Braced
Menu

Air purifiers for smoke

A HEPA air purifier makes one closed room the safest place in the house when wildfire smoke drifts over.

Used for: Wildfire smoke

Our picks

Compare side by side

Air purifiers compared. Best in each row is shaded, bold and ticked
Specification Best overall Coway Airmega Mighty Air Purifier Best budget Levoit Core 300-P Air Purifier Best for large rooms Coway Airmega 400S Smart Air Purifier
Price US retailers$219.99–$239.99 US retailers$84.99–$99.99
Our score Our score: 8.5 out of 10(best in this row) Our score: 7.7 out of 10 Our score: 8.2 out of 10
Smoke CADR 233 CFM 143 CFM 328 CFM(best in this row)
Room size (maker) 361 sq ft 222 sq ft 780 sq ft(best in this row)
Filter life 12 months 6 months 12 months
Replacement filter Mighty AP-1512HH & 200M filter set (HEPA + 2 carbon) Core 300-P-RF (also -RF-PA pet, -RF-TX toxin) Airmega 400 Max2 filter set (2 filters)
Carbon filter Yes Yes Yes
Ionizer Yes, can be switched off None not listed
Noise, lowest 24 dB(A) 24 dB(A) 22 dB(A)(best in this row)
Warranty 1 year 2 years(best in this row) 1 year
Where to buy
US retailers
Check price at Amazon.com (opens in a new tab)
US retailers
Check price at Amazon.com (opens in a new tab)
US retailers
Check price at Amazon.com (opens in a new tab)

Before you buy

  • Size by smoke CADR Aim for a smoke CADR of at least two-thirds of the room’s area in sq ft, per Health Canada.
  • Avoid ozone Skip ozone generators and turn off any ioniser if you are unsure.
  • Stock filters Smoke clogs filters quickly; buy the replacement part number with the purifier.

Guides

All guides

Air purifier questions

What CADR do I need for wildfire smoke?

Health Canada suggests a smoke (tobacco smoke) CADR of at least two-thirds of the room’s floor area in square feet, so about 80 for a 120 sq ft room. The ratings assume 8 ft ceilings; size up for higher ones.

Are ionisers and ozone purifiers safe?

Avoid anything that produces ozone. Health Canada advises against ozone-producing air cleaners and points to the California Air Resources Board’s list of units tested for ozone emissions.

What else helps on smoke days?

The US EPA suggests staying in with windows shut, setting the HVAC to recirculate with a MERV 13 filter (or the best your system takes) and the fan on, and making one cleaner-air room with a purifier. Outdoors, a fitted N95 mask helps.