Multiple Brands (SmarterHEPA, Smart Air) - Air Blast Mini - MKII

This is the only air purifier I've used that actually helps with odor, but you'll need the optional carbon filter - https://www.smarterhepa.com/products/smart-air-blast-mini Alternatively you could spend $700 on a litter robot 4 that would self-clean while you're not home https://www.litter-robot.com/litter-robot-4.html

So even though I didn’t get a response, I dug a little deeper on this subreddit. And was able to get myself to focus and learned a little bit more about room volume and CFM (which I learned is cubic feet per minute-and is the amount of purified area they can push through in that minute). I wanted to share with fellow folk from Los Angeles that I ended up deciding on the Smarter HEPA Air Blast Mini (https://www.smarterhepa.com/products/smart-air-blast-mini) Now, I do want to be clear, I am not an expert. It was a rushed search. I needed something that I could get today since I started to get nosebleeds later this morning after posting. I chose Smart HEPA, because I did like the ability to purify large capacity rooms (open room spaces)- the high CFM of 820 works to refresh the air of a ~1,500sqft space four times in an hour. And I was interested that in its own promotion it included open classroom spaces as one of its target demographics. I like the medical grade filter and splurged for the carbon filter. I also like the mobility. I can bring this back home with me. But I might also purchase one for my parents, and I like that they can roll it around in their home. What really sold it for me though, was that I could pick it up today if I drove about an hour ish to just south of Irvine to pick it up at their warehouse 20% off. For an air purifier with the high CMF strength, I felt like I got more “bang for my buck” since I saw similar strength CMF go for a thousand or more (in my quick morning google/reddit search). I think that sales just for today, there’s about three hours left till 3. But I was able to purchase it with the discount for a total of $568.52. If you miss the sale, I think it might be worth giving them a call. The lady on the phone was really sweet. I am currently driving back home to set it up. For those that have the ability to wait a bit, I can share my experience with the air purifier after 3 to 4 days.

Yes, air purifiers are worth it. I have a portable air quality monitor that measures PM2.5 and VOCs and when I'm blasting my air purifiers I watch the PM2.5 and VOC counts go down significantly. You need to make your purchases wisely. Pay attention to the CADR (clean air delivery rate, usually measured in cubic feet per minute (cfm) and the square footage (in cubic feet) of the area you're trying to clean. You'll want to aim for at least 6-8 air changes per hour, but even 3-4 is better than nothing. To calculate the number of air changes per hour (ACH), ACH = (CADR x 60) / Room Volume For example, I have a [Smart Blast Mini](https://www.smarterhepa.com/products/smart-air-blast-mini) with hepa + carbon filters which has a very high CADR of 820 cfm, giving me a superlative bang for my buck. I have a sunroom and dining room off the living room so I can use the Smart Blast for that area. Let's say you're looking to purify the air in a 20 x 20 LR plus an adjacent 12 x 13 DR and 11 x 9 sunroom with 8' ceilings. The total square footage = 8 x (20 x 20 + 12 x 13 + 11 x 9) = 5,240 cubic feet (cf). ACH = 820 cf x 60 min/hr /5240 cf = 9.4 ACH which is very good.

What’s your budget? The best HEPA+Carbon filters require A LOT of activated carbon, not just a thin layer (the standard approach for most commercial air filters). I’d recommend the smart health air blast mini with the carbon filter for the common area (https://www.smarterhepa.com/products/smart-air-blast-mini?bg_ref=XYvCXdXJ6X) and one of the smaller smart air HEPAs with carbon for each of the bedrooms. I like that the brand is straightforward and relatively quiet, and that it has separate carbon filters you can therefore change more often than the HEPA insert. The carbon will stop absorbing VOCs more quickly than the HEPA will stop absorbing particulates.

Just make sure to budget for replacement filters too. Keep the Blast Mini away from the wall for the best air circulation. We used it during fires here (and lent one to a friend) and it made a huge and immediate difference. Good luck. I’m furious about the recent doubling down on abandonment of Cancer Alley and other Environmental Justice tragedies. For less fortunate neighbors, I’d recommend looking into corsi-rosenthal DIY air filters. They won’t help with VOCs, but they’re powerful and affordable and what I typically recommend for more disadvantaged communities.

If I were buying today and had $600/filter to spend, I’d get a SmartAir Blast Mini. So quiet. So efficient. I’d also check out the reviews on HouseFresh. FWIW, I hate the CR box I built in 2020. It is loud, big, and ugly.

I have a smart air blast mini in my living room and an iqair in my bedroom, but on your budget I would replace the iqair with a coway or even do 2 smart blast minis if you have the space

There isn’t a purifier that exists in that price range that can provide 5 air changes an hour for 1,500 square feet. The Smart Air Blast - MKII is your best bet. It’s rated for 1,600 square feet. You could buy 3 AirFanta 3 Pros

It's still not providing 4-5 air changes an hour to 3,000 square feet The SmartAir Blast Mini has a CADR of 435 CFM. It's rated for a max room size of 700 square feet. The BlueAir 211i Max has a CADR of 410 CFM. Max room size is in the 600s.

For most applications, Coway has the best build quality of the brands here. I should also mention Blueair, [which offers a 5 years warranty with registration for certain models](https://www.blueair.com/us/warranty.html). All Blueair purifiers utilize an always-on ionizer to electrostatically charge the filtration media. While I'm not quite certain on comparisons, Smart Air's Blast and Blast Mini air purifiers might be similar in quality or greater to Coway's higher-end Airmega purifiers. But those two Smart Air models are expensive. For the [Coway Airmega 300/300S, 400/400S, Icon/IconS\*, and ProX models, the warranty period is 5 years](https://cowaymega.com/pages/warranty-registration). \*We don't recommend the Icon or IconS models as they're poor value for money.