Young couple sitting on the sofa around cardboard boxes smelling something stinky

Air purifiers have a lot of health benefits for your family but you might be wondering do air purifiers help with smell from pets, cooking or just a full house in general? 

Unfortunately, the answer to this question isn’t just a simple yes or no. The reason being is that some air purifiers do get rid of odors while others do not. We’ve done all the work to help you find out what you need to know about finding an air purifier that helps with smells and odors.

Do Air Purifiers Help with Smell?

Air purifiers can remove odor by using a fan to cycle the air in a room. As air passes through an Activated Carbon filter, it will trap the molecules that create smells. This process will help reduce as many unpleasant odors as possible.

While there are several different types of air cleaning technologies on the market, the real secret to getting rid of smells inside your home is by using an air purifier that includes an Activated Carbon filter because it has such a large surface area per unit volume. Without this feature, the product won’t be very effective at removing smells. Activated Carbon is excellent at removing smells that are caused by pets, cooking, smoke, chemicals, and gases.

Located on this surface area is a network of submicroscopic pores that absorbs particles that make up odors. Physical adsorption takes place because molecules exert attractive forces and these surface molecules seek to adhere to other molecules.

While the activated carbon filter is the most important for odor specifically, when it comes to air purifiers, the more filters, the better. Common for most of the air purifiers that have activated carbon filters, they will also likely have a HEPA or True HEPA filter and even a pre-filter to help with larger particles.

A benefit that some air purifiers provide is that the included Activated Carbon filter can be washed with soap and water to get it clean. This means that you can continue to reap the benefits from the carbon molecules without having to replace it as often.

What Odors Do Air Purifiers Remove?

Air purifiers work to remove all types of smells from the home. The most common odors that air purifier can get rid of include:

  • Cigarette smoke odor
  • Chemical smells
  • Food and kitchen smells
  • Garbage smells
  • Pet odors

If you place an air purifier with a good Activated Carbon filter in a room that has any of the above odors, then it can work to eliminate those smells.

The key is to let the air purifier run as much as possible in an enclosed space so it can cycle the air over and over again through the filter to remove as many odor molecules as possible.

Our Top Pick: VEVA 8000

do air purifiers help with smell

The VEVA 8000 air purifier is our top pick for a reason.

Its true HEPA filter captures tiny particles and the premium pre-carbon filter absorbs smells. It will remove all household odors such as smoking, cooking and pet smells, leaving your indoor air fresh and clean.

Better yet, the VEVA 8000 is user friendly to operate and periodically replace the filters. It also comes with suction cups and a detachable base so you can put it on your shelf for additional storage. It even captures up to 325 square feet.

The VEVA 8000 consistently gets high marks due to its value — it’s a high-quality air purifier at a budget-friendly price point.

View VEVA 8000 on Amazon

 

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that an air purifer can help with odors as long as it has an activated carbon filter.

We can help you find a high-quality air purifier that uses this type of filter to get rid of unwanted smells in your house. Take a look at our list of the top 10 air purifiers to find the perfect model for your own needs.