top 6 Portable Air Purifiers

Whirlpool AP51030KB Whispure

Whirlpool is quite a reputed air purifier maker, and you wouldn’t be surprised by how great a design the AP51030KB has. If you are looking for the best portable air purifier, we would recommend putting this model at the top of your considerations. To start with, it has a three stage air filtration system that guarantees an air purification rate of 99%.At its pre-filter stage, big pollen and dirt particles get trapped so that the activated carbon filter deals with eliminating most of the smaller pollen particles. In addition, most gases and odors are also eliminated at the activated carbon filter, which means that by the time air reaches this stage it is clean of almost all dirt and pollen.

At the HEPA filter, only fine air purification goes on, with the smallest of micro dirt particles and odors getting completely destroyed or trapped. With a true HEPA filter like this one, you can almost be sure that your house will be free of dust mites, debris, some types of viruses and bacteria most of the time. It also doesn’t produce ozone, which is harmful in many ways to the human body.

• A Quiet Efficient Operation

  The AP51030KB Whispure is whisper quiet with all its operations. To enable that, it has four speed settings, with the sleep mode being the slowest, and the turbo setting offering you the fastest air purification you can get from this top rated portable air purifier. And with the fair and medium fan settings, you almost can’t hear any noise from the device, which makes it perfect for reading rooms and bedrooms. In addition, it can efficiently clean a 500 square foot room; it is cost friendly and perfect for large rooms in homes, hotels and in other commercial businesses. Its CADR rating measures 315 cubic feet, which is by far the best you can get for a device priced at its level. Still, the device has an ACH rating of 4.8 changes per hour.

• Appealing Design and ease of use

  Simple, sleek and appealing to the eyes, the Whispure model could add cool aesthetics to just about any house. It comes with an all-electronic panel which is easy to use and control. In addition, the presence of additional features like a filter life indicator, built in handles and top ratings also shows how great the air purifier could be for your home. And not to forget, it comes with a 5 year warranty. The only negative think you may expect from the model is the 115 watts of power it requires, which is slightly a bit higher than that of its competitors.

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Holmes HAP726 Portable Air Purifier

The Holmes HAP726 air purifier is one of the best personal air purifiers for handling small and medium sized dirt particles in your house. While it is a low budget device, it offers the excellent 99.97% air purification rates some double or triple priced devices offer, albeit it consumes less power and doesn’t occupy much space in your house.

• Build Quality

  While its design and looks are not the most appealing, it has a strong build quality that only measures 45 cm by 47.5cm by 23.6 cm and a weight of 7.2kgs including the HEPA filter. On the top left side of the air purifier, there is a small digital screen that helps you understand its performance, the current fan speed, and a filter indicator.

  This digital screen is very accurate and effective as many reviewers have found the device. Besides the smart digital screen that highlights the best of this device, the control panel is relatively convenient as you can operate it irrespective of whether the air purifier is placed vertically or horizontally. On the other hand, the device is well designed for aeration purposes.

  The true HEPA filter is certainly a great deal with this air purifier. It can last for one year before you replace it, and the fact that it works alongside a carbon filter means therefore that its air purification rate is higher than that of most other devices.

  Still, it operates under very low noises. With its four settings, you can get an absolute silent operation in the sleep mode setting and probably some white noises as it works with the highest fan speed. But note however that it does consume a lot of power with the highest fan speed, which means you would better work with the medium level settings for normal house needs.

• Smart Technological Features

  Starting with a programmable timer which can run for up to sixteen hours, this Holmes’s model was surely made with technology in mind. It also comes with electronic filter monitors to help you know when to change the filters, plus the digital screen we mentioned about earlier.

  And just to show you how confident they are with this product, the device’s manufacturer’s gives you a 5-year warranty with their product. Finally, the device has a high CADR rating of 169 cubic feet, which is good enough for just about any house that measures 250 square feet on average.

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GermGuardian AC5350B Elite

With the beautiful looks of a small entertainment theater sound system, the GermGuardian Elite is surely a device you would feel proud displaying in your house. It has got almost every feature you would love in an air purifier, but the high efficiency and great looks are hands down what makes it one of the best small air purifiers you can get anywhere in the stores.

• Three Stage Filtration Systems

  The GermGuardian Elite model takes care of germs in your house with utmost efficiency, thanks to its triple filtration mechanism. Actually, its cleaning process is quick and simple. At the pre-filtration stage, larger dirt particles and hairs are trapped by the efficient charcoal inspired filters. At this stage also, some minor pet, smoke or cooking odors can also be eliminated albeit not very efficiently.

  The HEPA filter handles any particles that pass through the pre-filtration stage, including micro particles as small as .3 microns in diameter. In fact, by the time air leaves the HEPA stage, almost all spores, bacteria, viruses and anything else that effects air quality is usually destroyed. The third stage, which involves cleaning by way of UV lights, handles very little amounts of purification. However, the UV-C light cleaning is very efficient at eliminating viruses and pathogens that might prove too hard to be cleaned by the HEPA filter.

• High CADR Rating and Quiet Operations

  The AC4825 model is only suitable for small and medium rooms considering that its CADR rating is 100 cubic feet or so. On the other hand, it works at 5 changes of air per hour, which is certainly incredible for rooms measuring about 155 square foot or less. And if you enjoy silence in your house, you will find this device very quiet. It has three settings, low, medium and high, with the medium fan speed being the most suitable if you want to save power but have efficient air purification in your house. If you decide to use the slow fan speed at night, you almost can’t hear the device running unless you check the blue LED indicator.

• Design and Ease of Use

  It is really true that this device is a stunner as we had earlier stated. Its sleek lines which are aesthetically graced by a sharp line of LED light for indicator purposes, its sharp edges and great looks which resemble an entertainment system will make everyone in your home fall in love with it. Finally, it doesn’t require a manual to learn how to operate it, and besides you only require regular wiping and changing the filters once in a while and that’s it.

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Germ Guardian AC4100 Portable Air Purifier

If you love table top portable air purifiers, then the Germ Guardian AC4100 is a device you should surely consider buying. It is designed for small and medium size house, and though it has fewer automated features, it is worth looking into.

To start you off, the device has a CADR rating of 75 for pollen and is deemed suitable for houses measuring between 70 and 80 square foot.  Though it appears large in size, with measurements of 7.5” by 6.5” by 11”, it only weighs 4.85 lbs., which means you can shift it from one room to another as you so wish. When it comes to filtration, the device is equipped with the highly reputable HEPA filter and a carbon pre-filter that eases work for the bigger filter.

• Efficiency

  Most air purifiers with both a HEPA filter and additional filter tend to have an efficiency rate of 97% and above. It is no different with this model which guarantees a cleaning efficiency rate of 99%, including the ability to eliminate dirt and microorganisms a small as .7 microns. And as many consumer reviews have noted with the model, it is most effective in the kitchen for removing cooking odors. That does not to mean it isn’t good with cleaning dirt and pollen though. In fact, it does have an UV-light cleaning system that works well with titanium dioxide. Titanium dioxide ensures that any bacteria, some types of viruses and almost all dirt particles are eliminated by the time air leaves this air purifier.

• Easy to use

  With only one button for turning on and off, don’t expect to experience any difficulties while using the device. But maybe you might find it a bit noisy with the high fan speed, but it is not a big deal considering that the medium fan speed is perfectly efficient at purifying air in small rooms. The small fan speed setting produces very minimal speed, although it can only be efficient when you only need very little air purification. With the above in mind, the device’s biggest critics revolve around the lack of many modern technological features and the bigger space it occupies. However, as you would see in many reviews, the device is one of the best rated portable air purifiers, which means most people would recommend it to a friend any time.

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Pure Plug Air Purifier

Also known as the 03 AAP, the pure plug air purifier is one of the best small air purifiers you can get for a good price. It uses an ionic cleaning mechanism that is equally efficient as the filtration system albeit with the advantage of not wearing out fast. In addition, with its small size, the device is surprisingly big enough to clean rooms as large as 150 square feet with its low fan speed setting, and keep in mind that you can hold it in your palm comfortably well.

• Harmless Efficient Device

  The pure plug air purifier perfectly suits an RV, a locker room or a small kitchen. And the good thing is that it eliminates spores, mildew, and dirt particles with utmost efficiency without leaving any dangerous effects. It does produce ozone, however, but the amounts it releases is quite negligible. On the other hand, the device is quite compact and its white and blue colors will easily blend in any room. Still, the small size also makes it very energy efficient.

• Naturally Suited for Odor Cleaning

  If you often struggle with odors in your house from your pet, kitchen or smoking, there is no better device to eliminate them than this device. It is like it was designed mainly to help fight odors because it eliminates them straight from the source with the help of the ozone it produces. You see, most devices that use filters can’t eliminate odors perfectly well because they aren’t free radicals. But ozone is certainly an unstable atom, which attaches itself to any contaminant or gas molecule like smoke or pet odor in this case. And if you aren’t satisfied with the device’s efficiency rate at the default settings, note that you can adjust ozone production to about 50mg/hr. and enjoy higher air quality cleaning.

Finally to summarize some key features about this device here are some of its pros and cons:

Pros

• Completely portable to fit in a small bag. Can even be used in a car.
• Naturally suited to eliminate odors
• Can reduce allergy symptoms efficiently
• Requires little or no maintenance

Cons

• Some reviewers claim the device is noisy
• The ozone factor-If you are very sensitive to ozone smell, you better avoid it.

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Climate Right I Air Q450W Portable Air Purifier

The I Air Q450W boasts of a patented filtration technology that has made it one of the best rated portable air purifiers in recent times. The technology works perfectly well to eliminate all forms of bacteria, viruses, pet dander, dirt or any allergy causing symptoms in your house. It may not be the best looking however, but with the capability to eliminate dirt particles smaller than .003 microns, this is hands down the most efficient air purifier you can get any time any place. And to spice things up, the device is available at an affordable price, which means you would better not have any excuse for not being able to afford it. But of course there are other main considerations you should look for in this device such as,

• Fan Speed and Noise Level. The device operates on three fan settings, with the low level producing the least amount of noise. The medium setting is arguably the most ideal setting for average homes, even though the air purifier is certified to efficiently purify rooms as big as 450 square feet.
• Design. the Climate right Q450W takes the shape and design of an average computer desktop CPU unit. It has silver and black colors that make it look perfect for offices, hotel rooms, and reading rooms. It weighs 14 pounds and has a digital display to help you monitor its performance.
• Door removal.  Unlike many top portable air purifiers that cost similarly, this device is quite efficient for eliminating odors in the house. In fact, the device can efficiently eliminate methyl benzene or dimethyl benzene gas, commonly found in cleaning detergents but very difficult to eliminate.
• True HEPA technology. In addition to the iAirQ’s own filtration system, the true HEPA filter in this device makes sure you live in a house free of any germs or dirt at any moment. The filtration system works almost similarly to that of many other good portable air purifiers with a two or three filtration system. Large air particles are first trapped at the activated carbon filter, where many other forms of gases are also captured and dissolved. The smaller and minute dirt, pollen, virus, and molds are then trapped and destroyed with the help of the HEPA filter and the model’s patented technology. Finally, the device comes with a manufacturer’s limited one-year warranty.

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Why Choose Portable/Small Air Purifiers?

Portable air purifiers have a number of benefits, that’s why they are so increasingly popular and so many people choose them. While there are concerns that some portable air purifiers emit a lot of activated carbon, there are more benefits of owning small air purifiers than there are disadvantages. To start with, most small air purifiers are unobtrusive, light weight and highly as efficient as any non-portable device is.

In fact, the smaller sized air purifiers are mainly built with today’s high-tech technology that guarantees more efficient from less power. In any case, most of the best rated personal air purifiers are the portable models. However, most people have different reasons for buying air purifiers in their homes. If you are asthmatic or often affected by some types of allergens for instance, you would probably need clean air throughout your home every time. Unfortunately the big whole house air purifiers can’t always guarantee that you will have clean air in all your rooms, unless you buy multiple devices, which would be very costly in any case.

If you have children or you are times affected by odors from kitchens, you probably might love a small air purifier to serve the kitchen while you use the bigger models for larger rooms, right? And what better device would serve the smaller rooms than a portable air purifier? Still, for RV lovers or people who are sensitive to their power consumption, you don’t have to struggle with dirt and pollen allergens when there are light and highly energy conserving air purifiers. Some of them actually use less than half the amount of power the bigger models would consume, and not forget that you can use them in rooms as big as 450 square feet.

And before we conclude, check the highlighted benefits you are bound to experience with a small and portable air purifier.

Pros of Portable Air Purifiers

• Easy to carry around- Some are lighter than 5 kilos.
• Requires no installation-just plug off you go
• Efficient to the tune of purifying air in big hotel rooms
• Cheap

Conclusion

As seen in the above air purifier reviews, the portable models can solve almost any issue that relates to removing odors or dirt in your house. In addition, buying any of the best portable air purifiers helps you gain from their efficiency and save a lot of money you could have spent on a bigger device that offered the same amount of efficiency. Finally, while you will need to evaluate your needs and major factors before buying an air purifier, there is no reason why you shouldn’t go for a portable model.