Winix - AM80

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 😂).

With that size room I’d probably want to put one in each quadrant but I’m dramatic-your budget may limit you to 2 though, which I think would be the minimum for the room. I had a good time with Winix 5500-2 (mine was AM80 for aesthetics, but pretty much same thing). I have high humidity and also had a bathroom leak and it was a game changer while I was fixing those issues, and since. The 5500-2 and AM80 can still be found, at $205 and $190 respectively. There are newer models that are pretty much the same thing available as well. The 5510 on Amazon for $179, and the 5520 for $199. Somewhere in there is the AM90-same aesthetic of the AM80. 5500-2, AM80, 5510 I believe all use the same filters - so replacements should be the most available. Not sure about 5520-I read somewhere it was smaller, but I think I’ve seen it included in the compatible models when buying replacement filters for mine. There was an older model (5300-2) with a different lower end carbon filter that was cheaper, but I don’t see it available anymore. My mother sent this to my aunt in Chicago as she wanted to start cheaper and be able to replace the filters more often at lower cost. So we know about old Midwest buildings! One thing, sometimes people complain about the “plasma wave” option that turns on automatically which is an ionizer. Apparently it creates a small amount of ozone, so a lot of people turn it off. Something about birds. You can definitely turn it off too if you don’t want it. I actually grew up using full on ionizers as air purifiers recommended by her drs and allergist for my sisters asthma and you can’t beat the smell of sterility they bring.😅 Double check Winix site for pricing too though! I think they are comparable to Amazon, but may also only have the newest models. I also heard there’s a Costco specific model, not sure what that one is. I’d probably go with the two of the 5510s!

Oh a double check my pricing! I just saw a 5500-2 with the older aesthetic for $152! https://a.co/d/hgis3a1 5500-2, 5510, 5520, AM90 are all “color” options in this listing, but they are in fact the different models with the different prices. https://a.co/d/aBUYET8 am80 that I bought

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.

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.)

That is the one downside. The AM80 looks a bit better--I have several of them and they are not as obtrusive. The Coway 1512 is available in white and it looks pretty good in person.

Winix 5500-2 and AM80 (same unit, different look) and Coway 1512 are the best prebuilt units from a value perspective and can be found for around $150 on sale. Smaller units and larger units are less efficient, and buying several 5500-2s is more effective and efficient than a single large unit when factoring in things like purchase price, energy use, filter replacement cost, and effectiveness at filtering particulates. Each 5500-2/AM-80/1512 covers about 350 square feet optimally, although you may need more filtration than that for severe smoke. There are good quality aftermarket filters for them that are significantly less than the factory filters and perform equally well. If you are on a major budget, build a Corsi-Rosenthal Box. They are as effective as they are ugly--if you need air filtration in a pinch or on a budget, they are exceptional. If you want a real BIFL purifier that will last like 30 years, the AllerAir AirMedic line is built to this standard, but they also have some significant drawbacks and are not a great match for someone just looking for particulate filtration.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Both of my Winix air purifiers started smelling like smoke, they are different models, cleaned weekly and filters changed regularly, I don’t recommend them.

you can't beat the physics. what you want is the big size as prioirty thing to look for first. then you can look into other things but the size of purifier(filter) has biggest impact. winix is solid imo for basiaclly 99% of the use case.