Air purifiers are gaining popularity worldwide, as they can improve the air quality in your home dramatically. If you have an allergy, asthma, or sinus problem, having a no-fuss air purifier that you can count on every day is imperative.
This article will review a model that is growing in popularity every day: the Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifier. Specifically, this article will cover the unit’s design, build quality, performance, and price/value.
Design
rating: 8/10
The Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifier measures 14.5 x 7.2 x 18.5 inches and weighs 15.8 pounds. This makes it average-sized for an air purifier, which works fantastically in most homes.
The boxy design of the Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifier is simple but effective. It won’t turn heads, but it does look clean and sleek. It’s fairly free of decorations – the front features the Levoit logo on the top right, and that’s pretty much it.
The controls are all on the top, along with the air vent and they are fairly well laid out. The unit includes six touch controls on top and no buttons. The center part of the control features an indicator light. It goes from red, yellow, green, to blue as the air quality improves. This is a neat feature we love.
The unit has an air intake on the side, so it is suitable for anywhere in the room. Levoit suggests that there should be at least 15 inches of clearance on all four sides to help with air circulation. Overall, the design of this unit is smart and well planned.
Build Quality
Our Rating: 8/10
The Levoit LV-PUR131 has great build quality. Everything looks good and feels sturdy, which is always encouraging. The unit is made from thick, high-quality plastic.
Fit and finish are also excellent. When we tested this device, we noticed that it doesn’t rattle on the top setting – which sets it apart from other models. The filter is also easy to change, which is very helpful.
Overall, we like the build quality, though we note that the unit is heavy. At 15.8 pounds, the unit is quite hefty, but most adults can move it with relative ease.
Performance
Our Rating: 8/10
The LV-PUR131 air purifier is rated for a room up to 322 square feet. It uses three-stage filtering where the air goes through the pre-filter, HEPA, and carbon filter.
The pre-filter and High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter in the Levoit LV-PUR131 is included in the same filter cartridge. That pre-filter does a great job of trapping large allergens such as pet hair, which leaves the HEPA filter to take on the smaller particles. This setup will improve the HEPA filter’s lifetime since it doesn’t have to do all the filtering tasks all by itself.
This unit uses a true HEPA filter which is superior to a HEPA-type filter. It can trap 99.97% of airborne dust, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, smoke, and other allergens with a diameter of 0.3 microns or less. Once you plug this unit in, you can expect a significant decrease in dust hovering around or sticking to the furniture, drapes, and carpet in 30 minutes or less.
The unit’s fan has three-speed settings: low, normal, and high. It’s very quiet on the low setting, and you can barely hear it. On the highest setting, you can hear a faint whisper.
According to the manual, the device has a maximum noise of 52 decibels, which matches most fridges. Here’s a neat video measuring the noise levels in various conditions. It really put the quietness of the Levoit into perspective.
If you intend to put this unit in the bedroom, you should use the sleep setting. The device also includes a timer that runs for 1 -12 hours at a time. We recommend running the unit in automatic mode. The automatic mode starts in the sleep setting and kicks it up when it senses poor air quality. Once the air is clean, it goes back to the sleep setting.
The LV-PUR131 has a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) rating of 135+. This number says that this unit reduces dust, smoke, and pollen particle levels to the same concentration as if it’s adding more than 135 cubic feet of clean air per minute.
Since this air purifier has a carbon filter, it does an excellent job of removing odor. It can completely remove odor after you’re done cooking in less than half an hour. It takes care of odor from pets and cigarette smoke too.
However, the carbon filter in this unit is not super effective against Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, etc. VOCs are common in any modern household.
If you are worried about VOCs in your home, we suggest getting some common houseplant snake plant, bamboo palm, or Chinese evergreen alongside your unit. The NASA Clean Air Study has proven that those plants are effective for absorbing VOCs.
Overall, we love this air purifier’s performance and believe it is suitable for urban, suburban, rural, and regional homes with medium and low pollution levels.
TIP: Before using this unit, be sure to remove the plastic bag covering the filter and the black foam tape covering the dust sensor. Some users forgot to do these, and they complained that their units are not working as they should.
Price/ Value
Our rating: 9/10
While Levoit does not claim the Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifier as an Energy Star appliance, it’s highly energy efficient. The unit only uses 12 Watts of electricity on low and 40 Watts on high. This makes the cost to run the device very low.
However, the unit does come with one extra expense: the filter. According to Levoit, you’re supposed to replace the filter once every six months when the ‘Change Filter’ light comes on. However, as long as the unit can still maintain excellent air quality (i.e., the air quality indicator is green or blue), it’s safe to postpone the filter change to a later date. Just reset the Filter Change light, so it stops blinking.
If you want extra bang for your buck, you can also extend the filter’s life with cleaning. Take your vacuum, and vacuum the filter every month. Never wash the filter.
Overall, this unit is very cost-effective.
Conclusion
The Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifier is a great unit with good potential. It looks good and is easy to use, which is essential for such an important household appliance. The total cost of ownership is very reasonable, making the unit suitable for most people.
The device also includes lots of features, which is fantastic. While the Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifier doesn’t handle VOCs, you can remedy this by planting some common houseplants around the house – like the snake plant.
Overall, the Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifier is an excellent air purifier in a medium-sized room up to 322 sq. ft. You will notice an immediate improvement in the overall air quality when you have this running.
That means less allergy, asthma, or sinus problems for you and your family. Your home will also smell fresher all day long.
To us, it’s definitely a worthy investment.
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.