I Tried 3 Air Purifiers Before Finally Finding My Holy Grail

As someone who has suffered from allergies for 14 years now, I’ve tried every type of remedy. An allergist confirmed that I was allergic to environmental allergens, including grass, ragweed, pollen, and dust mites. When over-the-counter meds stopped working, I moved on to prescription pills, nose sprays, and eye drops. Eventually, I invested in an air purifier to see if it could help. 

I tried three different purifiers, which were all clunky or not quite effective, before I finally found one that I love and would recommend to anyone sniffing and suffering their way through allergies: the PuroAir 240 HEPA Air Purifier.

The PuroAir 240 HEPA Air Purifier has three filters, including a pre-screen filter, HEPA filter, and activated carbon filter, designed to sift out allergens, dust, pollen, and smoke. It has a sensor that indicates the air quality via colors of light (red, yellow, or green) and adjusts the power based on the quality. I love this feature especially, as I live in New Jersey under a flight path, so the air can become hazy. 

I’ve found the PuroAir air purifier works well to combat allergens and clear smoke from cooking. It’s not an instant miracle-worker for food smells, though. When I made clam strips in my Fry Daddy, an electric deep fryer, I could still smell the oil in the air — but it wasn’t smoky, so that’s a plus.

In comparison to other air purifiers I’ve owned, this one is on the smaller side. It’s about 8 inches wide by 14 inches tall, and weighs just seven pounds. So when I saw its claim to clean “1,000 square feet in one hour,” I was skeptical. If my big, clunky air purifier hadn’t worked well to purify my 800-square-foot apartment, why would this much smaller one work? Then one night I woke up with itchy eyes, turned it on, and was feeling better within the hour. 

Prior to using the PuroAir 240, I was peeling my eyes apart in the morning because they were practically sealed shut with eye crust. Gross, but true! I live in New Jersey, where the pollen season is treacherous, and it’s been a particularly rough year for seasonal allergies. The silver lining: It was the perfect time to put this air purifier to the test to see if it could outperform the models I’d had previously. 

I tested it throughout the entire spring; I used it every night (and plenty of days) from April through June 2025. I used it in my small bedroom (which is just about 225 square feet) at first, but I wanted to test the range, so I eventually set it up on the television console in my living room. This is where I was really impressed. Even with my bedroom door closed, I could still tell the difference in the apartment when it was turned off for a significant amount of time. I would notice that I was feeling some allergy symptoms and wonder what was happening, then think to myself, “I bet I forgot to turn the air purifier on.” Sure enough, I’d turn it back on and feel relief relatively quickly. 

Its filters are designed to last 90 days, and they do. Although replacement filters cost $54 on the PuroAir website (or currently $43 on Amazon) — which is more than the filters for some other models I’ve owned — I’ve found that these last longer and aren’t as big and difficult to store.

If you’re particular about the color of your home appliances, it’s worth noting that the PuroAir purifier only comes in black as of now, but its sleek form and medium size help it blend into its surroundings pretty seamlessly. Another pet peeve I’ve had with other air purifiers is the noise they put out. Although the PuroAir purifier claims to be “whisper quiet,” it does have a slight hum. It’s not obnoxiously loud, by any means, but it’s noticeable when there’s no music or television playing in the background. Overall, a little white noise is a small price to pay for the relief of seasonal allergies and the boost of fresh air I was desperately seeking in my apartment. 

Buy: PuroAir 240 HEPA Air Purifier, $159