Bathrooms… They seem to never stay clean no matter how often and how deep you clean. A room that’s the most susceptible to bacteria, odor, and mold is practically screaming for an air cleaning solution. Is using a bathroom air purifier the way to go? In a word, yes. But there are important specs you need to look for and you must know how to operate one efficiently for it to benefit your bathroom at all.
Luckily, here at Home Air Guides, we are professionals in the space. We’ve researched and used more air purifiers than you can believe. Using our expertise and knowledge, we have all of the tips and tricks you need to use a bathroom air purifier correctly and show you some of our favorite ones, including one that we think is best.
How Does a Bathroom Air Purifier Work?
Air purifiers work by pulling in the surrounding air with a fan to be treated inside the machine before being pushed back out. Put most simply, they are designed to clean the air. Everyone knows a bathroom can never be clean enough. This is accomplished by circulating air through a series of filters designed to trap particles.
In addition to the filters, you should look out for the CADR rating, or Clean Air Delivery Rate. It measures how efficiently air purifiers remove pollutants from the air. CADR ratings reflect the air volume in cubic feet per minute (CFM) that the purifier cleans.
HEPA Filter
A HEPA filter, or high efficiency particulate air, is designed to remove dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns. They are one of the best types of filters for removing a vast majority of contaminants from the air.
True HEPA filters are designated even further. Tue HEPA filters are the only filters that are certified to remove 99.7% of those particles down to 0.3 microns.
Activated Carbon Filter
A carbon filter is the only one on this list specially designed to tackle VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the air. The air is passed through a bed of activated carbon, which combats the VOCs released by common household products. They also can be used to remove odors from the air, like tobacco smoke and cooking smells.
Any effective air purifier will have these two types of filters working together.
Can You Put Air Purifier in Bathroom?
In short, yes, absolutely. And you should! Bathrooms harbor a lot of bacteria and odor, making them the perfect candidate for air cleaning.
Air purifiers work best in enclosed spaces, so smaller rooms with closed doors and windows will let the purifiers work their best. Of all smaller rooms, bathrooms specifically are easy to meet those requirements.
No matter how much you clean your bathroom, there is always going to be something being used in there that keeps it from staying its most spic and span. A lot of us now know that flushing toilets put bacteria out into the air and circulate it through the room. While we know to keep our toothbrushes out of the open air, there are plenty of other surfaces and airflow that collect that bacteria.
In bathrooms with baths or showers, there are trials and tribulations that come with keeping that extreme humidity at bay. If a room is not properly circulated, mold can build up easily from the excess moisture and eventually the mold spores will become airborne. Air purifiers will capture airborne mold spores and keep your breathing clean and healthy.
Our Top Bathroom Air Purifier Picks
Best Overall Bathroom Air Purifier: VEVA 8000
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.
Best Bathroom Air Purifier for Asthma and Allergy Sufferers: Fellowes AeraMax 100
This air cleaner is certified by the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America. If you’re looking for asthma and allergy relief in every room of the house, putting this in your bathroom or small spaces could help.
With this air purifier, you’ll get 100 to 200 square feet of coverage, making it ideal for not only large bathrooms, but small bedrooms and home offices. The CADR rating is 70 and the ACH (Air Changes Per Hour) is 3X, so it’s very efficient at cleaning the air.
This unit includes a 4-stage air filtration system with the essential True HEPA filter for removing 99.97% pollen, ragweed, dust, and other common allergens as small as 0.3 microns as well as an Antimicrobial Treatment to prevent the growth of bacteria.
It also has a carbon filter for reducing odors while also capturing debris. The True HEPA filter with AeraSafe antimicrobial treatment: safely removes 99.97% of viruses, germs, allergens, mold and dust
A unique feature of this air purifier is the “PlasmaTrue” technology. This boosts air quality performance by emitting electrically charged ions into the air that causes allergens to cluster together so they can be trapped more easily by the internal filters.
Most Compact Bathroom Air Purifier: IQAir Atem Desk Air Purifier
This compact air purifier is great for bathrooms, powder rooms and other small spaces up to 150 square feet. Designed to take up a small amount of space on any counter or desk top, this is easy to implement and even travel with.
- Top Rated Personal Air Purifier: Two-time winner of the Global Innovations Award.
- HyperHEPA Filter: This advanced filter captures 99% of ultrafine particles down to 0.003 microns (10x smaller than a virus—the smallest that exist). It’s much more efficient than a True HEPA air filter that you’ll find on the other air cleaners reviewed on this list.
- Smart Wi-Fi Enabled: It can be controlled by any iOS or Android device with the IQAir mobile app.
- Proximity Sensor: With the IQAir Atem synced to your mobile device, the proximity sensor will automatically turn the air purifier off when you walk away from it. This feature helps to save energy and preserve air filter life.
- 3 Fan Speeds: You can adjust the air cleaning power up or down depending on the level of airflow you need.
Best Medical Grade Bathroom Air Purifier: Molekule Air Mini+
Above all else, Molekule is a science based company. They focus on creating medical grade, FDA cleared products. While their products are impressive and get very granular with their specs, they come with quite a price tag.
This is an advanced (& very chic) device for someone looking for extra frills in some situations but likely isn’t the most cost effective product for the average everyday home needs.
- Easy to Control with simple-touch display and Wi-Fi connectivity: You can readily control the Molekule Air Mini with the one-touch user-friendly display. Or you can connect any iOS or Android device to the unit via Wi-Fi and control wirelessly.
- Particle Sensor with Auto-Protect Mode: This detects the level of pollutants in the air and sends a signal to the air purifier to adjust the fan speed up or down automatically.
- 5 Fan Speeds: This allows you to get the optimal balance between air cleaning protection and noise level.
- Ultra Quiet: The Molekule Air Mini has a low noise level of 30 decibels, so you won’t have to worry about any noisy distractions.
- Energy Efficient: This air purifier uses low power consumption with minimal impact on your electricity bill. Lowest speed = 20 W/h | Highest speed = 55 W/h
- Particle Level Indicator: This shows you the level of pollutants detected in the air (Very Bad, Bad, Moderate, Good)
How to Use an Air Purifier
If you do choose to use an air purifier, there are few things you can do to maximize its effectiveness.
First and foremost you’ll want to make sure you have the correct machine for your room size. This is especially easy in smaller spaces like bathrooms. Manufacturers will indicate the square footage that their machines are designed for.
An air purifier is only as good as its filters. So, you need to keep them cleaned or replaced regularly. That time frame depends on the machine and manufacturer.
They will also only be able to fully clean the air in an enclosed space. That means you’ll want to keep the doors and windows closed in the room.
When it comes to placement, don’t block the air flow or try to stick the machine in a corner or behind furniture. Even better if you can, lift it off the ground and onto a tabletop or stand.
Bottom Line
Using a bathroom air purifier is a no-brainer. It’s the room of the home that’s most difficult to keep clean, used frequently and susceptible to air quality issues. Air purifiers in the bathroom help with common issues like bacteria, odor and mold. While there are plenty of options on the market, the VEVA 8000 air purifier is the best choice to combine high performance and an extremely reasonable price point. It can’t be beat!