We all love fresh air, but fresh air can be difficult to come by in today’s day and age. Thankfully, air purifiers can help.
An air purifier is a machine that draws in the air in your home, purifies it, and circulates it around the room. Air purifiers are great for allergies, stuffy noses, avoiding tobacco and cigarette smoke, or reducing dust from pets, pollen, and other household dander.
There are different types of air purifiers available on the market – including filterless air purifiers and air purifiers. This article will focus on the best filterless air purifiers, helping you choose the best filterless air purifier for your home.
Category | Air Purifier | Dimensions (l x w x h in inches) | Room Coverage (sq. ft.) |
---|---|---|---|
Medium | Airfree T800 | 5.1 x 5.1 x 12 | 180 |
Large | Envion Ionic Pro | 7.5 x 9.5 x 28.5 | 500 |
AirFree Iris 3000 Air Purifier | 8.5 x 8.5 x 10.4 | 650 | |
Airfree LUFTQI Cube Portable Air Purifier | 5.12 x 4.41 x 4.33 | 650 | |
Extra Large | Ivation Ozone Generator | 12.5 x 11 x 15 | 3,500 |
Medium Space
#1. Airfree T800
When you’re looking for the best filterless air purifier for a medium-sized space, you go for the Airfree T800. The T800 is specially made to cater to rooms up to 180 square feet in size. This little unit works well in any room, including air-conditioned ones or rooms with space heaters.
The T800 measures 5.1 x 5.1 x 12 and weighs 1.5 pounds, making it ideal for desktop use. You can put it in your bedroom, office, children’s bedrooms or bathroom.
The T800 air purifier uses a convection system. The unit contains a hot ceramic tube reaching 400o Fahrenheit. Allergens, dust, bacteria, and pollen are drawn into the machine, incinerated, and turned into little more than carbon dioxide and water.
Considering that it only takes 167o Fahrenheit to kill the influenza virus, the T800 can also help control viruses and bacteria in your home during flu season.
Don’t worry; “convection” doesn’t mean that this machine will heat the room. Clean air goes into the cooling chamber to cool purifier air down before it is delivered back into the room. With the air impurities destroyed, you’ll have nothing but pure, cool, and odor-free air to breathe.
The only bad thing we can think of the T800 is the plastic smell coming out of it when you first plug it in. It’s nothing too nasty, and it will disappear a couple of hours after use. We’ll be honest: this is one of the best filterless air purifiers on this list.
Pros
- Perfect for a medium-sized room
- Super tiny
- Gets rid of air impurities easily
- Won’t heat the air
Cons
- Emits slight plastic smell
Large Space
#2. Envion Ionic Pro Turbo
The Ionic Pro is a sleek-looking air purifier that stands around three feet tall. It is rated for 500 square feet of living space, though its motor is so strong some people use it to clean the air for the whole house.
There are low, medium, and high settings on this unit. We recommend setting it on high the first day you run it and then keep it on low to maintain air quality. On high, this unit gets rid of odor quickly. This is great for pets, highly polluted areas, and homes with many occupants.
This no-filter air cleaner has a germicidal chamber that eliminates bacteria and germs. Note that there’s no pesticide of any sort involved here, so you won’t need to worry about any adverse health effects.
The Ionic Pro Turbo is also equipped with Oxygen Plus technology. It turns smog and ozone into pure oxygen, giving you fresher air to breathe even when you’re living next to a busy freeway. Think of it as a tree.
There’s really only one flaw with this machine: its LED light. If you want to put this unit in the bedroom, we suggest you tape a piece of paper over the LED light.
It’s too bright and may annoy you when you turn off the bedroom lights. Overall, this is certainly a strong contender for the title of ‘best filterless air purifier’.
Pros
- Sleek-looking
- Very effective in removing bacteria, germs, dust, and odor
- Works well in medium to large living space
- Uses Oxygen Plus technology
Cons
- LED light is too bright
#3. AirFree Iris 3000 Air Purifier
The AirFree Iris Air Purifier is a slim, sleek purifier with a lot of benefits. You can put it in a corner, and it will sit there doing its job without anyone noticing. It is also very easy to set up. Just plug it in, and it’s ready to go. Easy. Peasy.
Compared to other models on this list, the AirFree Iris Air Purifier is one of the best value machines on this list. It is rated for a space of 650 square feet, yet is a similar price to the smaller units. Talk about a bargain!
But that’s not all. The AirFree Iris Air Purifier also uses thermodynamic TSS core technology. This heats the air in the machine up to the point that it kills mold spores, dust mites, fungus, and viruses. The unit also includes an air cooling system, so it won’t heat the room up.
Overall, this is one of the best filterless air purifiers available today – and it’s definitely the best value.
Pros
- Slim and stylish
- Easy to clean
- Great at removing dust, allergens, and odor.
- Uses thermodynamic core
Cons
- Looks like an alien
#4. LUFTQI Portable Filterless Cube
The LUFTQI Cube Portable Air Purifier is designed to cover 650 square feet of space with style. This neat little air purifier is powerful, quiet, and affordable. It runs at just 30 decibels, can cover large spaces, and is available in a range of covers.
Unlike other air purifiers, it plugs in through a USB-C cable. This makes it perfect for use in the office, car, or on the go.
The LUFTQI Cube Portable Air Purifier can neutralize dust PM2.5 and above, meaning it can rid the air of cigarette smoke, bacteria, dust, pollen, dust mites, and pet dander. It’s the perfect and cute companion for your home.
However, there are some minor drawbacks to this unit. It is very energy efficient but isn’t as strong as some of the other air purifiers on this list.
It is also a bit tricky to clean and has no settings. However, if you are looking for a simple and effective air purifier for a great price, this is a strong contender for the ‘best filterless air purifier’.
Pros
- Sleek
- Attractive
- Quiet at 30 decibels
- USB-C cable
Cons
- Not as powerful as other units
- No settings
Extra Large Space
#5. Ivation Ozone Generator
When you need just one air purifier for the whole house, the Ivation Ozone Generator is a compelling choice. A single unit is enough to purify the air in a 3,500 square foot of living space!
This unit is a combination of an ionizer and ozone generator. The controls for these two are separated, so you can freely adjust both parts according to your specific needs.
The user manual covers everything you need to operate the controls. You can get it up and running in no time.
Even when you set the ozone generator on the lowest setting, you will notice that it’s very effective cleaning the air in your home. Most households keep the ozone generator in the lowest setting and play with the ionizer dial as needed.
Unlike many filterless air purifiers, this unit has a small fan in it. It only makes a soft whirring sound and should not pose a problem wherever you put it.
Now, many negative stigmas are hovering around ionizers and ozone generators. Having both in a single unit should raise a red flag for many.
However, this unit is safe to use if you follow the direction. The number one rule is never to use this in a closed room and put it up high about 4 to 5 feet from the floor.
Pros
- Very powerful in eliminating bad odors
- Works well even in an extra-large space
- User manual is easy to understand
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Should not be used in a closed room
Frequently Asked Questions
How do filterless air purifiers remove odor?
Filtered air purifiers use activated charcoal or zeolites to trap odor-causing particles, while filterless air cleaners remove odors by destroying the particulates that cause them. Tobacco smoke, mildew, and fungus are obliterated once they go through the machine.
Why choose a filterless air purifier?
There are several reasons why people opt for a filterless air purifier over the filter ones. Let’s talk about four of those reasons here.
1. No filter to replace
The biggest caveat of a filter air purifier is the filter itself. HEPA filters and various types of pre-filters don’t come cheap. When you buy a HEPA air purifier, you need to consider the cost of buying replacement filters over the years. With a filterless air purifier, there’s no such extra cost.
2. Zero noise
Another problem with a filter air purifier is the noise coming from the fan. If the machine is placed in the bedroom, the noise can interrupt your sleep, especially if you’re a light sleeper. A filterless air purifier requires no fan and is quiet.
3. Very energy efficient
A filterless air purifier doesn’t need to power any fan. With less component to power, it eats way less electricity than its filtered counterparts. Suffice to say that running a filterless air purifier all year round won’t spike up your electricity by much.
4. Does not dry out the air
Some people using filter air purifiers in their bedrooms complain about waking up with sore throats in the morning. A filterless air purifier delivers clean and cold air to its surroundings without significantly changing the humidity.
That means you never need to worry about any drop in humidity when running a filterless air purifier in your bedroom.
Filter vs. filterless air purifier
This is a difficult question to answer. There are filter air purifiers that are very good at their job, and some are the complete opposite. It’s the same thing with the filterless ones. Not all of them are as good as what the manufacturers claim to be.
Filterless air purifiers also still have their downsides. You still need to clean the unit regularly to get rid of the dust sticking to the dust collector.
Depending on how dirty your living space is, you may need to clean it once every two weeks or even once a week. You can use baby wipes or a damp cloth to wipe the dust, followed by paper towels to dry it.
And then, there’s the price.
You can easily find true HEPA air cleaners for less than 100 dollars. Filterless air purifiers, on the other hand, are mostly priced at more than 100 dollars. The good thing is that the lack of filter replacement offsets the high initial investment. In the long run, no-filter air cleaners still win the game.
“So, which one should I pick?”
Take your personal preference into account. If you despise replacing filters or can’t stand the noise that filter air purifiers make, go with the filterless one.
You also need to consider your family. If any of your family members is very sensitive to ozone or ionized air, you should stick with HEPA filter air cleaners.
People who have a long history of breathing problems, lung disease, heart disease, asthma, or other respiratory diseases, should stay away from ozone generators and ionizers.
Why don’t filterless air purifiers don’t have ACH rating?
ACH is short for Air Changes Per Hour and signifies how many times per hour an air purifier can completely exchange the air in a room. This rating is made for filter-type air purifiers that use fans to suck in dirty air and blow out clean air.
A filterless air purifier doesn’t employ a fan. Dirty air goes into the unit by convection, and the pollutants get annihilated using either electrostatic or extreme heat in the core.
Since the nature of filter and filterless air cleaners differ greatly, it doesn’t make sense to apply the same rating for both.
Conclusion
Every home is a different size and shape, meaning that the best air purifier for you will depend on your space. However, if you are looking for our pick, we believe the AirFree Iris 3,000 is the best filterless air purifier available on the market today. It’s sleek, extremely powerful, and affordable.
Karie is a science-obsessed writer with a sensitive nose. She has been using air purifiers for many years, and uses them obsessively to keep her home dust-free. She is passionate about helping people find the right air purifier for them.