Sieger Stiftung Warentest and recommendations

With air purifiers you keep the air in your home rooms clean and pure. GIGA has the best models for you in Air purifier test 2021 collected.

Regardless of whether it is pollen, animal hair, house dust or residue from cigarette smoke: The air we breathe can be polluted by numerous contaminants and quickly destroy the feeling of wellbeing in our own four walls. Therefore, GIGA started looking for the best air purifiers 2021 and gives you valuable tips for buying the air refiners.

Note: In December 2020, Stiftung Warentest subjected the three best air purifiers (including the Phillips AC2889 / 10 listed here) to a post-test to determine their effectiveness in combating Coronavirus to investigate.

The best air purifiers 2021 in the test: All models at a glance

GIGA price tip: Levoit air purifier LV-H132

benefits

• 3-stage cleaning process with HEPA filter
• Extremely quiet cleaning possible
• Filter change comparatively cheap

disadvantage

• Specialized in small spaces

Getting an air purifier is usually an expensive undertaking, but with that Levoite LV-H132 the US company provides a cost-effective alternative.

The integrated HEPA filter removes animal hair, pollen, mites and even the finest dust particles with an air circulation of 68 m³ / h from the air and works completely on ozone and UV radiation thanks to the absence of an ionizer.

An additional activated carbon filter also neutralizes unpleasant odors before the air is freshly released from the device. Particles such as animal hair, scales or the like are captured.

According to the manufacturer, the effective range is limited to 12 m², so the air purifier is mainly suitable for smaller rooms or the bedroom.

Larger rooms can of course also be cleaned of unwanted particles, but the cleaning process then takes much longer. The Air Purifier works so quietly on the lowest of the 3 cleaning levels with 25dB that you can clean the air undisturbed while sleeping.

The filters have to be changed about every six months for a price of around 25 euros.

Test winner Stiftung Warentest: Phillips AC2889 / 10

benefits

• True HEPA filter removes fine dust, pollen and bacteria
• Excellent air circulation of 333 m³ / h for quick cleaning
• 5 adjustable modes including automatic mode

disadvantage

• Weakens air purification from gases

In the test by Stiftung Warentest, the Phillips AC2889 / 10 Competitors like that Dyson Pure Cool Link Tower or the De’Longhi AC230 beat and so win. Using the True HEPA fine dust filter, the model removes even the smallest particles such as mold, mites or bacteria from the air and larger particles such as animal hair can be filtered using the pre-filter function.

Odors and gases are also quickly eliminated thanks to the activated carbon filter. The air cleaner is designed for rooms up to 79 m² and convinces with a respectable cleaning performance of 333 m³ / h. Even after 100 cigarettes, the model cleans the air without any problems. Only gases such as formaldehyde cause the device minor difficulties.

Next to the Pre-filter mode The 5 adjustable modes include a sleep mode (volume: 32dB), allergen mode and automatic mode, which, for example, detects passing pets and automatically increases the power.

The Air Purifier registers and reacts to the smallest change in the room. The air quality can be read from the digits on the display, which is also reflected on the colored ring on the front. The air quality can also be viewed at any time on the smartphone using the “Air Matters” app.

For large rooms: Kärcher AF 100

benefits

• Suitable for very large rooms
• HEPA 11 filter with a capacity of up to 720 m³ / h
• Low-energy way of working

disadvantage

• Application filters must be purchased separately

With the Kärcher AF 100 the manufacturer, which specializes in household and industrial cleaning, offers an air purifier that is suitable for entire apartments or extremely large rooms.

The large area cleaner has a HEPA 11 filter with 3 speed levels and is supplied with 2 universal filters. With a maximum of 80 watts, the air cleaner works with very little energy and cleans rooms up to 100 m² with an air circulation of up to 720 m³ / h.

The Kärcher AF 100 records the air quality via a sensor and can independently initiate the cleaning process in automatic mode.

The air quality is displayed using a color scheme and the filter service life and the fine dust content of the air can be read on the display at any time.

In addition, the model has various filter inserts for different cleaning priorities, including an allergy, TVOC, smog and health filter to remove bacteria and germs.

However, the filters must be purchased separately. The noise level is between 30 and 48 dB depending on the speed level.

Air purifier test 2021: This is how we selected the recommendations

High-quality air purifiers are an expensive investment and are available in numerous variants with a wide variety of functions and specifications.

So that your investment does not turn into a bad investment, we have selected the best models for you. Our own experience as well as user experiences and evaluations from external test institutes served us as the basis for our selection.

Sources used: Stiftung Warentest (Edition 03/2020), House & garden test (Edition 01/2019)

Buying an air purifier: what do I have to consider?

Filter type

At Air purifiers There are different techniques to remove the pollutants from the air. For models in the lower price ranges are mostly Ionizers used.

However, the poisonous gas ozone is produced during separation processes with ionizers. In higher concentrations, the gas can lead to irritated eyes or headaches, so we advise against using cleaners of this type – especially since the air is not cleaned particularly well.

Air purifiers, on the other hand, which consist of a plurality of filters, do their job much more precisely. Especially models with fine filters, often referred to as HEPA filters, can remove the finest house dust or even bacteria and germs from the air and are therefore ideal for allergy sufferers.

Additional Activated carbon filter On top of that, they free the air from unpleasant smells or harmful gases.

Room volume

When choosing the right air purifier, the most important thing is how big the room to be cleaned is. The room sizes specified by the manufacturer are only a rough guide.

Because the specified number of square meters only takes into account the room area, but not the volume. The cleaning time also plays a role. The larger the room, the longer the cleaning process will take.

So you can theoretically clean large rooms with air purifiers that are designed for smaller rooms, but then you have to accept the much longer cleaning time.

So if the air needs to be cleaned quickly and carefully, we would rather recommend a little more square meters than too little.

power

The performance of air purifiers in the USA is measured by means of the CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate). This value is now used more and more frequently in Europe and describes the Air circulation.

This means that if a model has an output of 50 m³ / h, for example, it cleans 50 cubic meters per hour. Accordingly, the following applies: the higher the air circulation, the shorter the cleaning time. The size of the room also plays a decisive role here.

volume

If you want to keep the air clean and pure while you sleep, you should get an air purifier with a low working volume. Many devices have one especially for night rest Night mode.

But even if there is a lot of smoking in an apartment or pets cause polluted air and the air purifier runs for several hours a day, a high working volume can quickly become a nuisance.

We therefore advise you to test the volume during a test run at home or in the store and then make a decision.

Additional costs

With an air purifier, a filter change is necessary sooner or later. The rule of thumb is to change the filter every 6 months. With some models, however, the change can differ by a few weeks or months.

However, it is important that you inform yourself about the additional costs of the filters before buying. Because the purchase of some filters, which are intended for special areas of application, for example, can turn out to be much more expensive than the standard filters.

Some filters can also be washed and used several times. In addition, the energy consumption should not be neglected in terms of additional costs.