A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World
Updated on Apr. 23, 2025
Beat dander, dirt and allergens with these air purifiers made for pet owners. We found options at all price points for any house size.
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You spend lots of time inside your home, and your pets likely spend almost all of their time there. That’s why good air quality inside the home is imperative. Air purifiers not only improve overall air quality, they can play a big part in keeping allergies at bay by filtering out even the smallest particles from the air. For pet parents, that means capturing pet hair and dander.
“Many allergens, including pet dander and dust mite allergen, are prone to become airborne,” explains Melanie Carver, Chief Mission Officer at the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America (AAFA). “Using an air cleaner with a HEPA filter at least four hours per day can help reduce the allergens in the air.”
To help you find the best air purifier for pets, we tested a dozen options from various brands that all have their own unique features. Out of the 12 machines we tested, 11 made the cut. So without further ado, here are the 11 best air purifiers for pets.
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The Shark NeverChange air purifier checks every box when it comes to functionality. It boasts true HEPA filtration, removing 99.98% of irritants from the air—including pet hair and dander—in rooms up to 1,400 square feet. It also features a DebrisDefense filter, optional odor neutralizer technology and an intuitive design. But what we really love about this air purifier is the fact that you won’t have to change the filter for up to five years.
Our tester, Lauren Allain, put this air purifier to the test in her home which she shares with her partner and two dogs. Allain was thrilled by the noticeable improvement in her allergy symptoms. “As someone who deals with pollen and pet allergies, the Shark NeverChange has been an incredible addition to my home. It’s great for catching pet hair and reducing airborne allergens, including making me feel better about protection from viruses,” she raves.
During testing, Allain was also pleased by how quickly the Shark NeverChange removed lingering food smells from her home. While she was sautéing scallops in butter and garlic, her air quality dipped from 100% down to 86%. She kept the Shark running on a low setting and her air quality was back to 100% within two hours. How could she tell? The unit features an LED screen that gives real-time clean air information. “My absolute favorite element of this air purifier is the display that uses a percentage readout instead of just a color-coded system to indicate air quality,” explains Allain. “It also has a colored ring on the display, but I prefer the percentage.”
Another feature that landed this air purifier at the top of our list is the ability to adjust its brightness and noise level. As a light sleeper, Allain especially appreciated being able to mute the unit’s lights and sounds.“I’m a light sleeper, sensitive to both sound and light, and the Shark NeverChange is perfect in both minimal sound and the ability to turn off the display,” she says.
Although this isn’t the cheapest air purifier on our list, Allain feels it is a sound investment. “This air purifier is not the least expensive option, but I think it’s worth the higher price given that it can cover a huge area (up to 1,400 square feet), includes an odor neutralizer, and has a longer-lasting HEPA filter,” she explains. And while she will continue to use it in her own home, she does caution that people who are extremely sensitive to smells may want to avoid using the odor neutralizer. “I’m not a fan of scents, so I keep the odor neutralizer dial set to the lowest possible option. I noticed the smell for the first few days, but haven’t noticed it since,” she says. And if you don’t want to smell it at all, you can simply remove the puck entirely. To learn even more about the Shark NeverChange air purifier, be sure to read Allain’s detailed review.
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The Sans air purifier is one of the few units on our list with an H13, or medical-grade HEPA filter. That means this filter captures 99.9% of microscopic particles as small as 0.1 microns. A true HEPA filter, on the other hand, captures particles down to 0.3 microns. In addition to a medical-grade filter, the Sans air purifier has a washable pre-filter to trap pet hair and other debris, a carbon filter to eliminate odors and a powerful internal UV-C light.
In order to see just how effective this air purifier is, Caroline Lubinsky set it up in the home she shares with her mom and three dogs. Shortly after setting it up, a member of her family came in smelling like gasoline thanks to a leaky leaf blower. With the Sans running on a low setting, it took about two hours for the smell to completely disappear and the air quality to return to the optimal range.
After five days of running the Sans air purifier, Lubinsky noticed less dust around her home. When she checked the pre-filter, she was able to see all of the dust, dirt and dog hair that had been caught. Better yet, she noticed that the air smelled cleaner overall. The only thing she wasn’t crazy about was the anticipated upkeep of this machine. According to the manufacturer, the filter should be replaced every three months or every 2,200 hours. At $40 per filter, you can expect to spend around $160 per year to run this unit.
Overall, the Sans is aesthetically pleasing, easy to use and effective when it comes to cleaning the air in your home. However, it may not give you the most bang for your buck. “There are other air purifiers for about $100 less,” says Lubinsky. “For example, the Shark NeverChange purifier can be found online for $249.99 while the Sans is currently on sale for $369.99.”
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Don’t let the low price and small profile fool you. This Levoit air purifier cleans air in an 1,800 square foot space once per hour. It features a U-shaped air inlet which helps prevent clogs from airborne pet fur and other degree along with three stages of filtration. A washable pre-filter captures pet fur, hair and lint, while a true HEPA filter captures 99.97% of irritants like pet dander, pollen and fine dust. And finally, a carbon filter neutralizes odors from litter boxes or a pooch that’s long overdue for a bath.
“If you love your kitties but not the smell of their litter box, this handy Levoit air purifier is for you,” raves our tester, Emily Way. “In addition to eliminating airborne fur and dander, it also completely neutralizes nearly all cat-related smells automatically with its effective auto settings.”
Way placed this air purifier close to her cats’ smaller tree and litter boxes. One of her cats happens to be a big shedder, much to the dismay of her allergic husband. After 30 days of use, Way discovered firsthand just how effective this air purifier is. “When I pulled off the cover after 30 days, there were tufts of Nancy’s hair everywhere all over it. I’ve also been vacuuming up way less hair in that room,” she says. “Also, my husband has had a lot fewer issues with his allergies, which is really nice.”
Pet odors aren’t the only smells this air purifier can tackle. Way noted that while cooking bacon, the air quality registered as bad. The unit kicked into high gear and brought her air back to very good in just one hour. And after burning a candle, this unit had her air quality back to very good within 20 minutes.
When asked what would make this air purifier even better, Way couldn’t think of a single thing. She was impressed by how much cleaner her air felt, the improvement in her husband’s allergy symptoms and the intuitive app. Moreover, she appreciates the affordability of both the unit and replacement filters. “You can get a 2-pack of new filters for like $40, which is a really good value compared to the other filters, which can cost upwards of $60 for one filter,” she explains.
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There’s nothing wrong with splurging on something that’ll benefit you and your pet in the long run, especially when it comes to your health. And with the Molekule Air Pro, we feel the splurge is well worth the investment. Its modern and technologically-advanced design takes cleaning air to a new level. “The air purifier uniquely uses UV lights to help purify the air. The sensors seem to be particularly sensitive to VOCs which is great for those with allergies beyond pet allergies,” explains our tester, Pamela Bondurant.
It also features convenient hands-free controls, automatic sensors and a true HEPA filtration system as well as an app that provides real-time reports on air pollution and allows you to change the settings without having to get up (which means more time for cuddling with your furry friend).
Bondurant placed this air purifier in a spare bedroom where her two large dogs prefer to sleep. Both dogs carry lots of dander and it’s commonplace to find the comforter covered in dog hair. After running the Molekule consistently for five days, she noticed that the room smelled less musty and less dog-like overall. “I do feel better about having guests stay in a room where my dogs spend a lot of time,” she says.
It’s also worth noting that although this air purifier wasn’t placed near a kitchen, it still picked up on cooking smells. “I did not place this near the kitchen and it still instantly detected any kind of cooking,” explains Bondurant. “Within a minute or so, the device detected VOCs and went to a moderate level. The purifier had the VOCs back down to almost nothing within an hour of cooking completion.”
The Molekule Air Pro retails for $1,014.99, though the brand offers a discount if you sign up for a filter subscription. While the price tag is indeed quite steep, this unit is FDA-cleared to destroy bacteria, viruses, and mold. According to Bondurant, who used to build medical devices, this air purifier is IEC 60601-1-2 compliant for medical electrical equipment. “That simply means that it can be used in a medical setting and won’t electrically disturb medical equipment,” she explains.
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If you don’t have tons of extra space, a multi-purpose machine like the Dyson Purifier Hot + Cool is a great investment. This machine functions as a blade-less fan to safely cool or heat your space while purifying your air. It’s true that this unit is expensive but when you think about it, you’re paying for an air purifier, oscillating fan and heater all in one!
Pamela Bondurant, who shares her home with two large pit bull mixes, set up this Dyson air purifier in a 13-by-13 bedroom. She appreciated the unit’s quiet operation and did notice that the air felt crisp and fresh after five days of use. Bondurant also liked the machine’s versatility. “I like that it has heating and cooling. The cooling is just a fan but still it’s a nice Dyson fan,” she says. “And the heater actually puts out heat.”
In fact, I have been personally using this Dyson air purifier for several years. I primarily use it as a space heater in my toddler’s bedroom. Her bedroom has a door with stairs leading up to our attic so it gets especially cold in the winter. I love being able to turn the heat on before naps and bedtime without having to adjust my upstairs thermostat. The Dyson works extremely well and the machine is never hot to the touch. I also find that it helps keep her room smelling fresh which is especially helpful when she wakes up with a dirty diaper.
Something you may want to consider before purchasing this unit is the fact that the phone app isn’t all that great. Bondurant describes it as clunky and says the stats are hard to find. Moreover, it won’t give you any historical data until you’ve had it for at least a month. “It’s very confusing. It also has a remote that only has icons that aren’t all clearly obvious as to their use,” says Bondurant. I agree. While I’m not tech savvy enough to bother with the app, I have no idea what most of the buttons on the remote are for even after years of use. But if you’re a tech whiz, you shouldn’t have any issues with this machine.
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Love the thought of having an air purifier but don’t want a monstrosity sitting in your living room? The Mila air purifier has a sleek, modern design that won’t ruin your home’s aesthetic. Better yet, this unit is as functional as it is stylish. It features a true HEPA filter that captures up to 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns, a carbon filter which removes odors and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and an easy-to-read LED screen that shows real-time clean air information. And it’s all effortlessly controlled via a smart app.
Rachael Penn set this air purifier up in the old Victorian home she shares with her two terriers. Between the dust and dog hair, Penn’s allergies often affect her sleep quality so she opted to place this unit in her bedroom. She let it run throughout the day while she went to work and was amazed by how fresh the room smelled upon her return. Moreover, she noticed a significant improvement in the quality of her sleep. “I’ve noticed a huge difference in my sleep quality when I’ve had it running for a few hours before bed. I don’t wake up with a stuffy nose or itchy eyes,” she says. “It really does a great job of totally cleansing the room. I also think it smells fresher if I leave it on with the door closed. Having two dogs, it can get a little smelly if you don’t stay on top of things so this really helps remove any bad odors.”
In addition to improved sleep and fresh air, Penn also noticed a reduction in the amount of dust that settled on surfaces. The improvement was so great that she actually opted to keep it running consistently on its automatic mode. The Mila offers a range of filters including a pet filter which is equipped with an H13 HEPA filter, ammonia-targeted carbon and washable Mila Sock. While the filters aren’t cheap, they last between six to eight months depending on your usage. Penn used the basic filter and was impressed by its performance.
Penn’s only complaint is that the unit is loud. On a scale of 1 to 10, Penn puts the noise level at a 7 when on the lowest setting, or 10%. “At 100% you can’t be in the room with it as it’s like a jet engine taking off,” she says. She goes on to point out that light sleepers may find it difficult to sleep while moderate to heavy sleepers are likely to sleep just fine.
Overall, Penn believes this air purifier is worth every penny. She’s even encouraged her best friend to purchase one of her own. “The Mila air purifier impressed me with its intelligent auto modes, which could keep up with the ever changing air quality in my home without me having to do any of the work. Its sleek design, quiet operation and powerful filtration capabilities make this a must-have for any home with pets,” she raves. To learn even more about this air purifier, be sure to read Penn’s full Mila Air Purifier review.
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The Alen BreatheSmart air purifier will blend right in thanks to its customizable faceplates and filters. There are six colors to choose from and four different filter types. All filters are medical-grade HEPA filters which capture 99.9% of microscopic particles as small as 0.1 microns. According to the brand, the Pure filter is perfect for pet owners, though the Fresh and Odor filters are also effective at eliminating pet odors.
“I love the customizable faceplate to blend with my flooring and decor, plus the quiet operation makes it an undetectable silent partner in the overall comfort and feel of the room. The light settings are adjustable so it can double as a nightlight or turn off while the machine still works to clean the air,” raves product tester Sheri Kaz.
During testing, Kaz set the unit to run on auto. She reported that the air in her bedroom was “fresh, fresh, fresh!” She also noticed a decrease in her nasal congestion and old dog smell that comes courtesy of her 13-year-old miniature poodle, Missy. She was also surprised to discover that opening windows actually caused the air quality to drop. “If I open a window it immediately turns to red or purple. I was shocked by this, thinking I was letting ‘fresh’ air in. Apparently, we live in a very dirty world,” she quips.
Kaz decided to take her testing one step further and set the Alen up next to another air purifier. “I put the Winix and Alen in the same room. The Alen readings indicated poor air quality, while the Winix reported good air quality,” she explains. “It’s hard to know which one is more accurate but the Alen seems to be more discriminating than the Winix.”
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As mentioned above, Kaz tested the Winix 5500-2 air purifier in tandem with the Alen BreatheSmart. While both air purifiers left her home feeling fresh and clean, she found that the Winix is a better value. After setting this unit up in her home office, which she describes as the most used room in the house for pets and humans, Kaz was impressed by how quickly it cleaned the air. “Upon first use, the light was red and stayed red for 30 minutes. I continued to let it run for another 30 minutes and it had turned blue, which is the best air quality of the three colors,” she explains.
The Winix also cleaned Kaz’s kitchen in record time after she cooked a fragrant Sicilian dish using anchovies, onions and cauliflower. She let the unit run for 30 minutes on auto mode with the optional PlasmaWave technology on. The fan ran at turbo speed and registered the air as clean after 30 minutes. However, the color went back up to orange and the fan increased to medium speed and shortly afterwards. Kaz attributes this to the fact that there were onion skins in the trash and the smell of cauliflower was wafting through the halls of her home.
Since the Winix is lightweight and easy to move from room to room, Kaz brought it down to her musty basement. She let it run on auto mode for 24 hours. Within a few hours, she noticed a slight improvement in the air. And when she returned to check on things, she was pleased to find that her basement was completely devoid of the musty smell. “The Winix 5500-2 cleaned up the musty air in my 1300 foot basement in less than 24 hours. I was impressed after 4 hours and astonished at what a difference a day made. Wow, this thing really works,” she raves.
After a month of use, Kaz opened the cover and noticed that the bright white filter had turned to a dirty shade of yellow, evidence that it was capturing the grime that she would have otherwise been breathing in. She was able to see dust particles that the machine attracted and captured on the fine mesh screen. Luckily, both the fine mesh pre-filter and the carbon filter are washable. Washing the filters allows you to prolong the life of the unit’s true HEPA filter. And when it is time to replace them, which is after 12 months of use according to the manufacturer, you’ll be just as happy as we were to learn that replacement filters are super affordable.
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If you live in an area that’s prone to wildfires or happen to live with a smoker, the Winix 5510 air purifier is a must-have. It features a true HEPA filter plus a carbon filter to eliminate odors and is more powerful than its cousin, the Winix 5500-2. “This machine is a slight step up from the 5500-2 with more powerful and faster cleaning in larger spaces,” says Kaz.
After a month of use, Kaz was able to feel the difference in her home’s air quality and noticed a serious reduction in odors. “I actually tried this all over my house, I moved it to the kitchen when cooking broccoli, used it in all the dog’s favorite hang-outs and in the smoking room,” she explains. And the smoking room is where she saw this unit really shine.
“With a smoker in the house, I used this in the smoking room. It immediately kicked into the high mode and I couldn’t detect the smoke in the next room. It gobbled up the smoke as the smoker emitted it,” explains Kaz. “Even more impressive, is that the room had a lingering smell of smoke before using this purifier, I let it run on Auto with the plasma ionizer for two days and it smelled surprisingly fresh. I could still detect some smells embedded in the textiles in the room, but the overwhelming smells decreased significantly.”
According to Kaz, another key difference between this model and the Winix 5500-2 is the is the WiFi capability and a much subtler interface. She also points out that the specs on the box are also better, with higher purification levels for smoke (247), dust (253) and pollen (252). Of the three air purifiers she tested, Kaz is excited to continue using this model. “It’s magnificent! The good news is that it’s light enough to tote up and down the stairs or different rooms in the house as needed,” she raves.
Once you’ve cleaned your air, here’s how to get smoke smells out of your clothes.
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Don’t let its small size fool you. This Nuwave air purifier may only measure 8.62-by-8.62 inches, but it cleans the air in rooms up to 1,361 square feet once per hour. It features a true HEPA filter, easy-to-use LED touch panel and sleep mode that darkens the panel lights.
Our tester, Kristen Bandurski, shares her home with Luna, a 7-year-old field coat golden retriever. She placed this Nuwave in her bedroom where Luna likes to nap. While she likes having Luna close by, the hair and dander often cause her to wake up with a stuffy nose. Bandurski noticed that she woke up stuffy less often when using the air purifier.
This air purifier also did a great job eliminating odors in her home. One night, while she was cooking fish, the unit gave an orange reading, meaning the air quality was less than ideal. Within 30 minutes, it was back to green. Overall, Bandurski describes this air purifier as effective and easy to use with intentional settings and features that are not overly complicated. Moreover, she appreciates the affordability of the unit’s replacement filters.
Before adding this portable air purifier to your cart, you may want to consider the noise levels. According to Bandurski, the four fan levels range from quiet to disruptive. “Fan levels 3 was noticeable and could be disruptive to sleep,” she explains. “Fan level 4 was very disruptive. I could not sleep.” If you’re a light sleeper, you may want to avoid the auto mode and let it run on the lowest setting instead.
Before buying the best air purifier for pets, here are a few things you’ll want to consider:
Sometimes, we get our hands on a product that doesn’t quite live up to our expectations but is still worth considering:
Here at Reader’s Digest, we know how important it is to transform your home into a sanctuary for you and your beloved pets. Many of us are also pet owners who tolerate a range of allergy symptoms so that we can share our homes with our four-legged friends. That’s why we are constantly researching and testing the best products for pet owners. Our editors and testers have years of experience testing and evaluating everything from the best air purifiers to the best vacuums for pet hair.
In addition to researching, selecting and testing our air purifiers for pets, we spoke with Melanie Carver, Chief Mission Officer at the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America (AAFA). Carver shared the foundation’s recommendations on what to look for when buying an air purifier for pets and the most effective way to use them in your home.Â
As shopping experts, our most important job is to help you find a winning product. Our product testers tested 12 air purifiers in their own homes which they share with at least one pet. With in-depth research and a rubric that tested setup, features, performance and value, we narrowed that list from 12 to 11.
Our testers began by unboxing and assembling the air purifier close to where their pets spend the most time. They let the unit run for 30 minutes, noting the air quality before and after.
Next, they lit a candle for 20 minutes before running the air purifier on its lowest setting, once again evaluating the air quality before and after. And finally, they cooked a meal using fragrant ingredients such as fish or bacon. After they finished cooking, our testers placed the air purifier near the cooking area and let it run for 30 minutes. They paid special attention to how the kitchen smelled at the beginning and end of the test, if the air purifier helped with the smell and any smoke and whether or not it helped get rid of lingering smells or smoke in the air more than in the past without one.
In addition to the setup and performance of each air purifier, our testers considered the style, features and cost of replacement filters to determine whether or not each unit is a good value.
With thorough testing and recognition of notable differences, we’re confident in these 10 best air purifier picks.
Since most air purifiers remove particles as small as 0.3 microns, they typically also remove odors from the air—whether that’s from pets, cooking, smoke or other outside elements. Activated carbon filters also help remove odors.
The closer you are to the air purifier the more you’ll reap the benefits of the machine. That means you should place the air purifier close to where you or your pet are sitting to ensure you’re breathing in clean air as soon as it’s filtered. Try it near the bedside table, office desk, sofa or dog bed.
The life of the air purifier filters depends on how often they’re used and how big the machine is. We suggest reading the instruction manual for your machine to see the specific recommendations, but to be on the safe side, it’s a good idea to replace the filter every six months.
