Best Air Purifiers For The Office [Top 10 HEPA Filters]

Not all air purifiers are created equal! While adding an air purifier to the office can improve your quality of life by reducing the amount of dirty air you’re taking in, it’s important to only invest one that is actually going to do the job well.

This is especially true for allergy sufferers but absolutely everyone does better when they are breathing in cleaner air.

Through my personal research and testing, I’ve made a list of the 10 best air purifiers for the office. I considered type, size, price, and performance in creating this list. Read on to find the ideal air purifier for your office.

IQAir Healthpro Plus – Best for Removing Odor

This air purifier stands out for a number of reasons. It uses HEPA filtration but it goes even beyond that. Its patented HyperHEPA® filtration is up to 100X more effective than standard HEPA and it can filter ultrafine particles up to .003 microns.

The filter lasts a long time and an LED display lets you know where you are within the four stages of the filter life-cycle. In addition, the V5 cell provides advanced odor control. For allergy sufferers, it’s going to be nearly impossible to beat this purifier.

For a high-performance air purifier, this is also one of the quietest options on the market. It’s also extremely energy-efficient. In fact, it uses no more power than a conventional light bulb!

Alen BreatheSmart Customizable Air Purifier – A Smart Purifier

You can purchase this air purifier with some specialization, depending on your needs. The Everyday Allergens options will be the best fit for most offices.

This isn’t whisper-quiet, especially when needing to operate at a high level.

That said, a really great feature of this purifier is that it emits “pink noise” to cover up the sound of operation.

This is soothing background noise. It’s ideal for not disrupting sleep but it’s just as effective as blocking out distracting sounds in the office.

Austin Air B400B1 Standard Unit Healthmate – Cleaner Air On Wheels

There are four stages of filtering and cleansing. There is a pre-filter that removes large particles like dust and hair. Next, there is a second pre-filter that removes medium particles like molds, spores, and pollen.

The third level is 15 lbs. of Activated Carbon and Zeolite to remove chemicals, gases, and odors. Finally, there is a True Medical Grade HEPA filter to remove all those small particles down to 0.3 microns in size.

Honeywell True HEPA Allergen Remover – A More Affordable HEPA Purifier

When air comes into the purifier, it first encounters the activated carbon pre-filter that absorbs VOCs/Gases/Odors and traps larger particles. Next, it goes to the HEPA filter that continuously captures up to 99.97% of the particles that pass through, as small as 0.3 microns.

For the best value, you’ll want to buy the bundle that comes with a number of replacement filters: HPA300 Air Purifier, Package each of HRF-R3 HEPA Filters, and HRF-APP1 Pre-Filters.

Otherwise, you’ll have to buy these separately down the line.

Philips AC2889/41 Air Purifier 2000i – A High-Tech Air Cleaner for the Data Lover

The app isn’t the only “high tech” feature, though. It also uses AeraSense technology that can detect even the slightest change in indoor air quality. When a change to air quality is sensed, it auto-adjusts the fan speed to maintain cleaner air.

There are three stages of filtration. The pre-filter and True HEPA filter remove particles while the Active Carbon filter reduces gases and odors. It has 3 auto modes and 5 manual modes, giving you a lot of flexibility. There is a “sleep” mode that is extra-quiet and a “turbo” mode that is extra-powerful.

For a large office, this might be too small. It is designed to be ideal for a 277-sq.ft. space. You might consider getting a few and placing them at different locations if you have a really big office. Otherwise, you’ll want to invest in one that can handle a larger square footage.

GermGuardian AC4825 3-in-1 with True HEPA Filter – Also a Sanitizer

VEVA 8000 Elite Pro Series Air Cleaner – True HEPA Filter – Narrow Profile But Powerful

For this size of air filter, it’s a bit more expensive than some other options but it is worth the extra cost because of how well it performs.

It does have a 2-year registered warranty and lifetime support which provides peace of mind and adds to the value. Another valuable thing about this purifier is that the replacement HEPA filter is much more affordable than many other air purifiers. You will need to replace this every 6-8 months.

hOmeLabs 3 in 1 Ionic Air Purifier – Best Cheap Option For Desktop or Cubicle Use

Activated carbon traps odors. An extra-fresh ion booster releases millions of negative ions into the air to give an added touch of freshness.

These negative ions attach themselves to dust and other particles in the air which are then drawn back into the air purifier. The only negative to this is that ionizers always release a small amount of ozone. It’s not a big enough amount to be harmful to you but it could potentially be bad for any desktop plants you might have.

This air purifier is so small and compact that it would be perfectly reasonable to take it with you when you travel. When traveling for work, you never know what kind of air quality you’ll encounter in your hotel room or remote workspace. When you bring this along, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that you’ll breathe clean and fresh air wherever you are.

KOIOS Desktop Air Filtration with True HEPA Filter – An Ozone-Free Desktop Air Purifier

It’s really affordable but it definitely provides some peace of mind to know it comes with a 12-month warranty and great customer service.

Levoit LV-PUR131 Air Purifying with True HEPA Filtration – Small Intake But Decent Filtering

A big positive for this air purifier is the auto mode.

It detects the surrounding air quality and then automatically adjusts the fan speed to purify your air faster, as needed. There is also a sleep mode, which is the quietest setting.

It might be useful to use sleep mode when on a conference call. For peace of mind, Levoit offers a 2-year warranty and lifetime support.

Air Purifier Buyer’s Guide

Where Should I place an air purifier?

When deciding where to put your office air purifier, you should first be aware of where you shouldn’t put it. Never place your air purifier behind furniture or below shelving.

You want at least a few feet of clearance on the top, front, and all sides. This allows the maximum amount of “dirty” air to enter the air purifier’s intake and also ensures the “clean” air will have the farthest possible reach.

Never put an air purifier in the corner. You should also try not to place it right up against the wall. In many offices, finding the ideal location for an air purifier is a challenge. You’ll have to balance the air flow needs of the purifier with the layout and space limitations of the office.

You’ll want to place your air purifier in the area where you spend the most time. If there is a part of the office that has a lot of contamination or exposure to pollutants, you should put the air purifier there.

If you have some coworkers who take regular smoke breaks, for example, you might want to place the air purifier in between their work areas and yours in order to eliminate how much of that lingering smoke odor and contamination that you’re exposed to.

Can they help remove dust?

Air purifiers with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters can remove up to 99.97% of airborne particles, including dust.

Even air purifiers that don’t have HEPA filters should be able to capture most dust particles since dust is considered a medium or large sized particle.

While HEPA filter air purifiers will help remove dust from the air, they won’t do anything about the dust on your surfaces so an air purifier isn’t going to eliminate the need for cleaning activities like dusting.

Which one is best for allergies?

Like with dust, HEPA-filter air purifiers are the best bet for allergy sufferers. These filters help capture allergens like airborne dust mite particles, pollen, and smoke particles.

Most allergen particles are extremely small which is why HEPA-filter purifiers tend to work best. The IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier has an advanced kind of HEPA filter that captures even more particles than a standard HEPA filter, so it’s an ideal option for allergy sufferers.

Will an air purifier help remove odors?

Yes, many air purifiers can do at least an adequate job of removing or reducing odors.

Placing the air purifier close to the source of the odor will help remove as much of the odor as possible. For removing odor, air purifiers with carbon filters tend to perform to the highest degree of satisfaction.

Carbon is known for trapping odor.

The IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier has an excellent V5 carbon cell filter that does an incredible job of absorbing odors and freshening up the air.

The Austin Air B400B1 Standard Unit Healthmate Air Purifier is another great one for removing odors because it contains 15 pounds of activated carbon and zeolite, another mineral known for being great at absorbing smells.

Would it affect my desk plants?

No, air purifiers won’t affect or harm your desk plants. In fact, indoor plants and air purifiers can work together to lead to the very best air. You can supplement your plants with an air purifier or supplement your air purifier with plants but either way, you’ll have a powerhouse team of air cleaners. Some products sold as air purifiers actually release a small amount of ozone.

This is potentially harmful for both you and your desk plants. But as long as you avoid an ozone generator, both you and your plants should be okay.

Have you tried any of these air purifiers at the office? Did you notice a difference? Let us know in the comments! Considering sharing this list with your coworkers or employers so that you can start breathing cleaner air at work! What is your biggest air quality complaint at the office?