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7 Dirt-Cheap Air Purifiers Because Everyone Deserves Clean Air

Breathe better, and keep a little extra cash in your wallet.

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By Tyler Chin

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For a minute, getting an air purifier was like winning the lottery. All the top-rated options were out of stock, and those budget ones made some people hesitant as to why they were still available. Thankfully, a number of under-$150 air purifiers are worth the money and some of the brands that make those best-of lists also offer some cheaper units for those on a budget. These won’t clean out your whole home, but they are good for targeted air purifying in small rooms. From a $55 air purifier from Ikea to one of the nicest budget units we’ve tested, these are the best cheap air purifiers.

Partu BS-03 Air Purifier

For $50, you can’t go wrong with Partu’s BS-03, which offers optimal air purifying in rooms up to 107 square feet. The tiny unit has three stages of filtration and three fan speeds, though the highest option is a bit noisy. However, once you’ve had it on high for a while, you can easily kick it back dow to a slower fan speed, which is much quieter.

Ikea Fornuftig Air Purifier

Ikea’s $55 air purifier seems too good to be true; not only does it look really good, but it also works. It’s kitted with a HEPA-12 filter, which blocks 99.95 percent of particles 2.5 microns or larger, as well as an odor-fighting filter. While most air purifiers will eat through your wallet because of expensive filters, the Fornuftig’s replacements are $10 for the HEPA filter and $5 for the carbon filter. One of the best parts of the air purifier is that you can hang it on the wall, because Ikea knows space efficiency is important.

Honeywell HPA100

What the HPA100 lacks in looks, it makes up for in ability. It can complete five air changes in an hour in rooms up to 155 square feet. Its CADR ratings are 100 for smoke and pollen and 106 for dust. It offers four cleaning modes — germ, allergen, general clean and turbo — plus a pre-filter and HEPA filter (no carbon filtration here). The HPA100 is about double the price of the cheaper options on the list, but it adds a few user-friendly touches like an auto-off timer, a control panel dimmer and filter replacement indicator.

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Levoit Core 300

Triple filtration combined with really good CADR ratings (145 for pollen, 140 for dust and 141 for smoke) with an above-average coverage area (215 square feet) makes us wonder how the Core 300 is not more expensive. Levoit makes a number of excellent air purifiers, and this unit is a great entry-level product.

TaoTronics TT-AP005

If you want to make sure your air purifier is even doing anything, the TaoTronics TT-AP005 gives real-time feedback on your room’s air quality. An easy-to-read color-coded system lets you know when your room is clean and when it’s time to kick the unit into overdrive — except you don’t manually need to do that because of its auto mode, a huge plus considering most units in this price range lack that capability. In rooms up to 323 square feet, its CADR ratings are 250 across the board — an excellent feat for a $100 air purifier.

Blueair 411

Blueair air purifiers can get ridiculously expensive, but its 411 keeps the price approachable while bringing Blueair’s air-cleaning technology found in higher-end units to this budget pick. It’s notably nicer than a lot of other air purifiers, which can look more suited to sitting in a hospital than a home, which is already a pro. Combine its looks with its CADR ratings of 120 for pollen and dust and 105 for smoke, and you have yourself a great small-room air purifier.

Coway Airmega 150

Coway may lack the name recognition of a brand like Dyson, but the Korean brand is making some of the best air purifiers around. Its Airmega AP-1512HHS is our pick for overall best air purifier, and its recently released Airmega 150 is the brand’s best-looking model. Its CADR rating in rooms up to 214 square feet are 138 for pollen, 161 for dust and 219 for smoke. And did we mention it looks good?

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