Winix - 5500-2

I have a pair of Winix 5500-2 that have been operating near constantly for 4 years now. Great value combined with fairly quiet operation. They have a sensor that will increase/decrease the fan speed. They will not turn back on automatically after a power outage. Mine are grey, but generally unobtrusive up against the wall or bookshelf.

I also had a ticking 5500-2 out of the box. Luckily winix replaced it free of charge, but still.. seems like they have some QC issues.

I got annoyed when my winnnix developed a noise, but then I realized it was the unit I’ve been running almost 24/7 for ten years. Bought another refurb and I’m going to attempt to take the ten year old one apart and see if it can be fixed. I imagine there’s buildup at the parts you can’t regularly clean.

I double checked and it’s my 2019 era one that has the noise! The 2015-ish one is still fine.

I own the 5300-2 and 5500-2, about 7 units total. No noise on any of them running continuously. I can't say the same of the smaller C545 - they're noisy and sound scrapey and unbalanced after a while. I have 3 of those and two are significantly nosier than the rest. They also have a higher pitched sound profile, which is easier to drown out but more annoying if you aren't drowning it out over something else.

There's a guy who did a youtube video on it - essentially the same filters except some of the prefilter and filter depth area is different. Meaning - the carbon pellet prefilter WILL NOT fit the 5300-2/C535. Basically you can try putting the carbon pellet cartridge/rigid filter in - but the mesh prefilter that clips on won't be able to "clear" it and lock into place flatly. If you don't mind a bit of bending or don't care to have a prefilter - it'll "fit". - But the filter can "fall out of place" since nothing is clipping it in. If its installed and the unit is never moved or knocked, the filters will stay in place - suction alone at speeds 3 and above can keep it fairly in place even when knocked around. The C535 and 5300-2 are basically the same. The 5500-2 is where the differences start - since the 5500-2 basically allows you to run any filters you want because it has the filter depth area to hold anything. Performance wise, they "feel" similar; acoustically - you wouldn't be able to tell filter to filter which is which unless one was defective or had something lodged inside the fan. For full disclosure - almost every single unit except for maybe 1 of my C535's are refurbished from Winix (often resold through woot/meh) which is why I have so many. (Usually I get them for $69/ea or less). So the act of "refurbishment" might have saved me from any defective noisy units. That or my batch - all of my 5500/5300's are over 6 years old. A quick check puts 3 of my C535's at 2018 vintage - and these are my newest units of the "5500" series. Summary: \- Remote control differences \- Different Filter Depth acceptance (5500-2 is larger) \- C535/5300-2 is the same \- Same acoustic performance \- Same airflow performance \- Carbon Filter differences

To be super explicit; the 5500-2 does come with a honey comb style carbon filter with pellet style activated carbon. Its not their lower end models with a black foam filter with activated carbon dust. Here's an image: [https://www.winixamerica.com/product/filter-h-116130/](https://www.winixamerica.com/product/filter-h-116130/) A filter that advertises the weight of their activated carbon weight is great; but its not an end all and be all; as activated carbon performance varies significantly based on its product. However; its a good guideline that if its not advertising its activated carbon content that its potentially not a great filter for VOCs. Again - guidelines don't apply to all, and the 5500-2 is an exception to this guideline Like most filters not designed for long term high performance VOC removal, the 5500-2's original carbon filters do get exhausted fairly quick. There's just not enough activated carbon in nearly all consumer room sized filters to be effective for more than a few weeks to a few months.

https://www.winixamerica.com/product/5500-2/?utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping%20Product%20Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=48&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADEtHWmnqOtPCBnuZ3C0Ri3K2ZZ9o&gclid=Cj0KCQiAst67BhCEARIsAKKdWOmD_2u7OoTiZsHlwxeeJVkzpNO38ZTVPesm1feu5UlXIqJvRprkzLEaAgmaEALw_wcB I have 2 of these are have washable carbon filters. Very good!

I have their previous model the 5500 and run it 24/7 the replacement filters are spendy if you buy Winix brand but you can find aftermarket versions for hella cheap

My Winix 5500 is going on 11 years of 24/7 use. One of the best purchases I've made

[https://www.amazon.com/Winix-5500-2-Purifier-PlasmaWave-Reducing/dp/B01D8DAYII](https://www.amazon.com/Winix-5500-2-Purifier-PlasmaWave-Reducing/dp/B01D8DAYII) this has been working for me in my moldy shed-to-home repo.. it has an ionizer that can be turned off... it has a carbon filter for smell and a washable pre-filter best of luck with your decision

We recommend the $160 [Winix 5500-2](https://www.amazon.com/Winix-5500-2-Purifier-PlasmaWave-Reducing/dp/B01D8DAYII) for a cheap option. The larger $350 [Coway Airmega 400 ](https://www.amazon.com/Coway-Airmega-Purifier-sq-ft-White/dp/B01C9RIACG) is good for kitchens or living rooms. For bedrooms the Coway Airmega 250s but that's not on sale right now.

Winix 5500-2 is the only air purifier you need friend

good brand, but poor filter format. circullar filters units die faster than square ones that have bigger fans in them. their filters also clog up a little quicker than flat filter style units. this will be an upgrade over having nothing. but it will cost more in the long run via filter replacements and then the unit itself failing too. the winix 5500 is a very popular model and the coway airmega is another fantastic option.

Winix 5500-2 is a solid choice. As well as the new Coway Airmega 350.

Winix 5500-2 or Coway Airmega 1512

Winix 5500-2 has been great. I have 3 in my house.

Definitely return it and buy the new Winix 5510 or 5500-2. If you have a bigger space, the Coway Airmega 350/450 is amazing.

Winix should be $150 or less.

Winix 5500-2 works great.

Coway Airmega 350, Winix 5500-2 and Coway Airmega 1512.

I have a 2,400 sq ft raised ranch. I run 2 x Winix 5500-2 and 1 x Coway Airmega 350. Airmega 350 is my favorite but its also 2x the price. Winix 5500-2 works great too.

I'd get 2 or 3 small ones. 1 for each bedroom and 1 for the main living space. Id recommend the Winix 5500-2 or Coway Airmega 1512..

Winix 5500-2 or Coway Airmega 1512

The winix and coway air intake is from the front. You want an air purifier oversized. Then you can keep it on a lower fan speed and still purify the area every hour. My house is 2,400 sq ft. I run 1 x Coway Airmega 350 which is rated for 2,600 sq ft. Plus 2 x winix 5500-2. 1 in the basement and 1 in my bedroom.

Winix 5500 is 126 right now. Nice and quiet on low settings.

I have a bunch of Winix 5500-2 units and they're great. Rated as one of the best bang-for-the-buck.

It doesn't pull air like the 5502 and 5300 and this is the next generation of the 5500-2. On speed 2 the purifier does not hold toilet paper (one squate) the 5502 does. And it doesn't blow air out hard as the 5502. I guess it is my test but I'm not keeping it. I just ordered another 5502.

I ended up using the AHAM to help me decide thank you! Turns out coways not verified by them. And I started to see some discrepancies about their micron particle size being marketed something different than the true size… so I went with the winix 5500-2. Seems good so far! Thank you for the recommendation on AHAM

I ended up purchasing the winix 5500-2 after looking up the AHAM (someone mentioned on my post to check there and it helped me get a good idea of realistic square footage and CADR because they verified them) and it seemed to be the best choice for what I needed in my master. Figured I’d start there since it’s such good value and if I didn’t love it I can get another brand for downstairs, but so far I like it! Not too much noise and I think I feel a difference already! I also deep cleaned right before I installed it so that might have helped too 😅 We have a dog too so fur accumulates quick and it’s hard to keep up with my 18month old baby. Noticed a big difference that my eyes are not as itchy! Do you keep yours running through the night? Mine seems to turn off, but I think I can disable “night mode”. We’re sleeping in there all night and I’m thinking I’ll see even better results if I keep it going.

I have seen that too. That they released a statement that there’s no purpose to its green filter other than marketing? I ended up with the winix 5500-2 for my bedroom… still kind of like the idea of the coway for my downstairs, but I did see what people were mentioning about the green filter.

I have a Winix 5500-2 and like it. It's quiet and seems to be pretty effective. For your budget, you could get a few and place them around your house. Or, I guess, just buy one super advanced air purifier or something.

Two weeks into using winix 5500-2 and night 1 I noticed a difference in my sleeping. I’m obsessed and now want the whole house with a unit

I will say just returned home from a trip, partner caught covid somewhere along the way and was coming down with a fever as soon as we landed. They were double masked for the flight, but only so much distance you can manage. We have been sharing a bathroom, and I had been sleeping on the couch but a similar apartment design. I did NOT catch anything a week into the symptoms and assume at this point I will not. The risk only comes in from how the other person is managing themselves. So long as you wash and keep space you’ll be fine. SIDENOTE also grabbed a purifier ended up with a Winix 5500-2

The Levoit Vital 200s, Winix 5500-2, Winix A231, or Blueair 311i Max The Levoit Vital series are reportedly improved versions of the Core series. Also, the Levoit Vital 100 and Blueair 511 are too small for your bedroom (when not complemented by the box fan). They have confirmed clean air delivery rates (CADR) of \~100 cubic feet per minute. You want at least 5 air changes per hour (ACH), preferably more. ACH = 60 x CADR / room volume. Your room volume is 230 x 8 = 1,840 (assuming you have an 8-foot ceiling) E.g., the Levoit 100: 60 x 130 / 1,840 = 4.2 ACH. Not bad, especially if you're also running your box fan filter. But not ideal. Levoit 200s: 60 x 245 / 1,840 = 8 ACH. Very good, especially when you're not running your box fan.

The Coway AP-1512 (and the Coway Airmega 200, which is almost the same thing) are still good picks, as is the Winix 5500-2. All three have similar performances, including cleaning airborne viruses. I would also look at the Levoit Vital series, and the new PC fan filters like AirFanta and CleanAirKits. [https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/)

The Coway 150 or the Winix C545, with some caveats. But I recommend upgrading from the Coway 150 to the Coway Airmega 200 (which I have) or Coway Mighty (a little harder to clean the front panel of the Mighty than the Coway 200) to provide flexibility of moving it to a larger room. Depending on the merchant, the 200 isn't much more expensive than the 150. [Wirecutter](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/#our-pick-coway-airmega-ap-1512hh-mighty) rates the Winix C535 as performing as well as the Winix 5500-2, so presumably the Winix C545 would be good. I don't recommend the Winix 5500-2 (which I also have) for ***bedrooms*** because you can't turn off the annoying display light--not good for sleeping. But I consider the 5200-2 to be better than the aforementioned Coways only because of its charcoal filter with charcoal pellets--not the charcoal filter pad that the Coways use. Also, it's easy to forget to turn off 5500-2's pointless "PlasmaWave" feature when you turn on the machine--probably not good to have that activated in your baby's room. Other than that, Winix 5500-2 and the Coway Airmega 200 have the same specs (airflow and coverage). I don't know if the Winix C535 and the C545 lack a light shut off feature similar to the Winix 5500-2's lack of that feature. Levoit Core 300 seems ok but it has some quirks mentioned in this video of the Levoit Core 400: [https://youtu.be/h-keLXkIKI0](https://youtu.be/h-keLXkIKI0) (I like that guy's reviews of air purifies--he really knows what he's talking about. And he rates the 5500-2 as the best one on the market). An air filtration expert did all types of tests on the Levoit Core 400 and the results were impressive. I don't know anything about the Smart Air Sqair. But I notice that unlike the Levoit Core 300 and seemingly all Winix models, the Smart Air Sqair doesn't have an AHAM Verifide certificate (to be fair, neither does any Coway model). [https://www.ahamdir.com/room-air-cleaners/](https://www.ahamdir.com/room-air-cleaners/) Smart Air Sqair also doesn't specify what its clean air delivery rate (CADR) applies to--smoke, dust, or pollen (smoke is always the lowest of the 3)--which to me is red flag on honesty/openness. What's the height of your ceiling?

If using light blocking tape, then the Winix 5500-2 would be the clear choice out of all the aforementioned purifiers.

Air purifiers really aren’t complicated. They move the air around through a combination of filters, that’s it. The higher end ones usually have more carbon in their filters (which is good for VOC/smell removal), but they also eat up a lot of power most of the time so you’re paying a ton more per year. Figure out the square footage of each room and get an air purifier that will do 5-6 air changes per hour for each one. Provided ratings will be on high and high is almost always loud - so going bigger is usually better (and can often save on energy costs/filter replacement period). HEPA filters come in different grades, but it’s not super important. In room, the air is constantly circulating so what you need are high clean air delivery rates. Right now, the Winix 5500-2 is on sale and it’s a proven unit. For $130, it’s a great option for small to medium rooms. Do not keep it on auto, keep it running to circulate the air. At least, that’s what I’d do as someone who doesn’t see the value in the super expensive models.

I like my Levoit operation/efficacy wise but the filters are stupidly expensive. If I were to get something else I’d go with the Winix 5500-2. Best unit I ever had was the rabbit air minusA2 but it’s outside your (and mine now lol) price range

This. I have a winix 5500, two blue air 411s and two coway airmegas and the coway is my favorite by far.

Thank you! The Winix 5500-2 is a really really good deal for functionality. The only thing I hate about it is it looks absolutely hideous.

From what i understand its marginally better and much better looking but the filters aren't readily available. I was deciding between the two but I prob gonna end up getting the 5500-2 just because the filters are actually available for purchase

I had all these except COWAY which is very similar to Winix. If you want the best value for money it's Daikin since filters last for so many years. If you want the most sensitive one, Winix 5500-2. I had daikin and this one side by side and winix reacted to cooking smell, open window etc where as Daikin only reacted in extreme cases. But keep in mind filters are quite expensive. Also look at which has more warranty, Winix usually has 2 year vs Daikin 1 year. Like very motor, it's better to get a more powerful one and let it run gentler.

I have the older Winix and run it 24 7 365 without problems. I just need to replace the filter once a year. I have not tried this round model. Edited to add. Mine is a 5500. I forget the Costco model number for the equivalent but it was the same unit that Costco was selling for 2018-2021. Been running non stop since 2018 and no weird noises from the blower fan which is amazing.

I vacuum the mesh pre-filter and charcoal pre-filter every week, and i use the orange filter from Winix. I can get more than a year out of them. The orange filter does start to look a bit black at that point.

Mine doesn’t have any network access. It was probably from 2019-2020 era. I’m sad to hear if they are all networked now.

Bisell Air 320. That was one I had asked for awhile ago (Covid times) it covers a large room/air changes etc. At home I have a Winix 5500-2 and I also really like that one

Oh yeah the winix 550-2 is good. FWIW its currently the top pick on [this site](https://redditrecs.com/?category=air+purifier&subm_id=1fd9x6a) that ranks products based on Reddit comments. Worth checking out if you’re still undecided.

For smell look for purifiers with activated carbon. I would also look for true HEPA filters to effectively catch pet dander and allergens. The Winix 5500-2 is a good option. Has true HEPA filter and activated carbon filter. The washable pre-filter is a plus too because it catches larger stuff like fur, which makes maintenance easy. In fact it's been suggested many times on reddit ([see analysis and comments here](https://redditrecs.com/?category=Air+purifier&subm_id=1fp5xp7)) so its pretty much battle tested. Make sure you position it in a spot where airflow isn’t blocked. if it’s too close to walls or furniture, it won't work as effectively. Good idea is to keep it near the litter box but off to the side.

I have used many different models and believe the Winix 5500-2 is best because it’s quiet. I also like the Coway 1512HH but don’t use the ionization feature. The BlueAir filters are highly annoying because of their external cloth filters require cleaning and gather dust (by design) on the exterior. So you’ll be exposed to more dust and allergens when you clean the filter.

This does have a carbon filter FYI. Just bought 2 and the manual at least says it does

Slightly cheaper option: I use the winix 5500. It has a mega mode (which is loud) that cleans a very large room quickly, or that you can run constantly if the air is really polluted. I have very bad asthma and it was able to clean my house air during forest fire season. It worked so so well. We have had the same one for 4 years, running constantly, with no trouble. We do not have the smart version, which I would be wary of (more parts to break).  Bonus: it is on sale right now Edit: I think this is the one we have up at our cabin. It doesn't get used as heavily so I can't speak to longevity, but we bought it used and it works perfectly. Sorry the link is chaotic.  https://www.winixamerica.com/product/c535/?_gl=1*14sla5r*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyc67BhDSARIsAM95Qzsi-b5swDVaTVYvius-k4yc29_yya6emNoU-ixOlYQgQhYoDvVP6I4aAovaEALw_wcB This is the one we have at our house:  https://a.co/d/e2W3sJ8

Your best bet is to build a cheap Corsi–Rosenthal Box as it works better than anything else you can buy. That said I do keep a Winix 5500-2 in the master bedroom of my always under constant renovations fixer upper house because drywall dust is evil and gets everywhere even with plastic walls and negative pressure. It was $100 on sale at Home Depot and it's fairly quiet even on the 2nd to highest speed.

SAD. But not surprising since this is reddit Edit: I recommend the Winix 5500-2 for general air cleanliness and pets

I mean is the 5500-2 really better? It has less Square Foot Coverage and no WIFI. Only benefit I see on the 5500-2 is it has a washable pre-filter (just like my C535s) but it has a better carbon filter. So maybe the 5500-2 is better for a stinky house. :)

I have a few of these and they have a bit of an annoying sound. Not that smooth. Fine during the day, but too much oscillation for night time

How many sq. ft? Coway Airmega 200M or 250. Winix 5500-2. Yes they will help a lot for allergens and odors, as long as you clean the pre-filter weekly, replace the carbon filter every six months, and replace the HEPA filter every year.

i wouldnt choose any of those, i'd go with Coway Airmega 200M or Winix 5500-2 all the way

HEPA and carbon. The Winix 5500-2 is a really good one for the price ($133 currently): https://a.co/d/2JXjKYa You can turn the plasmawave thing off if you're worried about ozone.

I have the Winix 5500 series. I use it exclusively in my bedroom. I have a separate desktop monitor that will monitor: C02, PM2.5, PM 10, TVOC and HCHO. The automatic system with the lights on the machine perfectly matches the desktop monitor. I am going to add this statement, and it is a medical statement, so you might want to ask your own doctor for your own answer. That statement from my Pulmonologist is, "absolutely do NOT use the ionizer function of any type, period". We know there are several companies that advertise their unit meets California or some other city standards. The trouble with that statement, it was not a pulmonologist who wrote the guidelines for those approval companies. My unit has an on/off button for the ionizer. Tip: The slower air and dirt particles move through the filter, is the more chance those little mean bits of nasty particles have to get caught. Smoke like cigars, BBQ grill won't be removed from the Walmart Costco off the shelf types. Those smoke odor removing units have a specialized extra filter which uses around 40-80 lbs of charcoal. Extremely expensive, but if you suffer extremely bad with odors and allergies, that is the route will need to travel. Starting price around $800US for a real unit that will work. They go up into the thousands. By mistake, I didn't get the remote control option for my unit and now realize I should have double checked for that. I could really use it at night. I researched for about three weeks before I ordered a unit. Mine is more of staying in an extremely clean environment as opposed to just some clean air. My daughter and I probably looked through roughly forty different designs and configurations. I came close to buying a whole house unit, but there are enough microscopic sized little objects that can come in through things like the dryer vent, the slides around the patio door, windows etc, it just wouldn't make sense or be practicable. Buying a unit that costs more dollars absolutely doesn't mean it will work better, however the 99 buck units have filters that cost around 40 bucks. An additional thing before you buy, check for the noise levels at what speed and the filter costs replacement. We found some with so many extra features it was crazy. I really don't have a need for a unit with internet connection so I can turn it on and off while I am on vacation, or just look at the level of impurities in the air when I am not home. Good luck. I am sure once you get it home you will be pleasantly surprised by the difference in your bedroom from the rest of the house.

That’s what I’m thinking. Because on paper, my Winix 5500-2 should be better than my Winix 5500, but it’s definitely not. No matter where I place them, my 5500 (old model) *always* collects more dust/hair. It even pulls more dog hair from across the house, regardless of where it’s located, which is crazy (I’ve tested out swapping the locations of the two). The 5500-2 is a little quieter, though, and looks more modern. Also I considered getting a Coway. Which model do you have?

Yeah, I’ve never heard of Alen, but you bring up a good point about Winix. I have bad allergies and run most of my purifiers on high 24/7. Considering my Costco model Winix started whining at the motor and producing less airflow, I can’t help but wonder how long my 5500-2 will last. My older Winix, the 5500 (precursor to the 5500-2) seems stronger and possibly like it will last longer. Even though it’s considerably uglier lmao. And the Blueair filter I just picked up comes with a really *thick* HEPA and feels very robust. Honestly, it feels like an older desktop computer console.

Did you ever figure out how to fix the motor whine? My old Costco model Winix also has a whine to the motor, and the airflow seems to have decreased. In contrast, my Winix 5500 (old model) and 5500-2 seem to be doing well, but I’m not sure what their longevity will be like as I’ve only had them for a year. Just got my first Blueair (the model above) second-hand off Marketplace. It’s built much more solidly than the Winix ones but I’m trying to determine if going forward I should still pick up some Winix models or switch to Blueair. I have severe environmental allergies so I have a lot of purifiers.

That’s what I’m thinking. Because on paper, my Winix 5500-2 should be better than my Winix 5500, but it’s definitely not. No matter where I place them, my 5500 (old model) *always* collects more dust/hair. It even pulls more dog hair from across the house, regardless of where it’s located, which is crazy (I’ve tested out swapping the locations of the two). The 5500-2 is a little quieter, though, and looks more modern. Also I considered getting a Coway. Which model do you have?

I can’t stand cat litter odor and have got it nailed down to a science: 1. Platinum Slide Multi-Cat litter. This exact one is the best for odor control. 2. Buy separate carbon filters cut-to-fit to use as a pre filter for your air purifiers and can change them regularly. 3. Consider a carbon filter for your HVAC. 4. Which purifiers did you get? Not all are equal. Look on Facebook Marketplace for a large air purifier from Levoit, BlueAir (the big rectangular ones, not the round small one), Coway, Rabbit, AustinAir, IQair, Healthway, or Winix. The Winix 5500 and 5500-2 are popular and you can often get them cheap on marketplace. 5. Get a good vacuum. Consider looking for a Kenmore bagged vacuum on Amazon or marketplace. SEBO is even better but expensive. The bags last a long time and odor doesn’t escape.

I can’t stand cat litter odor and have got it nailed down to a science: 1. Platinum Slide Multi-Cat litter. This exact one is the best for odor control. 2. Buy separate carbon filters cut-to-fit to use as a pre filter for your air purifiers and can change them regularly. 3. Consider a carbon filter for your HVAC. 4. Which purifiers did you get? Not all are equal. Look on Facebook Marketplace for a large air purifier from Levoit, BlueAir (the big rectangular ones, not the round small one), Coway, Rabbit, AustinAir, IQair, Healthway, or Winix. The Winix 5500 and 5500-2 are popular and you can often get them cheap on marketplace. 5. Get a good vacuum. Consider looking for a Kenmore bagged vacuum on Amazon or marketplace. SEBO is even better but expensive. The bags last a long time and odor doesn’t escape.

This [review](https://www.airpurifierfirst.com/review/winix-5510/) states "I would like it **if it had a larger filter media**, at least as large as the one in its predecessor, the Winix 5500-2." The [picture](https://www.airpurifierfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Winix-5510-Vs-Winix-5500-2-Side-by-side-1024x768.png) from the same review indicates 5510 (which uses Filter Q) is smaller than 5500-2 (which uses Filter H). It would be nice if manufactures or reviewers mention the dimensions and surface area of the HEPA filter on the product or review pages.

We have had our Winix 5500-2 for years and would definitely recommend it.

How big is your space? My wife and I have two Winix units, the 5500-2 for the bedroom, and the 9800 for our larger kitchen/living room/back room area. They work well, and after buying the Winix, my wife's morning sneezefest was \*greatly\* reduced. Also, the filters on both can be found for fairly cheap on Amazon.

I would also add, the times I've had particularly offensive gas, the Winix has sensed it, turned an angry shade of red, and kicked into high gear to handle it. I don't say that to be crass, only to note that it does respond well to bad air quality. That being said, it's cracked me up a few times. You might take a look at the Winix 5500 as well, because it should be cheaper than what's in your post listing. The 5500 has a honeycomb activated charcoal filter that some think is better than the carbonized foam. I can't vouch for this site, but here is their take: [https://www.consumeranalysis.com/guides/air-purifiers/winix-5500-2-review/](https://www.consumeranalysis.com/guides/air-purifiers/winix-5500-2-review/) I'd also recommend, for the long term, getting one of these bad boys if you can swing it, because they do a phenomenal job of blowing dust out of pre-filters and the carbon filters, along with anything else that collects dust (computers, PS5, yadda). [https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Powerful-Electronic-Environmentally-Friendly/dp/B01FWSYOME](https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Powerful-Electronic-Environmentally-Friendly/dp/B01FWSYOME)

Winix family here. We have a 5500 and a 9800.

Honestly you'd be much better off spending an extra $30 on the Winix 5500-2. Almost twice the CFM for just a few dollars more.

So for that size room you need a CADR rating of around 140 to 5 air exchanges per hour. I would try and aim for an air purifier that has a CADR of 300 or more so you can run it at a lower speed and still get the required air exchanges. That Coway 400 would be alright or Winix D480 would be good, the Winix 5500-2 would be ok but you would have to run it at a higher speed so it would be more noisy.

I have both. The 610 is smaller and looks better but the 5500 is quieter and has a better sounding hum and is easier to clean the pre filter

That's not a bad deal, especially since it should come with 2 filters. The listing on costco.com shows 2 filters. The Levoit Core 300 may be a slightly better deal. I've had one since Black Friday and so far, it's good. Noise on low is good in my bedroom. My Winix 5300 is almost 14 years old now, so I'm very satisfied with it. The much newer Winix 5500 may be a better choice than the Winix 610 or Levoit Core 300. So if you have the space for it, I would go with the 5500. All of these have reasonable priced replacement filters, so that's good. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these three, don't feel compelled to analyze this for another month! Good luck!

2nd the winix. 5500 isn’t terrible at $133, if you are strapped for cash keep an eye out for factory reconditioned c545 models

I am very happy with our Winix air purifiers, we have the 5500-2 in our main living space and the smaller models in other rooms.

Don't get a winix 5500-2. I got 2 of them a few years ago and within months of each other the bearings on both started making a horrible noise. I looked into fixing it myself and it turns out it's very common, and it's nearly impossible to fix because it's a sealed system. They cheaped out on a 10 cent bearing and now they're pretty much useless. My blueair 211+ has been great though. I don't really know how they would be a scam. Just like any filter, they take stuff out of the air.

I personally have 2 Winnix 5500-2's in my home. I have also bought some for both my parents and my in-laws. I love the Winnix. It work's great! Quiet, catches a lot of dust, auto power off at night is awesome, and filters are cheap.

I literally own the top rated one on here. I just doubled checked with Amazon to make sure my exact model, and it is. and, it's not that great... not to say it's bad per se, but my Germ Guardian pepper machines are better: I've owned many of them at this point GermGuardian Air Purifier for Home, Large Rooms, H13 HEPA Filter, Removes Dust, Allergens, Smoke, Pollen, Odors, Mold, UV-C Light Helps Reduce Germs, 28 Inch, Black, AC5350B https://a.co/d/9sIScJd so, this is the model I have in several rooms in my home. I used to have this model in my kitchen too, until I hit a sale cheaper than replacing the one that burned out in my kitchen.  I replaced it with the winix that's top rated here on your chart. Winix 5500-2 Air Purifier with True HEPA, PlasmaWave and Odor Reducing Washable AOC Carbon Filter Medium https://a.co/d/3WG0ZAN it's nice, but it doesn't seem to do as good a job as the germ Guardians --like noticeably does not do as good a job, and then you add the smell Factor--yes, it smells! or rather, it lacks to good enough carbon filter to eliminate kitchen smells like the old one did.  that room has no real ventilation due to sleazy landlord, so the air literally is depended on the air filters to clean it. I've been seriously considering switching out the Winix to another room with one of my previous germ Guardians , just because that room needs the extra help.

Yeah I covered mine with black tape. Perfect since then

I have a winix 5500-2. I am really happy with it. Highly recommend.

A good purifier will definitely collect stuff from the air, but only from the area immediately around the air purifier. You will still have a lot of dust and stuff even in the same room as the purifier, but the filters will also be loaded with crap before long, so you can see that it actually is doing something. You may need several for the same room where you're most concerned about the air quality. The small ones don't do much of anything. You would likely need something like a Winix 5300, 5500, C535, C545 etc. Not sure where you're located, but Costco often has some of them at good prices. If you get one without defects, they're quiet, filters are cheap, and they are often mentioned as the most highest rated air purifiers because of filtration efficiency and affordable price. They're also power efficient. I've also had good luck with Honeywell, despite a lot of people not liking them. The quality has gone downhill in recent years, and they use a lot of electricity compared to the Winix, but they are very efficient at filtration because of their higher speeds. They tend to be on the louder side, and they have only a single pre-filter instead of two. Generally you want to get the largest unit you can get. If on the rare chance it ends up being too large for the room, you can just run it at a lower speed. The smaller ones really won't do very much for you, even if they claim to fit the square footage of the room you're placing it in. You should also make sure the vacuum is a high quality bagged vacuum using multi-layered bags, such as Miele or Sebo. Cheap bagged vacuums, and almost all bagless vacuums will put dust back into the air. The Miele bags act as the filter and have something like 9 layers of filter material so you know that what you suck up stays sucked up. My suggestion would be to pick up a Winix unit and put in your bedroom and start there. But first, give it a good vac and damp wipe surfaces and floors to gather dust and dander. Then run the purifier with the door closed as often as possible.

Amazon has some black Friday cyber Monday deals. I just picked up the coway 1512hh for my son's room, and a winix 5500-2 for the kitchen. Both on sale are under 300 all together. I'd recommend those for a bedroom and or living area depending on size of the rooms. I believe the coway has a pet filter optional you can purchase which may or may not help more. Ideally you'd want 4 air changes per hour or more in each room you'll mostly be in with the pets. There are calculators to help you understand

I wanted a shorter height purifier for my son's room. And have been interested in coway. I also decided to get the 1512 as I read you can swap in the carbon pellet filters with some modification that they offer for the 1512hhs. Also, I put the coway in my son's room as it's sensors are more focused on particulate matter. Whereas the winix also has odor and gas sensors iirc which would be better suited for the kitchen. Interesting note is all 3 are highly regarded South Korean companies.

I can't speak to this specific one, but we LOVE it WINX 5500-2. Our home requires a window AC unit in our bedroom upstairs. This wrecked my sinuses so season long, but basically put me out of commission during the spring. We live both in the city, and near open air rickhouses for bourbon (look up the unique fungus that comes from that!). Anyways, I kept waiting and waiting for the spring, and then the summer, and eventually the fall to destroy my sinuses and eyes. Never happened. 100% recommend. Absolutely the best investment we've made that made all the difference in so many ways

Yes, I also have 2 of these running 24/7 for 5+ years.

Winix 5500 is your answer

Lets say you have a budget of 400usd. I would buy a dry herb vape(if you need to make use of flower instead of wax/oil), a winix 5500, and a smokebuddy. This would give you the lowest chance of detection. If you need to burn flower, i would place purifier under open window with another fan blowing out the window, keep all related items by purifier intake, use smokebuddy to exhale into the intake, and make sure the flower isnt cherry red and putting out unfiltered smoke into the air.

Levoit core 600s, coway airmega 300/400, medify ma125, dyson tp10, alen air breath smart, winix t810/5500. Any of these are great, so you can pick based off of design preference and location. Ones that intake from all sides work best in center of room, others are fine up against a wall. Dyson works well as a fan or circulator too. I also live in a larger open air loft style apartment with a cat. I have a Dyson in the upstairs bedroom for the fan feature, levoit 600s in kitchen for cooking because that thing moves alot of air at max, winix 5500 in bathroom and by litterbox because it is best bang for buck, having carbon pellets for odor at low price.

I just bought a Winnix 5500-2 from Amazon for $160. So far, it seems to be fine. I’m finding my fall allergies aren’t bothering me as much, but I’m not sure if it’s just too early yet. If by January I haven’t had a nose bleed and woken up with my eyes sealed shut, I’ll call it a success.

I also recommend Winix 5500-2. It has a washable pre-filter to remove pet fir and large dust, a carbon filter to remove smells and small dust, and a HEPA filter to remove smallest particles in the air aka particular matter (PM). I like that it has a remote and it supports night mode where it dims the lights and slows down to be super quiet at night. It is also convenient that the same remote can control many units — just point to the device and push a button on the remote. It makes it fast to switch modes if needed. Note, the Winix 5300-2 is very similar but it doesn’t have a remote.

Get a standalone dehumidifer and multiple air purifiers depending on the size of your living space. The Winix 5500-2 and AM80 (same unit, different look) is a benchmark of purifiers and one unit covers 360 square feet optimally. Buy as many as are needed to cover your living space and place them in different areas of the house. Bringing the humidity down will stop further mold growth. The purifiers will strip particulate matter from the air, including mold spores (which are larger particles, in relative terms) and smaller PM 2.5 / PM 1 particles. You may also want to consider buying a hygrometer and a quality air quality monitor. Units like the 5500-2 have a built-in PM/VOC sensor to control the fan speed based on air quality, but they are not all that accurate if you want more detailed readings. PurpleAir makes some very good monitors.

Winix 5500-2 or AM80, or Coway 1512 offer the best bang for the buck in terms of finished units as they sell for about $150 on sales--they mainly remove particulates, but for allergies, this is what you want. Each cover about 350-400 square feet of space for optimal performance and air quality, and they represent the most cost-effective performance relative to unit size/price/energy use/filter replacement costs. Buy as many as you need for your living space's size. Corsi-Rosenthal boxes are even less expensive.

You need multiple purifiers in different rooms throughout the house--a single purifier is not going to be able to handle an area of that size. The Winix 5500-2 or AM80 (same product with a different look) is the best bang for your buck (unless you build your own), with the Coway 1512 being a close second. These can often be purchased on sales for $125-150 a piece. Filter replacement costs on the Winix are extremely reasonable and there are good 3rd party products that are even cheaper. These units are rated for about 400 square feet for optimal performance against particulate matter, but the number of units you would need would depend on how much air turnover you want. For allergies, the more turnover the better.

Winix 5500-2 or AM80 (same unit, different look) or Coway 1512. They optimally cover 350-400 square feet a piece. They are the best bang for your buck when considering airflow, energy usage, and filter replacement costs. You can find them on sale for around $150. There are good aftermarket filters for them, too, from brands like Filter Monster, that further bring down operating costs (I've been using several Filter Monster products for years now and previously tested their particulate performance using a Purple Air PA-II--they perform comparably to factory filters.) Smaller units are actually less energy efficient due to a need to run on higher fan settings and larger units often have much higher purchase and filter replacement costs (although some are extremely energy efficient). Most air purifiers **do not** remove odors. They can disperse them by moving air around, but they do not have enough carbon to provide a significant level of adsorption to remove VOCs for any sustained period of time. Specialty purifiers that have large carbon canisters exist, and these work very well at odor removal, but they have some major downsides, such as price, energy usage, carbon canister replacement costs, and noise. Beyond that, air purifiers that excel in VOC removal sacrifice particulate performance, as you want slower airflow for adsorption (to allow sufficient 'dwell time' where the air is passing through the carbon bed), versus higher airflow for filtering particulates. An example of a purifier that removes VOCs is the AllerAir AirMedic Pro 6. I have one with a 40 pound Vo-Carb carbon filter and it was about $1,000 to buy, it's massive, loud, uses a ton of energy as it has a commercial motor, and the carbon canister is several hundred dollars to replace. Unless it is not possible, ventilation with outdoor air is a much more effective way to remove VOCs (and hence, odors.)

Both of those are severely undersized for your space, especially the Coway. Buy a Winix 5500-2 or AM80 or a Coway AH-1512. These are AHAM rated for up to about 400 square feet, so they are still a bit undersized, but move significantly more air. Price-wise, they are inexpensive and filter life/costs is very reasonable. If necessary, add a second--two medium sized units such as two 5500-2s will yield better air quality than one, single large unit.

None of them use monumental amounts of energy except the ones that actually are BIFL, as these use commercial motors. Those use a lot of energy. For most, the Winix 5500-2 or AM80 (same product, different look) or Coway 1512 represent the best value of cost, features, efficiency, effectiveness, filter lifespan, replacement filter costs, generic replacement filter longevity (see Filter Monster), and longevity. They often go on sale for around $150. These units provide optimal performance for up to about 400 square feet. If your living space is larger, you would need multiple units placed in different areas of the home to get the best results. Multiple smaller units generally provide better performance than a single, larger unit. Both of these have reusable prefilters, which if cleaned often, will extend the life of the pleated HEPA filter (which cannot be cleaned). They also both have sensors that allows them to ramp or reduce fan speed based on air quality readings. The Winix has a really nice night mode, where it ramps down the fan speed when air quality is good + it is night, and it also dims all of the LEDs. Keep in mind though that the higher the fan speed, the more air turnover you get, and the faster particulates (including allegens) that are in the air will be filtered. If your roomate's allergies are severe, keeping them on a higher speed continually might be necessary to achieve allergy relief. Finally, keep in mind that most purifiers do not do much for odors or volatile organic compounds. (It doesn't sound like you are buying it for this reason, but I still wanted to note this.) There are specialty units that do offer significant VOC adsorption capacities, but these are specialty products that are generally extremely expensive and have quite a few downsides.

They absolutely work at filtering particulate matter (PM) from the air, and PM is liked to millions of premature deaths every year, it is especially harmful to children, plus it is causally linked to the onset of certain diseases. The do not work very well at filter volatile organic compounds (VOCs), unless they are specialized units with massive carbon canisters. Consequently, they are not effective at removing odors unless they are one of these specialized units. In your stated case, you're describing particulates, so you do not need a specialized unit. You simply need enough filtration to cover your home. What size is your home? Generally, multiple smaller units are more effective than a single, large unit. The Winix 5500-2 or Winix AM80 (they are the same product with a different look) and the Coway AP-1512 represent the best values between airflow, features, energy efficiency, and filter replacement costs. These provide optimal filtration for up to about 400 square feet per unit. Multiple units throughout the home in different areas will achieve the best results. The larger Coway AirMega 400 is on a great sale right now. This is a good unit. While Coway advertises it for covering over 3,000 square feet, this is not accurate (and is 'optimistic' marketing), and it will provide *optimal* filtration for around 600-700 square feet.

Winnix 5500-2 or AM80 (they are basically the same unit with a different look) or the Coway 1512. Lots of airflow, reasonable price, reasonable filter intervals and replacement costs, reasonable noise levels, a good set of features, and one unit will provide optimal performance in up to about 400 square feet of space.

The Winix 5500-2 or AM80 (same unit different look) and Coway 1512 are the most cost-effective units short of building your own Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes. Multiples of these units are cheaper to run than one very large unit. Yes, they make a huge difference in removing particulates from air. Particulate matter is linked to the deaths of millions of people every year and it wreaks havoc on the human body--especially that of children. The lower the PM levels indoor, the better, and purifiers/CR Boxes are extremely effective in lowering PM. They do not remove odors. Only specialized units with large carbon filters designed for VOC adsorption can do this, and these units are extremely expensive to purchase and operate. If you are on a budget, you can build your own purifier, called a Corsi Rosenthal Box. They are cheap, ugly, and extremely effective at removing particulates from the air.

From what I read having multiple standard size air purifiers distributed throughout is better than one large one. I have 4 Winnix 5500 for 1500 sqft. Just make sure whatever you get has a HEPA filter, not the washable kind.

I have 4 Winix 5500(?) running in my house 24/7 that are 3-5 years old. I keep them on fan speed 3 out of 4. No issues, but if power goes out you have to turn them back on. I think these are the best priced BIFL option on your list. Levoit is meh. I have a blue air, and have done research on hospital-quality others. They're good, but filter costs will bankrupt you if you follow the frequency they suggest.

I have a variety of HEPA filter units. Winnix 5500 is a good compromise of quality and price.

This I think the only air purifier I'd trust in the case of major chemical removal would be an expensive IQ Air Gas. That said, I've been using Winix for years and I love them. They are quiet, work well overall, and are a much better bang for the buck. The 5500 is a better machine for VOC removal as it has a much more substantial carbon filter. I also believe their PlasmaWave tech does help too. I understand the science behind it, and in my experience it seems to help in the long term.

I love my Winix! Ended up buying one before Costco had them as they were much cheaper than most brands, but actually had really good specs and certifications from everywhere, while also having a large AHAM verification for their square footage. I think I will be buying the Costco one soon for our spare bedroom though! Also if you need a larger size, they have a bigger unit available on Costco's website.

https://ausclimate.com.au/blogs/air-purifier-posts/what-is-winix-plasmawave#:~:text=In%20short%2C%20yes%3B%20Winix',and%20Drug%20Administration%20(FDA). Don't fear monger, Winix even passes California's extremely strict Ozone requirements. Also to the person below this comment, most UV light actually also creates Ozone, and is also not very effective in helping clean the air at all. At best UV light only kills the bacteria on the filter, provided it's actually exposed.

What you should keep in mind is that big units like that really cool down a small room fast. That was the reason i had to return mine. In summer it would be great but in winter, after just one hour on the sleep setting!! my temperature went down 0.5-1°C

I have 4 of the Winnix 5500's, been using them for maybe 4 years now, no issues at all with them. I replace the filters in them every 3-4 months.

We have been super happy for 7+ years with our Winix. https://amzn.to/3YCRjk3 I replace the carbon monthly and the hepa quarterly, running on 3 or high almost 24/7, and it’s been great for allergies and all the air gunk in PS.

I've been running this one in a studio apt and have had very little smoke smell.

the highest dollar per CADR I think is the Airfanta 3pro, but its a bit more finicky than a plug and play, and I don't know if it does smell very well. Between the two you have there, I'd go with the Winix.

that is true. I don't know how well they compare against the 5500-2, and one of selling points of the 5500-2 is that the carbon filter is separate (and apparently washable?) where as on the airfanta its bound to the filtration medium. But also it would raise the cost well over 150, where as just the airfanta 3pro itself is under 160 with the standard filter set.

If you decide to get the Winix 5500-2, keep the plasma wave OFF. It's Winix version of ionization which is of concern for people who care about ozone. Supposedly it's negligible but i don't take my chances so I keep it off.

I'd get the Winix. I know odor is last on your list but that carbon pellet filter on the Winix makes a difference. I'll likely sell my Coway to get the Winix.

Yes, Winix is every 6 months for filter placement. You can rinse the pre-filter and carbon filter. Just make sure they're both dry before adding them back.

Winix 5500-2. It's a good time to buy since a few places have it at a lower price. One of the reasons I purchased it was due a House Fresh article on the best purifiers for weed smell and it was the one that fit my budget the best. If you're using it for your bedroom you should be good.

😅I live in a one bedroom and I am on purifier 4. I’m going for 5 but could manage with 4. I knew my Winix 5500-2, the third one I bought and bought with way more knowledge than the first two, was underpowered for my space but I love that it meets a number of needs for me. No regrets. In my everyday I don't really need all four of mine going. 2 in my bedroom, 2 in my living room. I'm in no rush for an air purifier for the kitchen but we've all got different priorities in a device.

Winix 5500-2 first came to mind because it has a great activated carbon filter which is great for smells. It doesn't have an app for scheduling though. The Levoit Vital 200s hits right at your budget limit but you can schedule. It even has a smart mode where it can detect poor air quality and ramp up the fan. The Vital 100s is cheaper but won't filter the air as often/fast. It's often best to size up as much as your budget allows when it comes to air purifiers

You'll likely need a purifier for each room, at the very least one for the living room and bedroom. The Levoit Vital 200s is right at your budget limit but it's supposed to be good with pet dander and it has an auto mode. It is certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers for 388 square feet BUT that's based on the highest fan setting. I'd say a 300 square foot room would be it's best setting. Slightly cheaper but larger in size is the Winix 5500-2. It's AHAM certified for 360 square feet. AHAM certified coverage area means it can provide 5 air changes an hour within that space on the highest fan setting. I have the 5500-2 and I have two cats. I'm not allergic to them so I don't care about dander but it helps collect some of their hair. I still run my robotic vacuum every day, vacuum the couches nearly daily, and brush them 1-2x a week and there's still hair. MAYBE if I had a better robotic vacuum but I'm fine with it. You might be able to save funds buying used on Facebook Marketplace. Most people just list "air purifier" and not the brand in the listing title.

Could you also upgrade the filters in your apartment? It sounds like you have central heat and air. I wonder if the Winnix 5500-2 would be a better choice. It has a higher CADR for tobacco smoke than the Levoit and it has carbon pellet filters which will be good for odors. I have one for weed smoke. I bought it based on a recommendation from a blog I like, House Fresh. Independent blog that reviews on air purifiers. Just know that one of these alone won't be enough since you said it's a big room but one machine is better than zero.

Oh yes, it will help with allergies as well. *It may not help as much as you might hope because if the room is really large. You'll need a device equipped to change the air often to significantly reduce the allergen. Working within your budget. I think the Winix is a good option. I'm not aware of purifiers in the $140-$150 range that can provide 5 air changes an hour in a large space and have enough carbon to reduce or eliminate the smell of cigarette smoke. Others might know. 🙂

There’s a House Fresh article about the best air purifiers for viruses and bacteria. Sadly the Coway wasn’t on it. I wish I had came across the article before I bought my Coway 1512hh. The Winix 5500-2 is listed as a good buy for viruses. I ended up buying it for my living room and have the Conway in my bedroom. At some point I’ll upgrade to the Winix. Update: A few months ago I was looking at Coway's website and thought I didn't see viruses listed in terms of what their HEPA filters can filter out for the Coway 1512hh. I just looked and it's listed. Definitely put me at ease and I can cross getting another Winix for the bedroom off my list.

Just comparing the Coway 1512hh to the Winix 5500-2 I'd say Winix is slightly better due to the carbon filter and having an additional fan speed. You are correct, the square footage is based on the device running at the highest speed. Both devices are verified for 360 square feet. OP, you might want to look into the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers' directory. It allows you to see what square footage an air purifier is verified for. I may have mentioned Coway isn't in it. Another option would be to look at the different devices on Coway's site and look at the square footage for a device in 12.5 minutes, that way it's giving you the square footage for roughly 5 air changes an hour.

Personally Honeywell is okay they don't excel in anything and really aren't known for amazing air purifers. They do however make great air filters. But the cost is rather high for them considering. Also since you are up in Canada I know you deal with the occasional wildfire smoke etc. So me personally if I were you would invest in a good device that can help with the smoke during those poor air quality events. I would definetly get a Winix 5500-2 or something similar. Levoit has now built itself a bad rep for lying to consumers. I'm not familiar with the other brand. But I can assure you that you want a air purifier that can at least cycle the air in your room 2-3 times per hour. So if your room is 9feet by 9feet then you have a total of 81sq feet to clean. So you'll want something that is double or triple the cleaning of this.

Yeah the 5500-2 is highly superior to the d360 with carbon filtration. A carbon sheet is not even remotely helpful in removing VOCs. Minor odors at best. But when it comes down to VOCs you need carbon and alot of it. So in that regard the only one that even comes close to that is the 5500-2. And the aftermarket filter maket some double down on the carbon replacements for them. Making them even more efficient in vocs.

I'm currently running a levoit core 300. Honestly not as Impressed as I'd hoped to be. It seems to have helped some, but I feel as though I got more benefits from my box fan filter. I recently found that levoit got caught saying some of their filters are true hepa when they weren't. And have alot of weak points and used Amazon and others to push sales. Anyway I'd suggest another brand if your being cost effective. I'd say the winix 5500-2 is the best per value. Most don't care for the plasma wave tech. Because it's an ionizer, but you don't need to have it on. Or you can just unplug it inside the unit lol. Otherwise it's a good filter.

You're not alone, I literally did the same thing till I did some deep research. And found that levoit really wasn't all that good. And got my a Winix and couldn't be happier with the purchase. On top of the fact that the aftermarket filter companies seem to make great carbon filter replacements. Much better then the OG one which is crazy lol.

You can physically remove the ionizer in the Winix 5500-2; it’s super easy and I’ve done it myself twice. You should be able to find a how-to on google pretty quickly :)

Got one recently and I’m super happy with it as well. Settings 2 and 3 move a significant amount of air and it makes the perfect level of white noise for sleeping. Its also super easy to open it up and remove the ionizer if that stuff gives you the heebie jeebies

No, I’m a real person. While I’m a retired filmmaker, I also had a long career in advertising at McCann-Erickson WorldGroup in NYC and McCannSF. That’s why your assumption is entirely incorrect—I’m neither an LLM nor a marketing shill. To clarify my position: I was a loyal Levoit Core 300/350 user for over five years. However, over the past year, I’ve noticed a decline in their performance, even when using their smoke filter replacements. Anecdotally, the smoke filters are a better value, with removable charged pre-filters and 450 mg of carbon pellets (compared to 300 mg in their other options). Still, the results were disappointing. I was transparent in my original comment about conducting extensive research and analysis, including third-party testing—not just relying on YouTube content creators. I’m well-informed about major air purifier brands, their reputations, and independent test results. With two decades of experience at one of the world’s largest ad agencies, working on top-tier brands, I understand marketing strategies better than most. That’s exactly why I’m cautious about deceptive claims, especially for a product that affects something as vital as the air we breathe. My recommendations are based on data, experience, and thorough research. For anyone who takes air purification seriously, that level of diligence should be expected. When I purchased my second Winix unit on Black Friday for $120 on Amazon, it was the best value on the market. Unlike Levoit’s all-in-one filters—which combine filter types in an inefficient order—Winix separates filters based on their specific effectiveness thresholds. Studies show that combining filter types is a poor design choice; for instance, carbon pellets can become saturated in weeks (especially with smoke) and potentially reintroduce VOCs into the air. Levoit’s filters exacerbate this problem by placing the tiny amount of carbon pellets last, directly before the fan. Furthermore, I take issue with Levoit’s misleading “True HEPA” claim. This unnecessary and deceptive marketing undermines trust. Their Core 300/350 units have consistently performed well, so there was no need to overstate their filtration capabilities. If they’re willing to mislead consumers about something so fundamental, it raises concerns about what else they might be hiding. In my experience, Winix has been a game-changer. The pre-filters on my Winix unit capture significantly more buildup than any of my three Levoit units ever did. It’s a night-and-day difference. If you prefer to stick with Levoit or any other more expensive option, despite this, that’s your choice. But ignoring well-documented facts and confirmation bias won’t change the reality: Winix offers better performance, superior filter design, the ability to replace or wash the first two anytime other then the estimated 9-12 months and more value for your money.

Levoit says it has 450 gm vs 300 gm. I asked and they confirmed but I would not use all-in-one filters. Their effectiveness have too many variables that render these compact filter simulations both economically and cleaning ability hard to find suitable. The tiny amount if carbon pellets in Levoit’s 300 smoke filter with a 4 removable pre filters still is unmatched by Winix 5500-2. Which is by far the best solution head to head by miles!

Get the Winix 5500-2 on Amazon. Right now it’s $155 from $250. I have 2 that replaced my Levoit 350’s, like night an day. I love the Winix. I used to be only Levoit but my antidotal experience was pretty shocking at the air quality and speed of the Winix vs the Levoit. The heat advantage is the 3 separate filters that are in the science back right order and replacement can be Taylor’s to the actual filter’s effectiveness unlike the all in one laminated filters where you have no control if your voc carbon filter gets saturated… it often can re-pollute the air by the air knocking the pollution back into the airflow. Most all in one filters has the carbon last and the True HEPA should be the last stage, having multiple stages in front protecting as well as the most robust filter >99.97 micron particle size is captured before getting g circulated out from the unit. It also has 2x more carbon pellets and the filter is washable for up to a year.

I have 3-4 Coway Airmegas and Winix 5500s. I found them all on my local Facebook Marketplace for $50-75 over the last 12 months. All in great condition. Previous owners sold because they were moving (college students; young professionals).

I have both the Winix 5500 and Coway 1512. Both are great. I find them on Facebook marketplace for $50-75

We have three Winix 5500-2. They are running great for over a year and are on 24/7. We have them in a family room, living room and bedroom. I never wake up with a stuffy nose. My dog sleeps in my room at night.

Excellent! I am so glad you feel a difference. Yes, mine run all night. I try to remember to shut them off here and there if no one is in the living room all night. I think they are most useful while you are in the same room. Just remember to vacuum the screened filter every month. I use the hose ( of course). I also vac the black filter with the carbon beads. After 10 to 12 months, you probably will want to replace that Hepa filter. Thanks for the update and happy holidays!

I just bought two Winix 5500-2 brand new on Facebook market for $100 a pop.

Actually, blueair makes some of the best air purifiers available. There's a really short list of reliable manufacturers: blueair, levoit, coway, and winix. The benefit of buying something like a winix 5500 or a coway 1512, is that the filters are rectangular, and there are a kajillion of them so there will always be a market for replacement filters. VOCs is a whole separate thing.

I mean.... I mentioned the part about them having no reviews and being at a sketchily low price point of 1/2 to 2/3 the cost of everyone else. There are really only a handful of air purifier brands that have demonstrated reliability, affordability, and effectiveness over several years, and don't dabble in post-apocalyptic/steampunk decor -- coway, levoit, blue air, winix. If you want to pay more, there's iq air, alen air, and a few others. For $110, you could have bought a blue air 511 and almost a 411, a levoit 300, almost a Levoit Vital 100s, or a Winix a231. The winix 5500, the coway 1512, levoit vital 200, and the blueair 311 are all at this CADR, but for closer to $200.

The **Winix 5500-2** has the highest Clean Air Delivery Rates (CADRs) including Dust. This will give the best cleaning performance of all the choices listed. I don't know if you're strictly limited to the units above, but if you or someone you know is a Costco member the **Winix C909** has even higher CADRs and a larger coverage area (4.8 Air Changes per Hour at 500 sq. ft.). It's ~~on sale for $159.99~~ at Costco.com. Drawbacks: the **Winix C909** has a max Power Consumption of 95 W so it uses more energy than the 5500-2. It also has a carbon-sprayed plastic sheet instead of activated carbon pellets. It will be quite loud on the "Turbo" setting (although 5500-2 is likely similar). Link: [https://www.costco.com/winix-c909-4-stage-air-purifier-with-wi-fi-%2526-plasmawave-technology.product.100842491.html](https://www.costco.com/winix-c909-4-stage-air-purifier-with-wi-fi-%2526-plasmawave-technology.product.100842491.html) **Edit**: the price of the C909 is now back up to $199.99.

I don't know much about TaoTronics in general. Someone reviewed the TT-AP003 a few years ago in this subreddit: [https://www.reddit.com/r/AirPurifiers/comments/10l6r9z/review\_of\_the\_taotronics\_ttap003\_compared\_to/](https://www.reddit.com/r/AirPurifiers/comments/10l6r9z/review_of_the_taotronics_ttap003_compared_to/) Subsequently, a user in the UK inquired about buying filters "without getting ripped off" about 3 months ago: [https://www.reddit.com/r/AirPurifiers/comments/1ecxdrl/uk\_where\_to\_buy\_taotronics\_ap003\_or\_ttap003/](https://www.reddit.com/r/AirPurifiers/comments/1ecxdrl/uk_where_to_buy_taotronics_ap003_or_ttap003/) If the Built Environment Research Group at Illinois Institute of Technology is to be believed, you may only see a decline without PlasmaWave for the Pollen CADR. Keep in mind that unlike Blueair units, Winix's mechanical filtration media *is* actually HEPA. I'll post the Winix results again alongside Blueair. **Portable Air Cleaner Test Report for the WINIX 5500-2**: [https://www.built-envi.com/wp-content/uploads/IIT-CADR-Testing-WINIX-5500-2-October-2021.pdf](https://www.built-envi.com/wp-content/uploads/IIT-CADR-Testing-WINIX-5500-2-October-2021.pdf) Winix 5500-2 with PlasmaWave (Ionizer) Disabled: * Dust CADR: 283 CFM (+5% *gain*) * Pollen CADR: 228 CFM (-18% *loss*) * Smoke CADR: 301 CFM (+1% *gain*) **Portable Air Clean Test Report for Blueair 211+**: [https://built-envi.com/wp-content/uploads/IIT-CADR-Testing-Blueair-211-August-2021.pdf](https://built-envi.com/wp-content/uploads/IIT-CADR-Testing-Blueair-211-August-2021.pdf) Blueair 211+ with Ionizer Disabled: * Dust CADR: 250 CFM (-19% *loss*) * Pollen CADR: 181 CFM (-53% *loss*) * Smoke CADR: 159 CFM (-44% *loss*)

Hello! I'm glad you responded here, as I had accidentally copied + pasted the Winix URL for the Blueair. My comment has been corrected. The tested Blueair Blue Pure 211+ purifier is no longer available. Air cleaner testing demonstrated performance with the ionizer functions disabled for both the Winix and Blueair models. Keep in mind you're *not* meant to disable this function on a Blueair purifier; researchers had to open the unit and disconnect the ionizer unit from the control panel. Winix *does* offer on/off ionizer functionality. With the ionizer disabled for both, the Winix 5500-2 outperformed the Blueair Blue Pure 211+. However, with the ionizers enabled, the Blueair outperformed the Winix. Some people are worried about the effects of ionizers in general. Most common air purifier brands in the USA are [CARB-certified](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/list-carb-certified-air-cleaning-devices), meaning ozone emissions are 0.050 parts per million (50 ppb) or less. Ozone (O₃) is a pollutant. There could be an effect on gaseous chemistry from bipolar ionization: "Both the chamber and field tests suggested that the use of the tested bipolar ionization unit led to a decrease in some hydrocarbons (e.g., xylenes) among the lists of compounds we were able to analyze, but an increase in others, most prominently oxygenated VOCs (e.g., acetone, ethanol) and toluene." From Zeng et al., "Evaluating a commercially available in-duct bipolar ionization device for pollutant removal and potential byproduct formation" in *Building and Environment*, (2021), Permalink: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.107750](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.107750) You should **not** use ionizers around birds, as they are far more susceptible to low levels of ozone than humans. Generally you want higher Clean Air Delivery Rates (CADRs) as well as good reliability in an air purifier. Depending on budget and room size, we generally recommend Coway, Blueair (if you're okay with the ionization), Winix, IQAir, and Smart Air brands for particulates removal.

Purifiers with a little more sorbent media tend to be really expensive. The [IQAir HealthPro Plus XE](https://www.iqair.com/us/products/air-purifiers/healthpro-plus) has a 5 lbs. gaseous filter, but it's $1,199.99. So in needing two, you would be shelling out over $2,000. The [Alen BreatheSmart 75i with the "Fresh" filter](https://alen.com/products/alen-breathesmart-75i-air-purifier?variant=13172054949955) is $814, but I don't think the activated carbon is impregnated for better removal of VOCs like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. The good news is that your rooms are relatively small. The main room needs a Smoke CADR of 288 CFM and the bedroom requires a Smoke CADR of 121 CFM. Remember that CADRs are given for the top speed setting only. Lower speeds have lower CADRs; if you need these figures, you should contact each brand. For the main room, a good value would be the **Winix D480**. It's [sold at The Home Depot only for $219](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Winix-D480True-HEPA-3-Stage-Air-Purifier-AHAM-Verified-for-480-sq-ft-1022-0221-02/315963577). Smoke CADR is 310 CFM. For the bedroom: **Levoit Vital 200S Smart Air Purifier**. Smoke CADR of 250 CFM. Price: [$189.99 on Levoit's website](https://levoit.com/products/vital-200s-smart-air-purifier), but available elsewhere. **Winix 5500-2**. Smoke CADR of 232 CFM. Mid-grade quality. Has an on/off ionizer. Price: [$249 on Winix's website](https://www.winixamerica.com/product/5500-2/), but usually much cheaper on Amazon and from other retailers. **Coway Airmega 240**. Smoke CADR of 282 CFM. Brand is considered higher quality than Winix or Levoit. Price: [$299 on Coway's website](https://cowaymega.com/products/airmega-240), but should be cheaper on Amazon. Again, these suggestions are for particulates only. An AC Infinity configuration would be your best bet for DIY sorbent media purifiers targeting VOCs and other gases.

I have 3 Winix 5500-2 air purifiers, and I run them on the second highest fan speed 24/7.

The two best for price to performance are the Winix 5500-2 and the Coway Airmega AP-1512. I have the Winix as it's a bit cheaper than the Coway, while having similar performance and features. I've had it for 4 years now (got it just before the pandemic) and it's working great. My apartment isn't that big and I keep it in the bedroom. Not too noisy on level 2. It has an ozone feature (they call it "Plasmawave" on this unit), but you can turn it off easily with a button on the front.

I second Winix. I did research as well and found an article written by experts not journalists or bloggers.. All the tech jargon included. We have indoor animals and almost a year later running 24/7 no issues. Love how quiet it is as well as ramping up quick when it detects “dirty” air. I’ve seen plenty of comments wherein people with bad allergies and/or lots of pet dander have gone through BlueAir brand like candy. It’s just not the workhorse Winix is.

We have a few models: Oransi mod+ for large spaces, Winix 5500 for a bedroom and Oransi TrueCarbon for smoke odor removal. Have tried some others and like these the best.

I have about 900 square feet to cover, but I planned to get 3 of them, for the living room, bedroom, and laundry/bathroom. I might get that Winix. You think it's better than a Coway?

Just seen, but I got the Winix 5500-2! I was researching & settled on that. Lol, crazy how that works

I don't know which winix you're looking at, but I've been abusing my winix 5500 for 4 years and it's the best I've ever had. I've got 3 dogs and 4 cats, plus a strong grass allergy and I've gone from needing daily allergy meds, prescription nasal sprays, and 2 inhalers to make it through the day to just needing allergy meds in the height of allergy season and inhaler usage when outside. If I sweep in the next room it knows and kicks up the fan.

Winix 5500-2 and 5510 do remove some VOC, other models don’t. And “some” is relative. I wouldn’t trust them with a major chemical incursion but they ought to take odors out of the air.

Yes. Best value for the money at sub-$150.

Neither of these units has a carbon grid and both cost more than a 5500-2, I’d rather just turn plasmawave off and keep using the better unit. ;)

So the 5500-2 routinely is under $150 at Amazon, sometimes as low as $125. It outperforms the D360 in every way, and never costs more. It also has filters that - for the same replacement cost - include a carbon grid, and that carbon grid supports an optional pet filter. (Which might also work on the carbon sheets iin the D360 or D480, to be fair). The D480 has a higher CADR, absolutely. For 50% more money it has 50% more CADR. That's ... linear, and great for the price (you won't find another unit for under $250 with a CADR that high) if you don't need or want a carbon grid or plasmawave. These are, in fact, great units. But Winix, like every other brand, is suffering from the "6 units in the same price range that all look identical" disease, and only the 5500-2 continues to offer all of what I personally recommend in a purifier - washable screen, carbon grid before the HEPA filter, optional pet filter, optional ionizing. All for under $150 with filter replacements at $50 apiece from Winix, or half that from third parties. You did a great job with the write-up, fear not.

Incorrect - it's identical to the 5300. Which is the 5500-2 equivalent with no carbon grid. Same CADR, same features, no carbon grid. :)

I’m saying I question the filter longevity. The C610 is one of the better units, it has a rubber reinforced filter that won’t deform and might actually therefore be HEPA verified. However, like most other round units, it has a pre filter attached to the main filter which is hard to clean. I have my doubts this filter will last a year without any removable pre-filtration. As for coverage I have no reason to doubt that any more than I doubt any other unit's square footage claims. However, there are NO units on the market that really clean more than a couple hundred square feet very well, 300 is pushing it. That said, inflated coverage claims are common in the industry. Bear in mind also that this unit is the same cost as the 5500-2, and its filters are equally expensive. Even if they last a year, you’ve saved no money and have worse filtration.

It's a Winix. It's Costco-only. Filters will continue to be available (and are now, someone else posted a link). It's not as good as the 5500-2, but it's $50 cheaper. Your call. Personally I'd get the 5500-2 from Amazon for the extra $50.

Wifi is not a useful feature since you shouldn’t ever be using automatic mode or shutting the unit off. Square foot coverage is a lie. CADR is the only measure of output. The CADR for these units is almost identical. That means the 5500-2 has a carbon filter which this unit lacks. If you don’t care about carbon get this unit. If you do, get the 5500.

So here's the thing - no matter what anyone tells you, there is no magic box that will do what you want. Air purifiers move air at relatively low speeds through a fairly restrictive filter. That means that they only "clean" an area of about 300sqft. around the unit effectively. They are almost universally ineffective through doorways, around corners, etc. If you have HVAC, the single best thing you can do is put a better filter in and run it on "always on" (not "circulate" or "auto", but ON). The best filter for a 1" insert (the most common) is a 3M Filtrete 1900. They're $20. The problem is they clog quickly, so you'll likely have to replace them every 30-60 days. That said, it'll cover your whole house. If you don't have HVAC, you could consider an AirFanta or building your own CR box. They're ugly and loud, but they move a lot of air. Again, I'd use those 3M filters if you want to stop smoke. Dust and other allergens, any ol' filter will do. The "traditional" route would also be to put several purifiers in your home, sized appropriately for the rooms - a large one for the open living space, and smaller ones for the bedrooms. I have the following setup: 1st floor, 1000 sqft, semi-open plan: I have an IQ Air and an Austin running at opposite corners of the home on a constant speed of medium. 2nd floor (bedrooms, also 1000 sqft): Master bedroom has a Coway 250, guest bedroom has a Winix 5500-2, both kids' bedrooms have Blueair 411's. Finished Basement (also 1000 sqft): Coway Mighty and Winix 5500-2 at opposite ends, running as needed (since the basement gets less outside air) and the one bedroom down there has an aging but still functional HEPA from Idyllis/3M (the Lowes brand) that was purchased years ago but uses 3M HEPA filters. IN ADDITION, I use MERV13 in my furnace and my ERV. The air here is VERY CLEAN. (Bad allergies run in the family...)

Shrug. No problem. Here’s what you asked for. Step one: buy an air purifier with carbon. Shoot for at least a couple pounds, in a grid, not a sheet. Step two: obtain a small amount of reduction in odor by strategically placing it with its intake near the litter box but not DIRECTLY next to it. Like think a few feet away. That’s pretty much it. No one model is better than another at this task until you hit $500 or so and get a high-carbon unit. Start by looking at a winix 5500-2, which has a carbon grid, or anything on the Airmega line over 200 which also does. And remember that the oily ammonia vapors in the air will saturate pretty quickly. Winix sells an extra pet filter that goes in front of the carbon to catch that sort of thing, a 12-pack is like $10 on their site. I highly recommend it. Good luck!

You have a cat - be aware, hair will get in the unit. DO NOT buy a cheap round purifier. They will get fouled very quickly. Levoit VITAL (not Core) is a good choice. As is Winix 5500-2, Coway Mighty or 150. 3 rooms at 300 square feet each shouldn't be an issue, but you may want to size up for the largest space (living room, I'd assume) which could certainly use a Coway 250 instead. If it were me, I'd do Coway 150 or Winix 5500 or Levoit Vital in the bedrooms, and Coway 250 in the living space, unless your master bedroom is bigger. In our house we have Coway 250 in the Master, smaller units in the other bedrooms, and another larger unit in the living area.

Coway 250 in the master bedroom. Winix 5500-2 in the guest bedroom. The kids chose their own, and two of them chose Blueair 411's. The other is using an old 3m Filtrete HEPA model because he likes the sound. But all of them have 12x12 rooms, give or take.

Define “environmental allergies”. Everyone in my house has allergies and I’m a sensitive flower. I use an IQair on the main floor and sleep with a Coway Airmega 250. My kids sleep with blueair 411’s and the other rooms have winix 5500’a. They’re all fine choices. Get what works for you. Don’t be afraid to return units that aren’t making the grade.

The Winix 5500-2 is better than the C545, and roughly equivalent to the Coway 150. The 150 is newer design and likely quieter. :) Those are the two I'd be looking at.

I have the Airmega 300 and a Winix 5500. I love them, a must have for indoor dogs. I don't have the 400s, so I can't speak on the smart functionality. I think I've had both for 6-7 years, don't know if the new models have gone down in quality or not, but mine are great

I live in the US and have a 1,500 sq ft home with 2 cats and a severe dust mite allergy. Particle pollution is also a concern living close to NYC. I got the house covered by 4 Winix air purifiers. I have some ancient first gen 5500 that still work but are a bit louder and lack the mesh filter that's a necessity with pets. I bought three 5500-2, a D360 and an AM90. Only one 5500-2 works fine. One of the other two makes a ticking sound that I know can be fixed, and the other one, the newest one, rattles. The AM90 developed a bad bearing right after the warranty expired and is out of service. The D360 also developed a bad bearing, thankfully within warranty. Winix sent me replacement D360 a couple months ago. Now the new D360 smells like burning plastic. Winix used to be my go-to air purifier. What would be a good, reasonably priced alternative to Winix? It seems like bad bearings are a common issue with other brands, including the really expensive ones. Has anyone tried Sans? They claim that their purifier is somehow different and can draw in air from the whole house, but it seems more like a marketing gimmick and not plausible to me. But it is FSA eligible, which is a bonus.

I live in the US and have a 1,500 sq ft home with 2 cats and a severe dust mite allergy. Particle pollution is also a concern living close to NYC. I got the house covered by 4 Winix air purifiers. I have some ancient first gen 5500 that still work but are a bit louder and lack the mesh filter that's a necessity with pets. I bought three 5500-2, a D360 and an AM90. Only one 5500-2 works fine. One of the other two makes a ticking sound that I know can be fixed, and the other one, the newest one, rattles. The AM90 developed a bad bearing right after the warranty expired and is out of service. The D360 also developed a bad bearing, thankfully within warranty. Winix sent me replacement D360 a couple months ago. Now the new D360 smells like burning plastic. Winix used to be my go-to air purifier. What would be a good, reasonably priced alternative to Winix? It seems like bad bearings are a common issue with other brands, including the really expensive ones. Has anyone tried Sans? They claim that their purifier is somehow different and can draw in air from the whole house, but it seems more like a marketing gimmick and not plausible to me. But it is FSA eligible, which is a bonus.

Thanks for the detailed help! The AirFanta looks almost DIY! It's sad there really isn't anything comparable to winix in terms of purification and price. Might have to splurge on the Conways. What's up with purifiers all using blue lights now? My rooms aren't that big, the first floor is 970 square ft with 9ft ceilings, the second floor is 500 square ft with slanted ceilings. Odors are a bit of a concern with litter boxes, though even the charcoal filter in the 5500-2's doesn't seem to do much.

I have a two Winix air purifiers, they work great. No, not a scam. Even if you don't have allergies why not filter the air in your house? A good HEPA filter will remove bacteria, viruses, microplastics, all kinds of stuff from the air. Ever watch all the dust floating around in a beam of sunlight? It's there all the time, you just can't see it. Give your lungs a break, anything removed by the filter won't end up in your lungs.

I live in a similar house to yours, during fire season in California I had 2 Winix AM90's (same as 5500-2) in each of the main areas (living room & family/dining room open area) running on medium 24/7 and that was able to bring pm 2.5/10 from >1000 to <10 using a lab-grade meter. Now I'm running Coway 200M's (same as ap-1512hh) and getting similar air cleaning performance with less noise. That all being said, I don't think you need an expensive, fancy air purifier for your situation. Standard AM90/5500-2 or 200M/ap-1512hh should be more than enough. If you want something a little nicer, the Alen Breathsmart Flex is about 50% more expensive but you get a lifetime warranty (if you use their filter subscription service). I have a Flex in my bedroom and the performance is similar, but it moves much more air much more quietly than either the Coway or the Winix. Another tip for fire season: make sure the weather stripping on the doors is good and get some blue painters tape to tape off and drafty windows/doors that let in smoke.

I second this. I have the 5500-2 (AM80 actually - but it’s only an aesthetic difference) and the smell in my room drastically changed. Mine wasn’t specifically animal but a culmination of prior animals, general dust, and the related musk from high humidity. I set it facing the registers in the room and it was a game changer. I know it really helped since I had to run the hvac fan constantly to get the humidity under control, which before getting the purifier I dreaded since it made the smells worse. And it makes quick work of my son’s dinner choice consequences (turns red and everything 😂).

My parents have had the same Winix 5000 something (don't know the exact model) for maybe 10 years now and it's still silent outside of the air itself moving. Runs 24/7 on auto mode.

Winix is king. I have...an obsession. Eight full size units in a two bedroom apartment lol (plus a lil cheap brand in the shit closet)

I don't recommend Winix 5500/5300 for the simple fact that it doesn't turn back on automatically when there's a power interruption. 

I bought a few during COVID. A couple are cheap Costco ones (Winix), but one is a fairly expensive Coway Airmega 400. Can't say I noticed any difference in my health or in the amount of surface dust landing on furniture. I think to see any real reduction in dust settling on furniture, you would probably need to run them on high to get a lot of air movement, but the noise of them running on high is annoying IMO.

I prefer winix products, they do there job , nothing fancy

Yes, they really work. You only have to run it for a week and check the washable filter to know it works. We have winix and levoit, both are relatively inexpensive and pull a ton of crap out of the air.

I like the winix and Levoit ones. Winix I appreciate the color indicator for air quality to know when to turn it up higher. I think it does have the ionizer someone else mentioned but I turn it off now, and I think they have models without it that are probably cheaper.

I have a Winix that we use in the common areas. I like that it has HEPA filtration because my husband has emphysema. I can't say that it helps a great deal with dust though. I think my unit was $300-$400.

I have two Winx filters and they work really well but after 3 years or so the motors start making a ticking sound. I contacted the manufacturer who is not willing to sell me a motor and suggested I just buy a whole new units...

Winix Plasma Wave is an affordable effective unit. I used three when I lived in a polluted area. I now use it sporadically to clean up the plastic dust and other crap that accumulates in a home

I’ve been really impressed by my Winix. I have a huge one that really seems to do the job. I change the filter once the year but vacuum it all out more often than that to keep it running really well.

Did you try turning off Plasmawave? I found that was the cause for my Winix models rather than a mechanical fan issue.

I’ve been using my Winix with Plasmawave since 2019 without issue, and that includes moving about once per year. These units have held up to that. I can tell you they really work. I have a mold allergy, and mold is literally everywhere in outdoor or indoor air with spores just waiting to land in a suitable environment for growth, but I have no symptoms at home with my two small Winix. I also have pets. These reduce any odors from that, and they are at what one might consider end of life for a typical air filter system. 5 years is typical. 10 is incredible. I am not washing the pre-filter nearly as often as I should and am slow to replace the carbon and HEPA filters sometimes, so 5+ is just astounding in my case.

The PlasmaWave I looked at used an ionizer which is a huge no for me.

PlasmaWave is just a glorified ionizer. I personally cannot stand the scent of ionizers, it gives me headaches.

You want a HEPA filter and actual activated carbon granules-sometimes the activated carbon is just a paper thin layer-not doing much. For cost, consider replacement filter costs not just up front ones. I also like ones that have a sensor so you can leave it on “auto” and it will kick on when you cook or air gets worse without you having to keep track of it. Also don’t splurge on plasma ion or ozone or whatever else-mixed studies show it can react with chemicals to form more dangerous ones at worst and generally not much better at best. Right now you may want to sacrifice optimality for actually having something going to clean your air since it’s a time of high uncertainty. What’s in stock at home depot may be superior to the “best” air purifier that arrives in 2 weeks. Those caveats-no one can give better advice based on “feel” than what’s tests show-and wirecutter actually tested performance https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/ . If you prefer anecdotes, here are some of my experiences: Winnix has been in stock at home depot. I evacuated with my air purifier and I needed something to leave during cleaning to try and detox my pasadena apartment. It was in stock and had hepa+carbon-it seems to be working. Oransi is the one I evacuated with, love the looks, it really seems to work well, lots of aftermarket filters available-downside is that sleep mode sets fan speed to auto, I want it to just turn lights off and leave the fan mode. But It has lasted at least 6+ years. Levoit is what was at the apartment I evacuated to. It seems a little less powerful per dollar spent than my oransi, but it’s night mode turns off the lights while still letting you set the fan speed. My roommate left a Coway going in his room and that thing worked very well to prevent any smoke smell from settling, and it’s highly recommended by wirecutter. If I had to buy right now and I could get one in a reasonable timeline, it’s how I would go.

Any filter with a charcoal filter layer will help some (Winix is one brand commonly available at Costco…I also have a more elaborate Rowenta)…my Winix came with multiple charcoal layer replacements. Dealing with total incontinence here, and not to criticize your MILs efforts, but you might want to look into the actual sources of the odors. Chairs, clothes that sit around waiting for wash, previously soaked furniture or carpet? If bedding or fabric furniture smells and you can replace it, do so. I use a combo of Depends on my father, and all his sleeping or seating surfaces have a first layer of puppy pee pads (Costco has large ones that work well and are cheap), and then a fabric layer on top (whether sheets or a chair cover or towel, tucked into the sides of the chair). Once he’s wet, after I changes his pants all clothes and chair covers and bedding goes in the wash (3-5 loads a day).  For the mattress you can find on Amazon washable mattress covers (the whole bed ones don’t work that well but that’s my base layer and then a thicker more absorbent one that I fit across the middle section of his bed, and on top of that layered dog pee pads).  So again, not sure if any of this advice helps but this method works for me.

I have 2 Winix HEPAs that have been running 24/7 for 6+ years. I clean the screen every week or so, replace the carbon every month, and the HEPA every ~8 months.