The Best Multiuse Air Purifier for Home in 2026: Blue Air, Rabbit Air, Dreame | WIRED

Overview

If you're tight on space or just want a more aesthetically pleasing machine, the best air purifier for home depends on your needs.

If you live in a small apartment like me, you may need to have a multifunctional air purifier for a practical reason: space. These compact, dual-purpose machines are useful if you are tight on square footage or don't want to shell out the money for two separate appliances. Or maybe you're aesthetically driven and want something that looks cool in your space rather than a clunky, large air purifier that can be an eyesore.

Details

Regardless of the reason, these multiuse air purifiers look good, save space, and combine appliances into a single, energy-efficient device.

Check out our other home air quality guides, including the Best Fans, Best Space Heaters, Best Humidifiers, Best Dehumidifiers, and Best Window ACs.

Love WIRED? Add us as a preferred source on Google to see more of us.

Works with smart home platforms, Dreo app, and remote

This Dreo offers 99.97 percent HEPA filtration and an air quality sensor. You can control it with a remote, the Dreo app, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. Best of all, the fan and purifier can operate independently, in case you need just one or the other or want to extend the filter lifespan (replacements run around $40). The 12-month warranty isn’t the greatest, but the device has been trouble-free for nearly two years in our long-term tests. If you're in the market for a fan and purifier in one, this model is definitely worth a look. —Kat Merck

100 square feet to achieve 4.5 air changes per hour

62 d B (if both air purifier and fan are on max settings)

Doubles as a fan; air purifier and fan can work independently of each other

Blueair’s small-room model is a little under 2 feet tall and has built-in heating and cooling. Blueair’s app is easy to use, and I preferred it rather than the actual control panel. The panel did not always illuminate when pressed, making the buttons difficult to use. The app also has more options, like controlling the oscillation speed and angle. Blueair uses both mechanical HEPA filtration and electrostatic technology to capture pollutants in the air. Its CARB certification is listed as electronic, unlike HEPA-only air purifiers that are listed as mechanical.

The Comfort Pure 3-in-1 also has an air quality index indicator light that responds to the purifier's built-in sensor to measure particulate matter (PM) 2.5. The easy-to-miss sliver of light glows blue for excellent, green for good, yellow for moderate, orange for polluted, and red for very polluted. It has a control panel lock and filter change indicator light. I also appreciate the cloth handle that makes moving the Blueair easy. —Lisa Wood Shapiro

Air 2-in-1 Automatic Dustpan & HEPA Air Purifier

Filter placement allows for it to be placed flush against a wall

The Eye-Vac Air combines an air purifier with a touchless vacuum. Sweep debris up to the stationary unit, and it'll suck it up. It has two sets of HEPA and activated carbon filters pulling in air from both sides of the purifier. Its filter placement lets you position the Eye-Vac flush against the wall, which is especially useful in kitchen settings. The air filter can clean the air effectively, achieving five air exchanges per hour in a 120-square-foot space. While the large control panel is easy to read, the air purifier and vacuum offer only two options: manual or automatic. Indicator lights show when the bagless vacuum canister is full and when the air purifier filters need replacing. There are three fan speeds, but there are no color-coded indicator lights that correspond to air quality. Instead, three blue bars indicate the fan setting. —Lisa Wood Shapiro

120 square feet to achieve 5 air exchanges per hour

Cover attaches magnetically and is easy to disassemble for cleaning

After testing a dozen or so air purifiers in my tiny apartment, I realized what an eyesore they can be. This air purifier doubles as art and, at the very least, a conversation piece. With such little space, I generally want my tech to be multifunctional, or at the very least look good. When my mom visited, she thought the Minus A2 was an art TV or a monitor with an art background, until it auto-engaged and ran on high after the Canadian wildfire smoke reached New York this summer. This air purifier comes in several artwork styles, including Monet's Water Lilies and Van Gogh's Starry Night, and can be easily hung flush against the wall by removing the bottom stand and using the included mounting bracket.

You can also customize the six-layer filter system inside, with options for a pet allergy-specific filter (which I opted for), germ defense for viruses and bacteria, a charcoal-enhanced odor remover, and a toxin absorber that reduces formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and harmful chemicals. Along with the custom filter, there is a reusable, washable prefilter; a medium filter for pollen and mold; a HEPA filter; an activated carbon filter for odor control; and a negative ion generator. The filters should last up to two years on average if the unit runs for 12 hours a day and is cleaned regularly. I didn't love that it doesn't have wheels or a handle, but it can be easily mounted if you'd rather display it off the floor. It was also super quiet, even on the highest fan speeds. With the remote or the buttons on the unit, you can change fan speeds or pick settings like auto, sleep, or pollen mode. On the front, there's also an odor sensor and light indicating air quality.

815 square feet to achieve 2 air exchanges per hour

6-layer system; customizable filter with options for pet allergy, germ defense, odor remover, toxin absorber

Best Air Purifier That’s Also a Sunrise Alarm Clock

The Mini Restful is part of Blueair’s Sleep Collection, and is nearly the smallest air purifier I’ve tested. Blueair claims the Mini Restful can effectively clean the air at the CDC-recommended five air changes an hour in a 140-square-foot space, but only at its highest setting. My sound level meter registered 60 d B—around the sound of a conversation. No one is sleeping with that noise—the Mini Restful is only quiet on its lowest setting. The sunrise alarm clock feature was easy to program through Blueair’s app, and it has nine sounds to choose from, like Midnight Rain, Happy Rise, and Mantra Breeze. I set the alarm to Nordic Flow, a blend of light harp strings and birds chirping. The alarm is designed to begin the subtle sunrise light anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes before the selected wake-up alarm time. I set the alarm to 5 am and was woken by the light at 4:45 am. Even after moving it to my hallway, I could still wake up successfully to the pleasant sounds of Nordic Flow. —Lisa Wood Shapiro

200 square feet or less to achieve 5 air exchanges per hour

The Pet Air is part of the growing market of pet-focused air purifiers. It has a Pet Mode that quiets the fan speed and reduces the air-cleaning capacity when it senses an animal friend is lying on the unit. It has a prefilter that collects pet hair, a high-efficiency H13 HEPA filter, and an activated carbon filter to capture VOCs and odors. There’s even a storage space for toys. It's only about 10 inches high and sits at ground level, so if you’re looking for a pet-specific air purifier, then this fan/airflow placement might be ideal. It can effectively clean the air with the recommended five air exchanges per hour in a 260-square-foot room. However, for general air purification, I prefer taller models as they seem to react more quickly to pollutants throughout a room, like those created by cooking. As for my two testers, I could not get either cat to lie on the bed successfully, but I did collect cat hair in the prefilter. I also wish the Pet Air had a built-in heated pet bed, as I am sure my cats would have used it for warmth. —Lisa Wood Shapiro

Placement restrictions make it difficult to actually use as a side table

Air exchange rate makes it best for a very small space

I was excited to try this air purifier/side table hybrid complete with a mood light and phone charger. At first I wanted to place it next to my bed, but as I read the fine print, I saw the Switch Bot Air Purifier Table needs 12 inches of clearance on three sides. Air purifiers, especially cylindrical models, need unobstructed airflow. The Switch Bot Air Purifier Table allows for one side to be 1 inch away from a wall, but not curtains. Those kinds of placement restrictions keep the air purifier from being a side table. If you don’t mind a small table that can stand against the wall, then the air purifier table might work for a small entryway or bathroom. It has both a HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter to remove odor and VOCs. And while the Switch Bot table can exchange the air in a 260-square-foot room at five times an hour, that would be at its highest, loudest setting. The ideal size for the Switch Bot would be more like a 100-square-foot space, such as a mud room, entryway, or bathroom. —Lisa Wood Shapiro

Yes (compatible with Alexa, Google Home, Home Kit, Matter, Smart Things)

I really liked this air purifier designed for homes with cats and am planning to include it in my main air purifier guide, but as both a cat perch and side table, it was lacking.

This air purifier doubles as a terrarium! It's not really effective as an air purifier, but it looks cool as hell.

100 square feet to achieve 4.5 air changes per hour

Doubles as a fan; air purifier and fan can work independently of each other

200 square feet to achieve 4 air exchanges per hour

Eye Vac Air 2-in-1 Automatic Dustpan and HEPA Air Purifier

120 square feet to achieve 5 air exchanges per hour

815 square feet to achieve 2 air exchanges per hour

200 square feet or less to achieve 5 air exchanges per hour

Small-apartment dwellers need a multipurpose air purifier for a practical reason: space. These compact appliances handle two or more tasks to maximize efficiency, while possibly saving you money too. They also reduce cords, the need for outlets, and storage space when the machine is not in use during off-seasons. Or maybe you're more aesthetically driven and want something that looks cool in the space rather than a clunky, large air purifier.

I tested each model for nearly a month, moving it around my house to test in different locations: when cooking on my unventilated gas stove, under my living room window that draws in a lot of building and exhaust fumes, and outside my cat's litter box. I measured whether and when the air purifier auto-engages, and how long it takes to return to clean air quality. I also used an air quality monitor to check for pollutants and the purifiers' efficacy, and a decibel monitor app on my phone to measure noise level when the appliance is on high. I also tested each setting, paying special attention to the multipurpose features and whether they were actually useful or just gimmicky. When another tester reviews a machine, they use the same metrics.

One of the main things I considered when testing was whether the extra features were actually useful. Each recommendation on the list has been deemed successful in both air purification and its other marketed “dual-purpose” function. I also considered size and purification ability—that's why the fun terrarium isn't a top pick; while it's super cute, it's not as effective as an air purifier.

AT&T Top Deals: Wireless, Internet, Bundles and More!

Squarespace Promo Code: 20% Off Annual Acuity Subscriptions

Key Takeaways

If you're tight on space or just want a more aesthetically pleasing machine, the best air purifier for home depends on your needs
If you live in a small apartment like me, you may need to have a multifunctional air purifier for a practical reason: space
Regardless of the reason, these multiuse air purifiers look good, save space, and combine appliances into a single, energy-efficient device
Check out our other home air quality guides, including the Best Fans, Best Space Heaters, Best Humidifiers, Best Dehumidifiers, and Best Window ACs