Does Air Purifier Remove Odor? – With The Best Suggestions

Bad odors make a disgusting and embarrassing situation at home. We always want our home and body to smell good. Maintaining the good smell of the human body is not difficult, but maintaining that of our house is tough. Our indoor air quality can be worse than that of outdoor. Cooking smells, stinky kitchen odors, pet odors, cloth and garments odors even human body odors are always getting mixed with the indoor air. There are many reasons of our home getting odorous. In this article, we will find the answer whether an air purifier can remove bad odor from our home or not. Not only that, I will suggest you some cool air purifiers that work best against odors.

Pets’ poo and pee can be a source of bad odor if you are a pet owner. Besides, kitchen or cigarette smoke, old garments, damp cloth or towel, unclean area or appliances, sweaty body, shoes or cloth, mold, and mildew even bacteria can be the source of bad odor.What can we do to get rid of the bad odor? Firstly, always keep the litter box clean if you are a pet owner. You should clean the whole house from time to time. Clean the kitchen and bathroom daily. Discard the bin box minimum once a day. Keep the window open for sunlight and fresh air whenever you can. Last but not the least, use a good quality air purifier.

How you can get rid of odors with an air purifier

The best odor eliminators can fight the odors at home. But are air purifiers effective for odor? It’s a very common question. And the answer is YES! & NO! An air purifier can remove the odor from the air if it contains an activated carbon filter. Other common types of filters such as HEPA, ULPA, plasma wave, and so on can’t remove odors or smoke. An activated carbon filter or activated charcoal filter absorbs the bad odor from the air and keep your home fresh naturally. A carbon filter does not add chemicals or extra smell in the air.

UV-C light used in air purifiers as a filter can also remove odor from the air. But the concern is that UV-C light produces ozone. Although the percentage of produced ozone is very low, it’s still not recommended to keep it turned on all the time.

Examples of air purifiers that eliminate odor

As I mentioned earlier, some air purifiers can fight odors. I can suggest you 5 best air purifiers which are good for residential odor elimination. The list is below.

1. Levoit LV-H132
2. Levoit Core 300
3. Germ Gardian AC5250PT
4. Winix-5500-2
5. Honeywell 50250-S

Levoit LV-H132 – Best budget air purifier to remove odor

I think Levoit LV-H132 is the most popular air purifier in the United States. People who already used this model gave a great thumbs up. As a budget basic air purifier, Levoit LV-H132 is the best if compared with others in the range.

Its compact size and lightweight will give high portability. My liking of this model is its sweet night light. For children and elderly people, the night light is very essential for night vision. Its super quiet noise level ensures a sound sleep.

The LV-H132 air purifier is manufactured by trusted brand Levoit and made in California, USA. The dimension of this model is 14.50 inches height, 8.50 inches width, and 8.50 inches length. The satin white color air purifier weighs 6.61 pounds. The activity range of this unit is 129 sq. ft or 12 sq. m. Levoit LV-H132 is one of the quietest and budget air purifiers for your home. Its highest noise level is only 50 dB. You can operate it in three different fan speeds –  slow, moderate, and high as per your choice. Its limited control panel option is not bad if you want a basic air purifier. Even it’s a better choice for children and elderly persons.

The nightlight of this model is amber in color and can’t be turned off when the air purifier is running. Although it’s a drawback, you can permanently remove the light by taking a DIY project. You can only use it with 120 V power supply and the highest power consumption is 28 W. The standby power is also low – maximum 0.8 W. Therefore, we can say that it’s a power-saving model too. It offers an effective check filter indicator option which will remind you about the filter condition. The preferred operation condition of LV-H132 is 14°F~104°F /-10°C~40°C. You will get 1-year warranty with this model.

The filtration system of Levoit LV-H132 is effective for your home environment. It provides a three-stage filtration system. The first one is a pre-filter, the second one is a true HEPA filter and the final one is a carbon filter. The true HEPA filter traps 99.97% of the airborne particle as small as 0.3 microns. A carbon filter absorbs bad odor and smoke and pre-filter catch large airborne particles. You can vacuum the pre-filter that can enhance the life of the HEPA filters and also boost the performance of the purifier. The true HEPA filter and carbon filter are not cleanable. You can replace it when the ‘check filter indicator’ is turned on or you feel that the air quality or the performance of the machine is down.

Levoit Core 300 – Carbon filter odor removal

Levoit Core 300 is one of the most efficient air purifiers under $100 available in the market . Its well-built body and good performance just amazed me. In this new model, Levoit has added some amazing features such as the timer, display lock button, and so on that are great. It comes with Vortexair Technology which can give you a strong airflow. The CADR rating is also satisfactory and the effective coverage is 215 sq. ft. Therefore, it can cover a small to medium-sized room.

This under $100 super-efficient model offers 215 ft² / 20 m² effective range with 135+ CFM / 230+ m³/h CADR. It offers three fan speeds with a super quiet sleep mode. The lowest noise level of this model is only 24 dB which gives you a soundless environment so that you can sleep comfortably. The highest noise level is also very low – only 50 dB. You can also set the timer as per your need. It offers four different timer options of 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours.

The machine will be automatically turned off after the set time is over. You can keep the display turned off with the help of the display lock button. It is a moderately power saving model of Levoit. Its rated power is 45W and the standby power is maximum 0.8 W. You can run the machine between  14°F–104°F / -10°C–40°C of temperature and at maximum 85% relative humidity. You need an AC 120V, 60Hz power supply for this model to operate. Levoit offers a 1-year warranty for Core 300 but an extra 1 year is also available with some condition.

Levoit Core 300 comes with 3 stages of the effective filtration system with a huge expansion surface. The 3 stage filters of Levoit air purifier are – an ultra-fine pre-filter, H13 ture HEPA filter, and an activated carbon filter. Pre-filter catches proportionately large particles, H13 true HEPA traps 99.97% contamination from the air as small as 0.3 microns. And finally, activated carbon filter removes VOCs and bad smells naturally. The pre-filter is cleanable but you can’t wash or clean the HEPA filter and the carbon filter. You can replace it when it is out of order.

Germ Guardian AC5250PT – UVC light filtration

Germ Guardian AC5250PT is a basic air purifier by Guardian Technologies. Its well-built body and the efficient motor is suitable for 193 sq. ft with a good CADR rating. It is also certified by Energy Star and AHAM. Guardian technologies offer 5 years long warranty period that proves the quality of the product.

Germ Guardian AC5250PT comes with a 4-step air purification system. Common pre-filter traps large particles, the true HEPA filter caches 99.97% of airborne pollutants such as mold, dust, allergens, bacteria, and germs. Titanium dioxide and UV-C light help kill the living virus, bacteria, and mold spores. UV-C light is an optional function of this air purifier. You can operate it as per your need. For unwanted odors and smokes, a charcoal filter is added to the filtration system. It can absorb stinky kitchen smell, nasty toilet odor, disgusting pet odors, and odor of light chemicals as well.

This USA made model offers three different fan speeds and seven options in the control panel so that you can rearrange the purification format as per your need. For a room with better air quality, you should run your machine in low fan speed. To remove moderate air pollution, you should try the medium speed and when you are in a hurry or the condition of the air is not good, you have to try the highest fan speed. The weight of this air purifier is 10.55 pounds and its dimension is 7 inches wide, 10.25 inches deep, and 28 inches long. Its unique design and charcoal gray body can be perfect for any place of your home. THE CADR of this machine is Dust (126), Pollen (128), and Smoke (116). To run it at the highest level (@ 60 W), it needs a 120 V 60Hz power supply line.

Winix-5500-2 – odor sensor

Winix 5500-2 is a nice and moderately smart model by the brand Winix. Its unique features and efficiency are just extraordinary. It comes with a handy remote so that you can operate it with ease. This air purifier offers 4 fan speeds and an auto mode function. It comes with not only an air quality sensor but also an odor sensor which seems to very effective for odors and smokes.

This special plasma wave air purifier is made in South Korea and comes with a charcoal gray color. It is 23.6 inches long, 15 inches wide and 8.2 inches deep. This portable model weighs 15.4 pounds that mean almost 7 kilograms. It covers 360 sq. ft that means it is effective for medium to the large room. The CADR rating is not provided by the manufacturer. You can choose among four different fan speed – low, medium, high and the bonus speed is turbo. The turbofan speed is very effective for a higher level of pollution but this turbo option makes some added noise. With a wide choice of 13 control panel options, you get 1, 4, and 8 hours timer option. Winix gives a 1-year warranty for this model. It operates on AC 120v/60hz with 70 W rated power.

This model provides a 4-stage effective purification system. Common pre-filter is for comparatively large particle, true HEPA filter for dust and pollutant, and the washable AOC carbon filter for odors and smokes. Its incomparable plasma wave technology safely breaks down the harmful particles to harmless components. This extraordinary plasma wave technology is an optional purification method. You can keep it turned on/ off through the control panel button. You should keep in mind that plasma waves may not good for health.

Honeywell 50250-S – The Doctors’ Smell removal

Honey well is a renowned air purifier from China. This white tower-like air purifier is recommended by the doctors. The heavy Honeywell 50250-s model is very effective for large to extra-large space. It can circulate the air 5 x per hour which makes your environment pure and fresh. Its 360^o surrounding filtration formula delivers clean healthy air to every corner of your room. It is also verified by AHAM.

The weight of Honeywell 50250-S is 21 pounds or 9.5 kgs. The dimension is 18 x 18 x 19 inches. This model covers 390 sq. ft room with 250 for smoke, 250 for dust, 250 for pollen CADR rating. It comes with a limited control panel option and three fan speeds. Noise level is OK but not provided by the manufacturer. This model has no upgraded or smart option. It offers a quite basic air purifier recipe with large room coverage. It needs a 110 V electricity supply to run this machine. This model comes with 5 years limited warranty period.

The awesome thing about this air purifier is its almost permanent quality true HEPA filter. This true HEPA filter can catch 99.97% of air contamination such as spores, pollen, dust, or molds as small as 0.3 microns. This hassle-free true HEPA filter can change the environment magically. By providing a fresh breath, the permanent HEPA filter also keeps your mind calm. Just vacuum it from time to time. To prolong the filter life, the 50250-s model features a surround seal carbon filter as a pre-filter. It can catch large airborne contamination and remove bad odor and smoke naturally. You should replace the carbon filter once in three months.

Final Words

If you are too much sensitive about odor, you can get a separate odor eliminator. Otherwise, all the air purifiers with a carbon filter can remove odor to some extent. All air purifiers that I have discussed here are only for indoor use but not applicable for outdoor or commercial use. Don’t use defected, broken, or partly broken product for your safety. Always use genuine replacement products otherwise you can lose your warranty. Don’t use air purifiers on an uneven or soft surface. Place your air purifiers in even, hard and dry space. Don’t keep any heavy object on the body of the air purifier. Always try to store the user manual. Use a good quality air purifier and enjoy fresh breath and healthy life.